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Tips for great photos

Be prepared – Have a camera and film or memory card at the site of your next project. Make sure at least one person's looking out for photo ops.

This is a nice photo for the members of the group to remember who was involved.

But there's clear action in this photo and it makes people want to know what exactly is going on.

Keep it tight – Rather than a wide shot that tries to include the whole group, try taking closer shots of just a few people in action. It's more interesting.

Capture the action – Action and emotions can go far to tell the story of your project. Try to capture the moments when someone smiles, laughs, or looks surprised. Or when someone hammers a nail, wields a shovel to plant a tree, or cuddles a puppy at an animal shelter.

Get creative – Experiment with new angles, lighting, locations and actions. If you missed a perfect shot, ask the person to do what they just did again, if possible. It needs to look natural though!

Take lots! – Got a digital camera? You've got no worries, so shoot away! Take many photos of everything you want to capture, and play with your angle, how close you are, who you focus on, etc. Then you'll be able to choose the best one and delete the rest. And the more you shoot photos, the sharper your “photographer's eye” will get.