Using photos in the newspaper

Your guide to using photos and images in the newspaper.

Why is the quality of photographs so important?

The child’s photograph in Be My Parent is often what first catches the eye of prospective families. That first impression can be vital and some people feel an immediate sense of connection with the child – a bit like falling in love!

This is why it’s so important to have a good likeness of the child, of a quality good enough that it will reproduce well in the paper.

If we consider that a photograph is unsuitable for publication, either because it is too old or of poor quality, we may ask you for a replacement.

Remember that whatever the original quality of a photograph, some of the sharpness and colour will be lost or altered when it is reproduced in the paper.

We are happy to help you with any queries. You can send us a batch of photographs and we will select the one we think is best, returning the others.

If for legal or other reasons, you are not able or do not wish to use a photograph, you could replace it with either a drawing, an image of something significant to the child, a poem or quotes (from the child, carer, teacher, etc.). We can also help you find an image and suggest some clipart. Please discuss this with us.

Why is a portrait preferable?

Snapshots of children playing on holiday or in their home environment may be delightful, but they are not really suitable for Be My Parent. What’s needed is a portrait photograph that shows:

the face of the child (looking at the camera), with the whole face visible, not in shadow, and with open eyes
the head should be centred, the child should be appropriately and fully clothed (not in the bath, not wearing nightwear or skimpy clothes)
the background should be clear, uncluttered with no other people or identifiable features (for example, house or street name)
head and shoulder shots are usually best, though we will sometimes show more of the child (especially for babies or very young children) depending on the pose or the quality of the photograph.

What kind of photo is best?

A glossy real photograph, which is clear, well defined and in colour, is ideal.
A professional photograph reproduces best.
A school photograph is fine (school logos can be removed).
A snapshot is acceptable as long as it is really sharp and the child’s head is not too small.

Scanned photographs do not usually reproduce well, so unless you have a really good photograph and the use of a top-quality scanner, avoid scanning them. If you do, set the resolution at around 300 dpi (dots per inch) for the size of the head in Be My Parent (about 4-5cm x 6-7 cm for a single child, double this for a sibling group or enhanced profile), and save it as a JPEG.

Digital photographs: To get the best out of digital photographs, always use the highest resolution setting when taking pictures (this means you are able to take fewer pictures, but larger ones and of a far higher quality).
Only use a good-quality camera (ideally, a minimum of 4 megapixels).
Email us a high-resolution picture in JPEG format (at least 300 dpi), or send it on disk or CD. Make sure there is enough information in the JPEG by checking the file size: 250KB at least for an individual photograph, and 500KB at least for a sibling group or an enhanced profile. Low-resolution photographs may look fine on your computer screen, but they are not of a high enough quality for reproduction in print.
Ask whoever else may take and send pictures to us (foster carer, professional photographer, etc.) to follow the same guidelines.

What size is acceptable?

The child’s face should be large enough: It should be of a similar size to how it will appear in the paper (about 4-5cm x 6-7 cm for a single child, double this for a sibling group or enhanced profile), or larger. If the face is too small, it will become blurred when enlarged.
Remember that photographs that need significant enlarging will lose quality.
We can crop photographs to eliminate unwanted background and reduce in size large photographs too.

How recent is recent?

Children change so quickly, it’s vital to use a recent photograph taken:

less than six months ago for a child under five
less than a year ago for a child over five.

We may contact you to request an updated photograph.

Changing the child’s photograph regularly can make all the difference to the number of enquiries received, as a new photograph might catch the eye of regular readers, who might glance over a photograph that appears repeatedly.

What about siblings?

Sibling groups should be photographed together, preferably in age order, with the eldest on the left, to facilitate identification, unless this is really difficult to arrange.

Sending photographs by post

Photographs are fragile and easily damaged, so please:

Write the child’s first name, date of birth and agency on a label and stick it on the back of the photograph, so as to avoid writing directly on the photograph and indenting it.
Don’t use staples or paper clips.
Send the photographs in a hardback envelope.

Emailing photographs

Send photographs as JPEGs (we do not accept other formats), remember the file size is minimum 250KB for one child, and 500KB for a sibling group or an enhanced profile.
Email them to bmp@baaf.org.uk.
Always include the child’s first name (no surname) and date of birth, preferably in the subject line.
Also include the name of the social worker and the agency.
Remind the child’s social workers, photographers and foster carers to include all the above details, where necessary.

Making the deadline

Please try to ensure that the photograph is sent at the same time as the Referral Form and the profile.

If the photograph arrives after the deadline, we will try and include it, but cannot guarantee this.

Working with photographers

The press office of your agency or local authority should be able to give you details of reliable, affordable, professional photographers in your area.

Professional photographs are copyrighted to the photographer, unless an arrangement has been made to assign the rights to your agency. Please ensure that you have permission to publish the photograph in Be My Parent for one or more issues. We will assume you have obtained permission.