Photography Tips

The following suggestions are made to improve the quality of the photographs of posts for social media and web sites.

  1. Generally speaking, what makes a photograph good is to think about your audience and what they might be interested in. Think "what message am I trying to convey in this photograph". However, the message you are trying to project may not be one your audience wants to hear. Rule number 1 is therefore making it interesting for your audience.
  2. Masonic Rooms are usually dark, so we always struggle with low light. However, avoid using a flash as this tends to "bleach" the photo. You don't need a Digital SLR with a fancy lens to take a good photograph. Use a modern phone camera, the newer the better. These are easy to use, and anything manufactured after 2022 is broadcast quality. Modern camera phones cope extremely well in dark environments.
  3. Frame the photo with the subjects, so they appear as large as possible. Your audience can't see them if there are a couple of people 20 feet away.
  4. Ask people who may be in the background clearing Lodge equipment away to wait for a few minutes while photos are being taken. 
  5. Remove any extraneous items such as bits of papers and books from the photo. 
  6. Ask people to look directly at the camera and ask them not to be distracted from anything else going on in the room. If someone is not looking at the camera, it looks unusual. Actually, the body language gives the impression of them being "distrustful", because from the audience's point of view, they are avoiding eye contact.
  7. Also, ask people not to speak while a photo is being taken. If you take the shot mid-sentence, faces can appear distorted. It's not very flattering.
  8. If you are taking a group photo, it is better to have arms down the side. If sat, hands on legs.
  9. Only use one photographer at any one time to take the shots. If more photos are needed, take it in turns. Otherwise people will end up looking in different directions, which looks odd. Remember, you can share photos easily.
  10. If possible, use steps in the Temple to condense the width of a photo, or arrange some seats for the front row. A long, thin photo makes it difficult to look at, so people may not bother looking at it closely.
  11. Don't take photos of cheque presentations. The "grip and grin" is a dated masonic cliché. Some news editors won't publish a grip and grin. From the audience's perspective, the audience don't know who the people in the photograph are, it wreaks of "virtue signalling" and could be conceived as "showing off how wealthy the freemasons are". Generally speaking, it is better to photograph what the money has been spent on to benefit people, such as a renovated garden or a coffee machine. 
  12. Beware of mirrors and glass, they will reflect the photographer who has taken the shot. This is known as the "Benny Hill" effect, after a sketch where the camera crew was jokingly shown in the mirror as part of the comedy. If you don't know who Benny Hill is, ask a Past Master.
  13. Make sure brethren do not wear sunglasses. People need to see eyes to trust someone. Sunglasses are used to hide features, we need to be open and not look like The Blues Brothers. If you don't know who the Blues Brothers are, ask a Past Master.
  14. Before taking the photograph, ensure you have the consent and be clear where the photograph will be used. This can be done with the camera in video mode. Remember, photographs can be copied and use elsewhere and can also be modified or weaponised and used in an entirely different context.
  15. Photographs of young people below the age of 18 is fraught with difficulty. If you must, obtain written consent from their parents or guardians. They can be included, provided they are not identifiable by using the backs of heads, for example. But even then, that looks unusual. Strictly speaking, you also need the consent of the young person in the photograph as well.