Tips for great photos

Tips for taking great photos are usually of two types -- composition and camera settings. The Kodak page, Top 10 Tips for Great Pictures emphasizes composition and lighting, but also has some camera settings tips.

Another resource is the Church Communications: Photography Tips page. It's loaded with tips and links.

Evaluate newsletter, bulletin design

Dive into a newsletter and bulletin redesign by first getting a few copies of publications from other churches. That feels less threatening. Then, check out all the principles, guidelines, traps, and tips on this site and those sites linked from here. Lastly, apply those to the sample pubs you now have.

A good way to evaluate the pubs is to use a rubric. The Educational Service Center, Fort Worth, Texas, has a newsletter design rubric (PDF) you can download and print. It scores against major design principles:

• Contrast
• Repetition
• Alignment
• Proximity
• Graphics

Get your newsletter read

Why is it that so many church members don't know information that's printed in their newsletter? Because the design or content turns them off. Ironically, many church newsletters contain no news. Let me "shout" it ... NEWSletter. Did you notice the word "news"? Of course, that includes news feature stories too.

Below are some tips to improve tour church newsletter and actually get people reading it.

• Write to communicate, not to impress. Write clearly and simply, using short sentences. Don't use big words when small words will say the same thing.
• Proofread. Run a spell check and grammar check, but proofread yourself too.
• Write front-page articles that draw interest. Remember that information you might like people to know need not be what they are really interested in reading. Write for your audience.
• Use recycled paper. Your readers will appreciate your stewardship. Remember that "recyclable" is not the same as "recycled". Will it cost a bit more to use recycled paper? If so, consider placing a large jar in the entryway, with a sign reading "Give change for a change to recycled" or similar.

CompanyNewsletters.com has these and many more tips. Read and heed.