Can I start by saying this thread is NOT about photographing models; that is a different issue and a bigger challenge which demands very high standards. My hope here is to start a discussion that might see more really good photos accompanying MEW articles.

My main problem, and I can't get away from it, is that most photos I get are going to show a grey or yellow lump of metal in a grey, green or yellow machine. We can't do a lot about this.

Here are some of the issues:

What to show

The finished article – you won't believe how many articles fail to include one good, clutter-free image that shows the item the article is about. Such a picture is ideal for heading up an article and something similar at the end of a longer article helps as well.

Most of our pictures show the steps in making something. I think that too often people show a machining operation that doesn't really tell much more than 'I drilled hole'. The best practical photos demonstrate a setup, a choice of tool or even any special features of the workpiece.

How to put things together – a good photo can really help with interpreting drawings, usually better than a description in words. A general arrangement or assembly drawing is useful, even for simple items and I wish more folks would supply these.

Photos that show the author at work; I know CNC machines work on their own but reading MEW you get the impression that even spanners work themselves. Even a pair of hands reminds us that this is work done by real people. It's not necessary to coat yourself head to toe in safety gear for a working photo, but do try and remember to use any essential gear such as guards or goggles, even in a posed shot.

What not to show

Clutter, especially fussy backgrounds. One no-no is photographing things on a magazine or sheet of newspaper – this may well be a practical way to work but the subject matter can get lost in the detail. A big sheet of card or plywood is safer to prop up behind moving machinery than a dust-sheet and usually looks better.

Trailing wires, keys in chucks (yes I have missed these, especially when in the background), dodgy chemicals – basically try not to have any obvious hazards in your images, be a good example to beginners.

Too much – if you find you have to keep referring to the same photo to make a number of points, would it be better and clearer to use a few closeups instead?

Repetitive images – sometimes you do need to have two or more pictures that look essentially the same, but often they are redundant. Perhaps you can vary the perspective or framing in different shots to make the photos more interesting.

Taking the photo

Focus – trust autofocus, it will do a better job than 99% of humans! Check each photo as you take it for framing and focus, it can be near impossible to go back and recreate a shot that goes wrong.

Try and use diffused light, hard shadows may make striking pictures but are usually unwanted in practical pictures. In simple terms the more light sources you have, the less harsh the shadows will be.

Don't use flash – or if you do, try bouncing it off the ceiling or having a reflector (a sheet of white card is good) to help fill in the shadow.

Use a tripod – 99 times out of a hundred your photo will be better if you can support the camera, even by placing it on a cushion or beanbag.

Make sure the white balance is set correctly. These days most cameras have an auto white balance setting that will get close enough to allow our retoucher to get good colour in the image. If you use any other setting, make sure its the right one – I sometimes get very yellow or green photos clearly taken indoors with the camera left set on 'sunlight'.

Retouching and cropping – I won't give an absolute ban on this, but PLEASE never crop tight to a subject and try not to change the colour balance or contrast. We have a professional retoucher who needs as much of the original picture data as possible to get the best results. (Interesting point – pictures retouched for printing can look awful on my monitor but come out fine when printed).

Cover Shots

I am always on the lookout for excellent cover shots, as these make the magazine stand out on the shelves. These are the things that I think make the better cover images:

• Clear and sharp
• An interesting subject that can be identified at a distance
• Interesting light or motion
• A human being, usually with their attention focused on something in the image.
• Good strong colours

I could add lots of technical points, but I won't unless they come up. Please let me know what you like and don't like to see.

Neil

I think H&S requirements would mean you had to use one of these:

I'm not sure why you should need to put the images onto a computer to check them, unless you have a very old camera.

Neil