Section 4.2.8

Photographs

Photographs can provide an overall view of an object, especially when the object is new or strange, or they may record results that rely on visual inspection, such as X-rays or the effects of destructive testing for failure in materials. To use photographs in a report effectively, you must

• Frame your photograph to include only the elements you need to discuss. Extraneous items will only confuse the reader.
• Use only clearly focused photographs, free of shadows. Poor photography frequently mars otherwise effective report presentations. Remember, photographs are hard to reproduce well in printed reports, so you may want to limit your use of them.
• Provide a way of showing relative size in a photograph (unless your photograph is of something very large-scale, such as a landscape or a whole factory). Show relative size in a photograph by placing some commonplace object of fixed size (such as a ruler, a coin or a pencil) next to the object being photographed.
• Identify each photograph with a figure number and a caption, as you would any other kind of figure in a written report.

If you need photographs for an oral presentation, use a 35-millimeter projector to display them. Photographs transferred to overhead acetates by photocopying machines are usually too dark to be easily viewed by the audience.

## Photographs ##


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