
Three Little Things
MAKE YOUR YEARBOOK “POP”
CROPPING
Casey Nichols, Jostens Yearbook Ambassador, sums it up perfectly: “Yearbook real estate is priceless. You can’t afford to waste any space that doesn’t help advance the story.”
Tight cropping to emphasize action and faces is the standard. It draws the reader into the page and into the story you’re trying to tell. A common cropping strategy is the rule of thirds, which makes photos more dynamic by placing the subject off-center.
Cropping increases the value of a photo because the more “dead” space you can eliminate, the more impact the photograph will have. But, while it’s not uncommon to intentionally crop a photo to touch the top of a person’s head or to take people as close as possible to the edge, be sure that the image remains in sharp focus.
PHOTO CORRECTION
While cameras have gotten better at capturing true color and most schools use LED lighting, brightness and contrast are common concerns.
If black is not truly black, the printed image won’t jump off the page. At some schools, photographers still get the yellow caste of incandescent lighting that needs to be corrected.
Nichols notes: “Remember, you aren’t changing the photo; you’re trying to provide the best version of what actually happened.”
LAYOUT PRO SNAP EDIT
QUOTES
Unique quotes allow students to tell the story of their year in an authentic voice. Only that person could have told that story in that way.
Present a distinctive point of view
Monarch Name Perfect
“It’s really an amazing tool,” Brian Martinez, Technology Experience Manager, said. “After the students’ portraits are imported, their photo pops up next to their names. So, if you know the student in the photo is Joshua, but you don’t know which Joshua, you just hover over all the Joshuas, and you’ll see the photo of the right one. Then, click to add the name and keep going.”
Do your homework
“You ambush people in the halls and ask simple questions about complicated issues or events,” Hawthorne, said. “Worst of all, you text questions like: What were the club’s goals?” Or: “What are your thoughts about the season?”
Storytelling-worthy quotes require you to do your homework. “The season” consists of a couple hundred thousand moments. Talk to people who can tell you what the moment was, and when it took place.
Dig deeper
That’s too generic to have a story-telling impact.
Instead, follow-up by asking: “Why? What made the dance great?”
Give the student time and space to think about your question. You could come away with a quote that will resonate with readers for a very long time.