Take Good Photos

One of the proposals I looked at last weekend was for a local history book. As happens, the author had visited historical sites and taken photographs himself with which he was suggesting the book could be illustrated.

IMHO this doesn't usually work. Most photographs by amateurs are, well, amateurish. In one of the photos sent with this proposal, the subject was a interesting rock formation. But in the photo a white SUV was parked behind the rocks and about three feet of it extended beyond the edge of the rock as if it were a pale appendage. The shocking white against the darker rock stole the viewer's attention.

You see this same type of problem in photos of people where a telephone pole appears to be growing out of someone's head.

Another photo was of one of those brass historical markers. The top of the marker was cut off and the photographer hadn't positioned his camera properly so the sides of the marker appeared to converge inward toward the top.

Historical illustrations are best for history books, but if you must take photos yourself, develop an eye for composition.

This week we are hard at work doing the final editing and putting all the finishing touches on our fall 2007 titles as well as keeping all the marketing and other plates spinning.

—Steve Mettee