Study Abroad Photo Contest

Click here or the image above for the poster, prize information and more! (PDF)

Tip No. 1: Use a camera, not your phone. Even the least expensive camera takes photos that will probably be better than using a phone.

Tip No. 2: That said, the best camera is the one that’s with you. If all you have is your phone when that perfect shot comes your way, use your phone. But use it thoughtfully. TAKE TIME to focus the lens. Hold your hand steady. And if you think this might be the first-place photo, please DO NOT DELETE IT FROM YOUR PHONE until you’ve successfully submitted a high resolution image.

Tip No. 3: Shoot in the highest resolution possible. What looks good on Facebook will not necessarily look good printed out, framed, and hung on the wall in Cowan.

Tip No. 4: Make sure you e-mail your submissions at the highest resolution possible. They should be at least 1 meg.

Tip No. 5: The best photos will be the ones that capture a sense of place—be it the food, the people, the cultural icons, the landscape—anything that shares a sense that you’re studying and living and exploring in a new place, one that is not Danville. This year the contest includes a new and separate category: Best Viewbook Photo (because the winners will appear in the next admission Viewbook) . Best Viewbook photos MUST include at least one Centre student. One way to think about this category is to apply the caption “THIS is my classroom.” Wherever you go when you are abroad, whatever you do, you WILL be in your classroom.

To summarize,
•Use a camera.
•If you do use your phone, focus, keep your hand steady, AND DO NOT DELETE your top photos.
•Shoot in high resolution.
•E-mail the photos in high resolution.
•Capture a sense of your new world.

10 Basic Photo Tips

1. Shoot in highest resolution.

2. To shoot people against a significant backdrop, have the background image (say, London Bridge) fairly far away from you and the people fairly close to you.

3. On portraits, look the subject in the eye.

4. Backs of people leaving an image are not as interesting as faces of people entering an image.

5. Use high and low angle shots to show a different perspective.

6. Think about vertical shots; don’t always shoot horizontal.

7. Use fill flash even during the day to eliminate shadows—such as from a hat or overhanging tree limb—that may be cast on a face.

8. Consider the lighting (natural light is best).

9. Keep the picture simple. Use zoom to focus on a specific subject.

10. As a recap, keep the pictures focused on a single subject that tells your story. Use the zoom feature to crop the picture so you focus on what is most important for the viewers to see. Try to avoid photos of dot-like people a long way away.

Click here for downloadable Word.doc.

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