Photos in Technical Documentation
Photos are not popular in documentation because the majority of tech writers think that text will be enough. Moreover, taking photos requires efforts, good technical equipment and knowledge of using some design tools. That’s why, some technical writers don’t want to pay extra attention to visual content.
However, visual content makes readers’ life easier — they don’t have to reread a text several times to understand what a tech writer wanted to say, pictures and videos make things clear and simple. So, don’t neglect visual content, especially, photos, they bring instructions to life. But how to make professional photos if you have not made such content before (I’m not speaking about photos of avocados and selfies)? Well, I’ll tell you some lifehacks that help you upgrade your skills.
What You Need
- A camera
- A tripod
- Light
There are so many devices that you may be confused, but don’t panic — you don’t need an expensive one. To take high-quality photos, I recommend you a digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR). Moreover, you need a tripod (the cheapest one) because a camera may shake, and a tripod helps to make sharp photos.
Light is also essential. It’s better to have more than one lamp but, again, you don’t need to buy expensive ones, three unprofessional lamps will be enough.
Speaking of surface, it should be clear and white. Nothing must distract readers from what you want to show.
How to Take a Photo
Of course, we all know how to take photos — just press the shutter button and that’s it. However, it won’t work this way for documentation. Try different aperture and ISO settings before taking photos for your manual. There are no rules here, only practice can help you get the best result.
In order to make sharp photos, use not only a tripod but a remote shutter, so, your photos will not be blurry.
If you need to make a photo of a device part, use zoomer to get detailed shots, but, at the same time, be careful with it — a user should not lose the context.
Your Hands
I think it’s the most difficult part — how to use your hands on the photo if you document instructions. To draw hands is not a good idea because real human hands help viewers act right during following instructions.
Here are some examples on how you should not place your hands. Let’s examine Bob Ross’ video fragments. In his lesson named “In the Midst of Winter” he taught how to paint twigs, so, what we see:
And then, here is the result:
A cameraman got the wrong angle — that Bob Ross’ hand covered the process and we don’t see how to make those brushstrokes.
In another video called ‘Island in the Wilderness’ a cameraman did everything right: we see how to hold a brush and how to make brushstrokes to get the desired results.
So, the idea is simple, when you take photos, don’t cover up the action with your hands. If you need to hold a tool, get the right angle to show viewers the process, the context, how they need to act, and how to hold a tool in a proper way.
Improve Your Photos
The last step is processing your photos. First of all, you can use some programs like Photoshop or Gimp to edit your photos. “Use Photoshop” may scare novices, so I want to calm you, you don’t need to create something special, just adjust colours, contrast, and brightness to make your photo more comfortable to examine.
If you need to take a photo of the whole device, my advice is to use markup to highlight its important parts. Also, use numeration of steps, it will make not only users’ life easier, but also yours — users will see clearly what they need to do, and you will not have to describe all steps.
Conclusion
Pictures are the first source of information for a good reason — they provide people with information quickly and clearly. So, don’t neglect photos, they makes users’ life easier and your documentation more accessible and easy-to-interpret.
How did I become a technical writer? What skills do you need? Read FAQ on Technical Writing.
