How to take photos and create videos

Taking good quality digital photographs throughout your project is a great way to document progress, and can also be used on social media, your website and sent to the local media. Most mobile phones have built-in cameras which can produce high-quality images.

Here are some tips on how to take a good photo:

• Think about your project and what photo you want to take to tell the story.
• If we have funded a building or piece of equipment, show it being used. In some cases, a prop may help.
• Do include people in images, generally up to about five people is best and make sure they are looking at the camera.
• If you are taking a group shot of four or more people stagger them in rows, rather than have them standing in a straight line, placing the tallest people at the back.
• Use landscape orientation unless you’re purely photographing for Instagram stories or TikTok. Otherwise, you’ll end up with black vertical bars by the side of your photo when uploaded on a website, YouTube, Facebook or Twitter.
• Use natural light where possible. Try to avoid taking photos at night, against a heavily lit background or having to use the flash function. A bit of sunshine helps, but avoid high levels of sun which may result in too much contrast or shadowing.
• If taking photos indoors avoid placing people by windows, which can add glare and reflections.
• Do not use the digital zoom on the camera to move closer to your subject, as the zoom function can make photos appear grainy. Stand closer to what you’re photographing.
• One of the best things about smartphone photography is you can take as many photos as you want and then choose the best one. Always take more than one version to ensure you get everyone looking at the camera.
• If people are moving on equipment, setting the camera to burst mode allows you to capture multiple shots, before selecting the best one.
• Most camera phones have built in editor apps, where you can crop and touch up photos in seconds.

• The rule of thirds in photography is a good guideline that places the subject, or more interesting part of the photo, in the left or right third of an image, leaving the other two thirds more open. This gives a more natural feeling to the image and allows the eye to flow around the picture. Most phone cameras have the option to enable gridlines if you go into the camera settings, to allow you to create the rule of thirds.
• You can also place your subject in the centre of your frame to give your image a clean look.
• Higher resolution photos are more suitable for print and online media, try and ensure images are 2mb in size.
• Please note when taking any photos check you have the permission of the people in the photos to use the images for promotional purposes. It’s always best to get this in writing, here is an example of our image consent form you can use, if you don’t have your own.
• Finally, please email us any photos, along with a caption, so we can also use them for promotional purposes and tag us on social media using our handles below.

Making a short video

Creating a short video on a smartphone can really bring your project to life and showcase what you have achieved. It doesn’t need to be a daunting task with the technology available on today’s smartphones. You can record someone speaking directly to the camera and saying a few words about the project or record the project in action.

You can edit these videos quite simply on your smartphone device, or even put them together, using free apps such as Magisto, InShot or Splice.

Here are some tips when making a video on a smartphone:

• Use the same principles as when taking a photo explained above in terms of light, use of zoom, centring or rule of thirds and landscape orientation, unless filming purely for Instagram or TikTok which both need portrait orientation.
• One issue you need to address is how to reduce your hand from shaking when holding the phone to film, especially if you’re moving to follow a subject or using the phone to pan. Unless you have a top of the range professional handheld video camera, a normal video camera or smartphone will pick up movement in your hand, even if you think your hand is perfectly still. If possible, use a gimbal if you’re on the move, or for static shots use a tripod, or you can even prop your phone on a table or shelf to steady it when filming. Selfie sticks often double up as a tripod, but unfortunately won’t reduce shake if used to steady a shot using the stick.
• Post the videos on your website and social media and please mention or tag The Harpur Trust using our handles:

Facebook @TheHarpurTrust

Twitter @TheHarpurTrust

Instagram @the_harpur_trust

LinkedIn @the-harpur-trust

Find out more about Promoting Your Project.

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