I remember once, taking a photo of someone pulling her kids along on a sled on a snowy afternoon. The photo was published in the local paper where I worked at the time. I got a really nice card from the woman thanking me for the "forever memory."

Readers are always invited to work with The Press to make their own forever memories. Let us know in advance about your event and, if we can, we will get a photographer there.

Of course, it's not possible to cover everything. In those cases, you are more than welcome to submit your own high resolution photos. To ensure the best possible reproduction, we ask that you follow these guidelines:

1. Please don't submit photos taken with a cell phone or tablet. Although cell phones are creating better and better quality photos, they still don't produce images of the same quality as traditional cameras. We need the highest quality possible in order for the photo to look good when published in the newspaper.

Even if your phone or tablet is capable of producing high resolution images, chances are it is not capable of getting a good exposure in less than ideal lighting conditions. Less than ideal lighting conditions exist in virtually every school building, gymnasium, cafeteria, auditorium, church and community building.

In other words, if you're not taking a photo in a brightly lit but shaded area on a bright sunny day, you have less than ideal lighting conditions. Your phone or tablet is not going to produce the kind of crisp, clear image needed for publication.

If you find yourself at the last minute with nothing but a cell phone or tablet, try taking some photos and submitting them. We'll see what we can do. But please be aware, there are no guarantees we will be able to use them at all.

2. Using your regular camera, always, always, always take at least three photos with the flash and three shots of the same scene or pose without it. This gives you a better chance of getting a crisp, clear photo.

Likewise, if you are shooting outside on a sunny day, use the flash to eliminate the dark patches that come from shadows on the person's face.

If you're taking action shots, shoot with the flash rather than without. You have a better chance of getting a usable shot that way.

3. Get closer. This is especially important if you are using a flash. Most built-in camera flashes are not powerful enough to light a large area. As a result, the objects closest to the camera will be well lit and those in the distance – which usually includes the subject you want to show in the picture – will be too dark to be seen.

Instead, shoot a close up of one or two people rather than trying to get a photo of what is going on in an entire room.

4. Please do not submit photos embedded in a Word document. Send them as .jpg files and include caption information including the name of the event, date, location, reason for the event and who is in the photo.

5. Do not resize photos for email. Send them full size. Our server can handle it and, besides, smaller images will not have high enough resolution for publication.

As an experienced photographer, I suggest taking as many photos as you possibly can. The more you take, the better chance you have of getting a good one. Then send them on over. We look forward to helping you make that forever memory.

Johanna S. Billings

editor

Whitehall-Coplay Press

Northampton Press

Catasauqua Press