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If a professional photographer can’t accompany your group to a location, these are the building blocks that can help us put a story together when you return.

These shots show where you are. Examples include photos of the airport, villages, people, roads, structures, landmarks and landscapes.

Invite someone in your group or a passerby to take your photo. People want to see you engaged in what you’re doing, not just standing in front of a project or landmark.

Try to capture people’s reactions to different things as well as their interactions with each other. Think about what might be exciting to see. Instead of a group shot standing in an office, get creative and take some actions shots working.

Take shots before, during and after
 the event or experience.

Show off your school pride! Include BYU logos or gear in your shots. This also includes representing BYU in a positive light. You shouldn’t take shots that go against the honor code or what the university stands for.

Shooting vertically can be harder to edit and doesn’t always translate to non-mobile devices like a computer.

If you don’t have a tripod, a selfie stick is a good alternative.

Start counting again every time you move the camera or reframe the shot so each is at least 10 seconds long (20 seconds is our preference).

If you’re trying to reframe your shot, slowly walk closer to the subject.

VIDEOGRAPHY TIPS

VIDEOGRAPHY TIPS

Shoot mostly static shots that don’t have zooms, moves or pans. If you want to move the camera after you’ve gotten the static shot, use a tripod and keep the move slow and steady.

If there is a lot of action, stay on a relatively wide shot (wide enough that we see the group but not so wide that they are tiny in the frame). If there is repetition of the action, shoot it wide and then get medium and close-up shots the next time they repeat the process.

If you’re shooting an interview, make sure the location has steady lighting. If you’re shooting outdoors take advantage of morning or golden evening sunlight.

Give us lots of options to work with in editing, even if it feels repetitive while you’re shooting.

If you don’t have a mic, the voice memo feature on your phone is a good alternative as long as you set the phone close enough to the subject.

You can set up a video camera
 alongside the still camera when you’re posing for group pictures when you
 arrive or depart.