The topics available are :

1. La Salle health service/HIV testing
2. Urban writers program
3. Geffrey Kelly
4. LuAnn Cain/NBC 10
5. High school student at La Salle
6. Tips for Philly subway riders

These were written for Professor Collins' journalism classes here at La Salle. That means that the subjects should be nearby and available.

In order to get stories we can complete, and in terms of workload, I am asking that two people choose a story, but that both people need to do a layout. You should have one person shoot photos of human subjects. Take lots to allow options for both designers. Both can shoot environmental/scenery photos. The other person can type the story and copy the file if needed. Then you both need to

• Edit for grammar, style (AP suggested) and content
• Choose, crop and size the photos
• Design the layout with heds, byline, layout and photo credits
• Copy fit by

1. sizing the photos
2. adding cutlines
3. primary and secondary heds
4. pull quotes
5. add graphic elements (rules, boxes, dingbats)
6. add or remove ¶
7. rewrite text
8. add/change drop caps
9. add/size subheds
10. make a "house ad" (but not for this assignment)
11. "lead out" the graps (add space before or after)
12. (Last 3 and maybe #11 are cheats): change leading
13. resize a column
14. change point size of text
15. Any others?

You should choose a story that you think has "doable" photos, of course.

For photos (more to come)

• remember the rule of thirds;
• keep the main lighting behind you (over one shoulder);
• vary your shot depth (wide, medium, close, extra close/macro);
• get a mix of action and static images;
• move subjects among foreground, middle ground, background;
• move camera above, below, left, right of the subject;
• if you have to, crop foreheads, not chins;
• don’t cut off leading lines
• experiment with macro
• try preset modes (indoor, night snapshot, aquarium, etc.)
• force the flash if subject has shadows (up to 8 feet away)
• fill the frame;
• try some portrait orientations;
• use elbows or surfaces as a tripod;
• get perpendicular for macro shots

These will be posted to the Web, most likely as Flash files (or as PDFs) exported from InDesign. You have seen the earlier versions of La Salon off my home page (see link at bottom to Volume 1).

These need to be completed by Monday, May 2 (new date). Try to find me in my office about noon to 3. You need to e-mail me all the files or get them to me on a USB that I can copy from. Monday I'll put together a Web page to house them and see about getting them to be linked on the portal, etc.