So have you gotten your flu shot yet? I did. But now I have a cold. I’m thinking the cold is more likely from a sick student than from having the shot.

This photo is one Kristen Bartlett Grace shared with my MMC 2100 students when she talked about taking storytelling photos. To help the MMC 2100 students be thinking visually and to get into the multiplatform storytelling mode, the students have to take photographs for several of their stories.

Kristen talked about her photographs with a focus on strategies for taking good photos.

• Taking a photo that tells a story.
• Having a non-distracting background. Using the rule of thirds — and not placing the subject in the middle of the photo.
• Using light effectively.
• Getting close enough to the subject — but using a telephoto lens when that’s appropriate.
• Anticipating the photo and then determining where to stand and what lens to use.

She also talked about how to approach people to get caption information, which should be more than just the names (correctly spelled) of the people in the photos. Photographers should go the extra step to ask a few questions and collect quotes or information for the caption.

In taking the photo of the student getting a flu shot, Kristen found out that the fellow in the picture just happened to be there. When the gal was going to have the shot, she turned and asked if he minded if she held his hand. We can tell his answer. And this story makes the photo even better.