Ideas and techniques
Ideas and information about organization, sizing, cropping, captions and comments, cameras, GIFs vs. JPEG, and more.
Page "info" last modified: 13Jul99

Here are some ideas:
Telling a story
There are many ways to tell a story. Here are some of them, with one detailed, commented example.
Cropping
Cropping can be used to minimize page load time, show details, and improve the composition.
How big should the pictures be?
The speed of the web and the small size of most computer screens biases designs to smaller pictures.
Resizing to "retouch" images
Computer images can often be improved by resizing slightly due to the use of approximations.
Sometimes blurred pictures are appropriate
Even though the photographs are static, blurring caused by motion can provide information about what was happening.
GIF vs. JPEG
GIF and JPEG (JPG) image formats are different. You should know which to use when. Here are some examples.
Organization
You may want to break your journal up into sections, one web page per section.
How many pictures per page?
Several small, cropped pictures per web page is often good for a journal.
Which "extra" pictures to take
Take pictures of things that show what happened, convey the ambiance, etc.
You may take different pictures for on-screen viewing
The small images you usually get on the computer screen mean a combination of head and shoulders shots as well as small groups.
How do I get digital images?
Digital cameras, photofinisher scanning, and personal scanning.
Digital Cameras
Digital cameras have advantages for taking pictures for web photo journals.
Digital Storytelling
Dana Atchley's digital storytelling can teach us about communicating with emotion.
Linking outside
Link to web sites that give more information about people and places you show.
Different ways to show people we know
Sometimes we are the subject of the picture, sometimes we are just in it to show we were there.