MEA Voice Photo Guidelines

We welcome submissions of photos for possible use in the MEA Voice magazine or in other print or electronic communications. We’re always looking for quality photos of MEA members participating in various activities – whether working with students, attending an association function, or performing another aspect of your job.

Because of space limitations, we’re not able to publish every photo we receive. Here are some guidelines to enhance your chances of having your photo published:

1. Candid shots are usually more visually interesting than posed ones. Try to get shots of people doing something – and the more active, the better. Photos of activities like field trips, engaging with students, picketing, and so on tend to be more interesting than, say, photos of banquets or receptions.

2. Outdoor photos often turn out better than indoor shots. You’ll get natural lighting, and you’ll avoid harsh flash and red eyes.

3. Photos taken in a scenic setting often work well. Look for a background that is recognizable or otherwise helps convey a sense of “place.”

4. We’re always looking for photos that show diversity – we aim to publish photos of members who perform different types of jobs and to feature images of male and female members of various ages and ethnicities.

5. We tend to avoid the following kinds of photos:

   • “Grip and grins” (two people shaking hands and smiling)

   • A speaker at a podium, or in a panel discussion.

   • Check presentations

   These kinds of photos rarely have enough visual interest to capture the reader’s attention.

6. We also shy from:

   • Photos of people eating or talking

   • Photos in which people are wearing clothing that features a logo of a private business.

   • Photos in which people are holding a glass of wine or beer.

7. If a photo is out of focus, too dark, or too grainy, we’re unlikely to use it, no matter how good it might be otherwise.

Tips for Taking Group Photos

1. Don’t be afraid to get close to the group. Make sure that they fill about three-fourths of the frame. Otherwise, there will be so much background that the people in the photo look tiny and distant.

2. Once you’ve got the group set up for the photo, take at least two or three shots. That way you have a better chance of getting at least one version where everyone is looking at the camera and everyone’s eyes are open.

Submitting Your Photo(s)

We prefer digital images. To be of publication quality, you need to make sure the resolution is high enough. Your best bet is to set your digital camera to the highest image-quality setting, usually “Fine.”

Please send us the image exactly as it comes out of the camera; we’ll take care of cropping, lightening, resizing and/or sharpening. Photos can degrade if they’re tweaked more than once.

Send the photo as a JPEG or TIFF file attached to an e-mail.

You may send your photos by e-mail attachment to kschulz@mea.org.

Be patient: we work pretty far ahead, so a photo we receive today might not turn up in print for several weeks or months. And, again, please remember that we can’t use every photo we receive.