Avionics News October 2016 - 67

(LEFT) TIP No. 3: The AEA is the preferred training
provider for aircraft electronics professionals. Hundreds
of hours of training are offered at the association's
headquarters, international convention, AEA Connect
meetings and online at aea.net.

Photo from
Wikipedia
Commons

(BELOW) TIP No. 8: Astronaut Leland Melvin bucked the
traditional headshot when he included his dogs
in his official NASA picture.

Photo by Jeff Kirchhoff, AEA

formal model name, consider something more descriptive.
For example, the caption should describe what a particular
box does with a minimum of component names. "ABC
Company's xx system is a simple low-cost solution to
meet the ADS-B Out requirement." Although there may
be several items in the photo that are required to make the
system work, keep the focus on the system rather than the
component parts. Pilots want to say "I bought the xyz system," not the xx processor, yy antenna and all the components to make it work. Also, when using photos aimed at
end users (pilots, aircraft owners), show them what they
will see in their cockpit - controls and displays. Even if
a display may not be required for the system, show it so
there is something to see.
Make company photos available online. On your website, make accessible a collection of company photos.
This would include your top executives, product shots,
hangar, cockpit shots with products in use and other basic
shots. When photo requests come your way, and they will,
refer the request to your website.
Give a photo credit (the name of the photographer
who took the photo presented in small type adjacent
to the photo). Sometimes you will be obligated to list a
photo credit, but other times it's just a nice thing to do.
Maybe one of your employees has captured a perfect
shot that you use on your website or brochure. Giving
credit when credit is due motivates individuals to send
more photos.
Don't sneak by stealing photos online. Maybe you'll
get caught; maybe you won't. But photo crime does
not pay. If a professional photographer or agency discovers you've used a photo that belongs to them, especially for commercial purposes, you can be sued for
thousands of dollars. Yes, thousands of dollars. It's not
worth the risk. Understand the source of your photos
and whether you're allowed to use them.
I once had to find photos for an all-new aviation website - dozens of them - and a polite email (along with

a promised photo credit) will
often get you the permission you need
with no financial outlay. But look at it from the photographer's viewpoint. Unless the person is a worldrenowned photographer, the fee you pay is minimal
- often it's not more than a few hundred dollars to
use the photo. Make sure you ask and receive written
permission.
Shoot with high resolution in mind. Photographs
used for print rather than electronically need to be high
resolution. Typically, this means no less than 300 dpi.
Even if you are shooting for a website, it only makes
sense to ensure the resolution of your photos works for
both online and print.
The 1980s called, and they want their corporate
headshots back. There's nothing duller than the standard corporate headshot with the subject in a business
suit and an insincere grin. Today, less formal corporate
photos are in vogue and more likely to be used. Show
your executive in and around airplanes, using your
equipment, or looking presidential. These portraits better capture the executive's personality and are more
interesting to view.
If you are the photographer, take plenty of photos.
If you've been photographed for a wedding, you know
the professional takes many pictures so the bride and
groom can pick the best ones. Today, you don't even
have the cost of film, so take lots of photos and edit
them. This holds true even if you're taking a group
shot; take multiple photos so you can pick the best.
In fact, the more people in your group shot, the more
chance that somebody has their eyes closed or is looking away. Find a way to work quickly because in time,
the group gets distracted and the energy fades. Also, if
you're photographing a group at an event, do the photo

Continued on following page
avionics news

october

2016

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