Reaching the Outside World

Photography

UNDP Photo Basics

Effective photography and images from UNDP Country Offices showing UNDP projects on the ground are essential to conveying UNDP's message via images in publications and on the web. Additionally, there are a number of photo resources available for use by UNDP such as the Online Photo Database maintained by the Office of Communications in New York, and the UN Photo Library.

A poster from the UNDP MDG Poster Series, illustrating UNDP's involvement in MDG Goal 1.

Ideally, all UNDP Country Offices should have a digital camera on hand and ensure that designated staff have basic photography skills. Three requirements apply to taking UNDP photographs:

• Photographs must show people who have benefitted from our work. Images of destroyed buildings or landscapes or machinery without people are virtually useless, especially for advocacy or fundraising. Photographs of meetings or of staff sitting around a table or standing in a room are also not useful. The best photographs show specific actions (such as unloading supplies or building homes) and direct interaction with the people UNDP assists. For tips on strong images, see UNICEF’s Imagery.

• Photographs must be accompanied by basic caption information and include a descriptive file name. The caption should identify the date, location, subject and (if relevant) UNDP activity. The name and contact details of the photographer should be provided for purposes of credit and follow-up queries, if any.

• Images should have the highest possible resolution. Digital cameras need to be set for ‘best’ photos or the maximum file size. Image storage, compression and transmission should preserve maximum technical quality. Keep in mind that a few high-resolution images are much more useful than many low-resolution images. For more, see the section on photo resolution.

Under all circumstances, photographs should convey respect for human dignity and rights, even when they portray difficult issues such as conflict and poverty. UNDP does not require photo releases, but photographers should ensure that the individuals in their photos know that their picture is being taken and agree with it. Extra care must be exercised with photographs of identifiable individuals doing something illegal or violent, those who may be identified as ‘guerillas’ or ‘mujahiddin,’ as well as children/minors and people living with HIV/AIDS.

For the highest quality photos, it may be worth investing in the services of a professional photographer—to shoot a stunning photo for the cover of a report, for example. Commercial photo agencies such as AP Images, Getty Images, and Reuters Pictures just to name a few, also have quality photos, although it can be difficult in some cases to find images directly related to development. See Photo Resources for access to photo websites from the UN family, stock agencies and freelance photographers.

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UNDP Online Photo Database

To access the UNDP online
photo database:

1. Log onto the UNDP Intranet

2. Go to http://connect.undp.org (you will not be able to access this page unless you are logged into the UNDP Intranet).

3. The Welcome to the Secure Access SSL VPN page will open. Scroll down and click on: UNDP Photo Library.

4. You will then be taken to the Select Catalog page; click Open.

The catalogue will open. The left-hand column contains a list of categories that the photos are filed under, click on the arrow to expand the list. You can use the search function at the top of the catalog to search for images by keyword.  If you have any questions on how to use the database, or the content in the database, please write to us at communications.toolkit@undp.org.

The online photo database managed by the Office of Communications serves electronic and print publishing requirements at headquarters and in Country Offices. Media outlets, NGOs and some private sector companies have used our photographs in communicating development issues. The images come from Country Offices, UNDP funds and our own collection of slides, negatives and prints. There are currently more than 7,000 images in the database. Our  images can be used free of charge but we ask the requestor to fully credit UNDP and to provide a copy of the final product where the photo is used.

The Office of Communications’ online photo database is constantly evolving; we need your photos on an ongoing basis to have a successful photo database. Ideally, we would like to have every Country Office represented in the collection with recent photos of UNDP’s work or when our new Administrator Helen Clark travels to your Country Office and/or on project visits. If would like to contribute images, please contact us at communications.toolkit@undp.org and we will make arrangements for you to submit your photos. All photos must include a caption and credit information.

You can search the photo database by country, region, photographer or key words such as "MDG" or "vaccines."

You will be able to download images by highlighting the image and dragging and dropping it into the shopping cart in the menu bar. Then open the cart and select the appropriate icon -- for what you wish to do -- above the image: close, download, email, etc. Follow the prompted directions.

Another photo resource available within UNDP is the RBEC photo database, which can be accessed as follows: go to the RBEC Knowledge Portal on the UNDP Intranet (the log-in details are the same as your UNDP Intranet log-in and password), click the "Communications Workspace" link and request to become a member, once you are a member the photo categories appear at the bottom of the workspace page. The RBEC photo database compiles photos from UNDP Country Offices in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. This database is maintained by the UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre.  If you need information on content in the RBEC photo database, or if you have a question about the resource, please contact one of the RBEC regional communications focal points.

Within the UN system, the UN Photo Library has a useful online photo database. The guidelines for using the images in the database can be found here; the UN Photo Library does not charge UN agencies to use the images, however they must fully credit UN Photo.  Links to other UN agency photo databases can be found here.

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Equipment

A photo from the UN Photo Library: Voters register at the St. Joseph's Basic School Registration Centre where over 1200 voters have been registered in the first week. The ongoing registration process for the scheduled 9 January 2011 Southern Sudan Referendum has been proceeding smoothly and without any major incidents. The registration, which will last through 1 December, has been marked by high turnout throughout Southern Sudan and comparatively light turnout in Northern Sudan. Photo: Tim McKulka/UN Photo

In general, digital cameras should:

• Be relatively simple to use, so that several communications and programme staff can be trained in their use;

• Have an image file pixel dimension of at least 2000 x 3000; and

• Be moderately priced (under US$1,000, including accessories), as they will likely be obsolete in a year.

The following supplies should also be on hand:

• At least two batteries, plus a battery charger; always have a charged, backup battery available and a charger to ensure continuous shooting.

• At least two memory cards, each 4GB or higher. Memory cards are the ‘film’ for digital cameras. A backup memory card is essential to permit continuous shooting. Also, in rare circumstances, a memory card can become corrupted and unusable.

• A memory card reader that is USB or firewire compatible. All digital cameras can be connected directly to a computer to view and transfer images, but most require special software to work properly. A USB compatible memory card reader eliminates the need for software, and allows quick and easy transfer of images to any computer.

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Photo Resolution

Understanding resolution is key to the effective use of digital images. Resolution determines image quality and is affected by many factors. Different applications require different resolutions. Most printed publications require high-resolution images. Low-resolution shots may be fine for many digital uses and are easier to store and transmit.

From the UNDP Photo Library: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) employed nearly 400 Haitians in cash-for-work activities - in the days immediately following the 12 January 2010 earthquake - to jump start the local economy and facilitate the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian assistance. Shown here: The UNDP Cash for Work project. Workers removing rubble from the streets of Martissant, a suburb of Port-au-Prince very near to the epicenter of the earthquake. Photo: Adam Rogers/UNDP

A digital photograph is an electronic recording composed of pixels, square units of measurement composed of smaller units called ‘bits’. More bits per pixel increase a pixel’s ability to render greyscale and colour. The more pixels in an image, the more defined the image. At its most basic, digital resolution is the number of pixels per linear inch, or ‘ppi’.

This means that:

• the more pixels in an image, the higher its resolution at a fixed dimension; so we recommend setting your camera for the largest file size possible or the highest resolution image possible, and

• increasing the dimensions of an image, with a fixed number of pixels, decreases resolution. For example, 300 dpi resolution at 10 x 7.5 cm falls to 150 dpi when reproducing the image at twice that size. (As pixels are enlarged, they become visible as individual rectangles, and image definition deteriorates.)

Keep in mind that how an image looks on a particular screen is not a good measure of how it will look when printed or presented in another digital context. Quality varies according to software, browser, monitor setting, etc.

The size of a digital image is best described as image dimension, expressed in two ways:

• pixel dimension—the number of pixels in an image by width and height (for example, 3000 x 2000 pixels); and

• megapixels—the number of pixels by width and height x one million (for example, 3000 x 2000 pixels = 6 megapixels). Megapixels are commonly used to indicate the maximum image size capacity of a digital camera.

Image file size, expressed in kilobytes, megabytes, or even gigabytes, reflects the amount of space the photo occupies on a disk. Images are often compressed for storage or transmission, so the image file size should be noted only when the image is open for viewing.

Raw images should not be enhanced in any way through the use of a photo manipulation application. Save the original untouched. All the information captured in an image needs to be transmitted in that digital image, especially if the image is to be commercially printed. While it is possible to enhance the image—such as by making a dark photo lighter or changing the colour—that is better left to a professional printer or graphic designer, who will make adjustments depending on the paper and printing press being used.

Most graphic and web designers request that images be supplied to them in file sizes significantly larger than their final reproduction size. Because the ‘manipulation’ of images entails some loss of pixels, large files offer flexibility without compromising the final resolution. Once lost, pixels cannot be retrieved, so it is advisable to always save a copy of the highest resolution version of an image.

Image file sizes can also be enlarged by adding pixels—called extrapolation. While extrapolation technology is improving, adding pixels beyond the number at which the original scan or digital image was captured is usually obvious and often looks artificial. Extrapolation can affect the authenticity of the original image. (Photo information adapted from UNICEF).

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Communications Toolkit
UNDP Intranet