Not an obscure reference

Storytelling in Yearbooks
Stories are about people not things, so tell their whole story.
Yearbooks are for now and later, so make sure that you have good copy.
No matter where you are or what you are doing, make sure that you have your yearbook hat on at all times when in your school environment.
Observe and experience everything around you and take down observational notes.

The Perfect Question
Get all the information you need so if you get kicked out, you have enough information to write the story.
Before you interview, it is important to do before hand research and to be prepared at all times.
When interviewing, take notes of the people and how they act.
When you have time to interview, start the questions out easy and then work to the harder questions.
It is okay to go off script but make sure that you keep pulling back to the original question and ask it again and again.
Try to avoid yes and no questions.
Unless they give you something better, stay on topic.
Stay calm.
Be professional and polite.
When they ask you to keep this information “off the record” do not quote them or link them to part of the question
Instead, ask them to bring you to another person to confirm the information.
At times, it is good to throw in non-threatening questions. People get scared when we write, so do not make it too obvious.
Multitask; talk, write and remember.
In summary, put them in a position to talk and provide you will all the necessary information.

Photo Phabulous
Composition is the arrangement of elements in the frame of your path.
Rule of thirds: do not have a person in the center of a photo.
Fill the frame: get close to your subject.
Draw attention to the action, not distracting backgrounds.
Not every picture has to be of people.
Framing: use natural frames to bring emphasis to the photo’s subject.
Do not be afraid to be afraid to move around!
Unique angles: get on the roof, NO eye level, go above and below.
Repetition: elements in the frame that repeat, the same movement, lines that move readers to the subject.
Be patient and wait for the right movement.
Do not watch with your eyes, watch with the camera’s view finder.
Stay till the END of all activities!
Try to include one person doing something, two to three people doing something together, a wide shot of an important action or item, and a mix of verticals and horizontals.
Tell the WHOLE story; inside and outside.
Cropping is the removing of portions of a photo or changing its shape in order to create a more effective photo.
Cropping should begin when taking photos.
Fill you frame and eliminate distractions.
Put the important subject to the right or left of the frame.
Give your subject room to move (they are not a mime in a box).
You cannot improve everything about a photo.
The more pictures, the better.

--
Lauren Gutlohn