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Human beings are a visually wired species, and next to the moving image, photographs can evoke a powerful, visceral reaction in each of us. Since the advent of the portable camera, we document, communicate and experience through photographs. Visual images in your printed or web-based communications cut through the clutter of text and immediately draw the viewer’s eye. But a photograph will capture a person’s attention for only two seconds so make sure your photos accurately convey what you want them to. Winner of the IABC 2007 Chairman’s Award and one half of the award-winning Salvo Photography studio with bases in the U.S. and Italy, Salvo shared some trends in photography that can make a great They Will Always See the Photograph – Secrets of Suzanne Salvo, the Photo Whisperer On November 3, more than 50 seminar attendees were treated to Suzanne Salvo’s comprehensive and creative presentation on visual imagery, and how the right photo can enhance the impact of your message and brand. photo: curves and organic shapes; using orange and blue; de-saturating colour; incorporating action; and, most importantly, capturing the human element. It’s all about capturing the moment and avoiding the too-perfect photo. Look to social networking sites, such as Flickr and Facebook, for inspiration. Salvo described two types of photography—photojournalism, which documents reality, and photo illustration, which is used for creative ends (e.g. advertising). Few professionals can do both well; the photographer that can expertly document your company’s business facilities for the annual report may not be suitable for taking photos at your events, or your executive’s head shot. If you don’t have relationships with a photographer, ask your personal and business networks for referrals. Choose your photographer based on the type of image you want. When evaluating a photographer’s portfolio, look for interesting images that have a story to tell. Because when it comes to corporate photography, Salvo says, “interesting trumps pretty.” Salvo urges communicators to look at photographs as a photo editor: • What’s the first thing you noticed? Is it what YOU want noticed? • Does the subject support the message? • Is it a quick read (the message in the photo)? • Does it contain a human element? • Is the lighting appropriate? • Does the background support the subject? • Are there any distractions? During the course of your career, you will be involved in managing at least once the head shot of a manager or senior executive. How to get your subject’s best side? “Photogenic is in your head,” Salvo says. “Anyone can look good with the right pose and the right attitude.” Subjects should avoid looking straight into the camera and should not be posed in the middle of the frame. Great portraits incorporate the rule-of-thirds in composition. Sitting on a stool works best because it improves the subject’s posture. Have the subject pose with their best foot slightly forward and the other foot slightly back and relaxed —this exposes their best side by default. Hands are great indicators of tenseness or rigidity in the face, so try to keep them relaxed. Most people don’t know what to do with their hands, so use a pen or a book as a prop. Salvo concluded her presentation with the subject of photo manipulation. Retouching a photograph once required hours of intensive work in the darkroom; now, it can be accomplished in minutes using Photoshop. But does ease of use mean the ethics of photo manipulation have changed? Photos can be modified to remove red-eye or dust. They can be cropped and resized. But when you remove people from a photo or give your CEO a digital facelift, the ethics become blurred. Salvo warns, “If you are going to manipulate a photojournalism image, you better bury the body, because people will find out.” The best way to navigate this fine ethical line is to assess your motives: are you trying to deceive your audience? “They might read the whole article, perhaps glance at the cutline, but they will always see the photograph,” says Salvo. For more information on ethics in communications, refer to the IABC Code of Ethics for Professional Communicators. For more information on Suzanne Salvo, go to http://salvophoto.com/ or visit Suzanne’s blog, Salvo At Large: http://salvoatlarge.blogspot.com. William Smith is a recent graduate of Ryerson’s PR Certificate program and is active on IABC/Toronto’s PD event team and on the marketing communications team as partnership manager. Bonnie Dean is responsible for Membership, Marketing & Communications at the Ontario Dental Association. 10 January – February 2010 Communicator http://toronto.iabc.com/
Can Communications Make a Major Impact Across Your Organization? “Yes” says Impact Contest Winner We all know the impact that a well-executed communications strategy can make toward achieving a business mandate. Sometimes the results are so significant that other departments, divisions or even competitors take notice. In May and June 2009, IABC/Toronto invited members to enter a contest to win a one-year membership renewal by telling us “When did a communications initiative have a measurable impact on your organization’s bottom line and ideally go beyond meeting communications/ marketing mandates?” Of the entries received, IABC/Toronto member Patricia Burton was selected as the winner for a multi-faceted communications campaign implemented by communications in collaboration with the finance and labour relations departments at The Toronto Star to handle a switch from weekly to bi-weekly pay. Her entry is an example of how effective and efficient communications can have a real dollar savings effect on a company. The Toronto Star and its unions agreed to move to bi-weekly pay (paid every two weeks, rather than weekly) during the collective bargaining process in early 2008. The change took place with the first pay period of 2009. The Employee Communications Department, in collaboration with Finance and Labour Relations, created a multi-faceted communications campaign, beginning in October 2008 and ending in December 2008. The strategy was to prepare employees for the change and encourage them to take action to address any financial concerns and make adjustments to their pre-authorized payment schedule, if necessary. Questions and concerns from employees began to surface following the initial communications regarding the change to bi-weekly pay. There were two concerns: Why were we doing this?; and, Why did the change have to take place at beginning of the new year, when staff would be facing Christmas bills? Accordingly, we adjusted our communications program, based on this feedback, to create a friendly and informational poster campaign, utilizing our much-loved and long-time serving payroll manager as the focus of the creative. With headlines such as “Carlos asks: Will you be ready for bi-weekly pay?” and “Carlos answers your bi-weekly pay questions,” we were able to calm employees and effectively usher in the change without incident. We estimate that the communications campaign saved the company approximately $14,000 in lost time by frontline payroll and HR staff, who would otherwise spend time answering questions and dealing with unhappy employees, had we not done the communications. http://toronto.iabc.com/ Communicator January – February 2010 11
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