SARA A. GEORGE, AB
Photographs are complementary to articles that appear in published material. To make the photo graph worth "a thousand words," attention must be paid to a variety of technical details. Just as author and editor trim and manipulate phrases into the most concise presentation of content, a photograph must be planned and rethought to provide full measure to those thousand words so that the mes sage is clear and not open to broad interpretation. The initial decision to make is whether photo graphs are necessary. Illustrations enhance, enrich, and clarify text, and photographs lend depth of perspective not found in line drawings. Some patient conditions and physical therapy techniques are more clearly depicted by photographs. Moreover, case studies and clinical reports often describe treatment of particular patients, and photographs may docu ment these reports and results of research studies. WHAT'S THE MESSAGE? When the choice is made to use photographs, each photograph should convey a unique message. A series of photographs depicting the same subject at slightly different angles is candidate for drastic editing because the photographs should be used economically. Photographs which are repetitive of the subject, or nearly so, are unnecessary. In addition, the message is meaningful to readers when the subject is shown to its advantage. For example, depiction of a pocket-sized biofeedback device held in the open palm illustrates the size and features of the device better than if held in a clenched fist. Often a standard of measurement is needed to give the reader perspective on the size of the photographic subject. Rulers or other common objects whose sizes are generally known are ade quate for this purpose. In general, the question to ask is whether a particular photograph clearly shows what is intended.
Ms. George is an editorial assistant in the Publications Depart ment, American Physical Therapy Association, 1156 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20005.
Volume 57 / Number 12, December 1977
TECHNICAL PREPARATION Once the elements of the message are chosen and arranged, a little black box clicks a perfect picture? This is no more the case than understanding a telephone conversation sent over lines of static. Sharpness of detail involves sharp focus, good con trasts of black-and-white tones, and a plain, unclut tered background. A common oversight is the con trast of subject and background. The subject stands out when it is photographed against a plain and contrasting background, ie, a dark subject on a light background or a light subject on a dark back ground. The background should not fight the sub ject for the reader's attention as it does in Figure 1. An overall dark-toned photograph will appear even darker in its reproduction for publication; therefore, allowance must be made for this in printing the negative. Muddy pictures or photographs made predominantly of middle tones of gray do not repro duce well, either. Usually this problem occurs when negatives are not printed dark enough or when the picture is taken in poor lighting conditions and the processor is forced to print a negative too light for fear of losing detail altogether. In this case, the photograph must be taken again. SUBMISSION WITH MANUSCRIPT For review with a manuscript and reduction and reproduction purposes in the printing process, two copies of each 35mm, black-and-white photograph, measuring 20.32 cm by 25.40 cm (8 in x 10 in) or 13.0 cm by 17.5 cm (5 in x 7 in), should be submitted with the manuscript. Likewise, if the reproduction of a roentgenogram is to accompany the text, a glossy black-and-white photograph of the roentgenogram, not the film itself, should be submitted. Information necessary for interpretation of pho tographs submitted for publication must be given on a legend sheet written on a separate sheet of paper. A gummed label bearing the figure number, corresponding to the figure number in the text, and
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Photographs that Speak
the author's name should be adhered to the back of each photograph. To avoid any question of correct positioning of the photograph, an arrow is needed to indicate the top of the picture. Ink applied directly to the back of a photograph, however, threatens the longevity of the photograph as the ink chemicals slowly eat into the paper. In addition, writing on the back destroys the finish by adding pressure lines to the photograph when it is copied. Illustrations should be protected by cardboard to prevent bending in transit, but mounting them on cardboard or mats makes reproduction extremely difficult. To avoid marking the photograph with pressure lines, a cardboard guard must be used to cushion paper clips that fasten illustrations together.
PERMISSION TO PRINT OR REPRINT The inclusion of a recognizable likeness of a patient in a photograph requires written permission to print. This must be obtained from the patient or a responsible adult if the patient is a minor or judged incompetent. This written permission must accompany the manuscript when it is first submitted for consideration for publication in PHYSICAL THER APY. If permission is not granted, the patient's face
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Fig. 2. Background does not distract and details are sharp and clear; method of use and the size of the device are easily discernible.
PHYSICAL THERAPY
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article-abstract/57/12/1381/4558756 by Washington University in St. Louis user on 14 February 2019
Fig. 1. The hand exercising device is lost in the cluttered background and the eye has no clear center for focus.
must be blocked out. In either case, identifying patients in legends by pseudonyms, letters, or num ber consistent with designations assigned in the text shows discretion by the author and assures privacy for the patient. If the author wishes to print an illustration previ ously published by himself or another author, he must obtain permission to reprint from the editor of the publication in which it originally appeared. Permission must be obtained even though an author seeks to reprint an illustration previously his own. A copy of the editor's permission to reprint must accompany the original submission of a manuscript with illustrations to be considered for publication. Ideally, photographs are an asset to the text of an article. They provide an impetus to concepts presented in the text, clarify content, and enhance the appeal of an article for the readers. Creating ideal photographs is a two-step process: 1) compos ing subject matter (or message to be communicated) and 2) eliminating all technical blocks which would detract from communication of a clear message (Fig- 2).
Photographs are complementary to articles that appear in published material. To make the photo graph worth "a thousand words," attention must be paid to a variety of technical details. Just as author and editor trim and manipulate phrases into the most concise presentation of content, a photograph must be planned and rethought to provide full measure to those thousand words so that the mes sage is clear and not open to broad interpretation. The initial decision to make is whether photo graphs are necessary. Illustrations enhance, enrich, and clarify text, and photographs lend depth of perspective not found in line drawings. Some patient conditions and physical therapy techniques are more clearly depicted by photographs. Moreover, case studies and clinical reports often describe treatment of particular patients, and photographs may docu ment these reports and results of research studies. WHAT'S THE MESSAGE? When the choice is made to use photographs, each photograph should convey a unique message. A series of photographs depicting the same subject at slightly different angles is candidate for drastic editing because the photographs should be used economically. Photographs which are repetitive of the subject, or nearly so, are unnecessary. In addition, the message is meaningful to readers when the subject is shown to its advantage. For example, depiction of a pocket-sized biofeedback device held in the open palm illustrates the size and features of the device better than if held in a clenched fist. Often a standard of measurement is needed to give the reader perspective on the size of the photographic subject. Rulers or other common objects whose sizes are generally known are ade quate for this purpose. In general, the question to ask is whether a particular photograph clearly shows what is intended.
Ms. George is an editorial assistant in the Publications Depart ment, American Physical Therapy Association, 1156 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20005.
Volume 57 / Number 12, December 1977
TECHNICAL PREPARATION Once the elements of the message are chosen and arranged, a little black box clicks a perfect picture? This is no more the case than understanding a telephone conversation sent over lines of static. Sharpness of detail involves sharp focus, good con trasts of black-and-white tones, and a plain, unclut tered background. A common oversight is the con trast of subject and background. The subject stands out when it is photographed against a plain and contrasting background, ie, a dark subject on a light background or a light subject on a dark back ground. The background should not fight the sub ject for the reader's attention as it does in Figure 1. An overall dark-toned photograph will appear even darker in its reproduction for publication; therefore, allowance must be made for this in printing the negative. Muddy pictures or photographs made predominantly of middle tones of gray do not repro duce well, either. Usually this problem occurs when negatives are not printed dark enough or when the picture is taken in poor lighting conditions and the processor is forced to print a negative too light for fear of losing detail altogether. In this case, the photograph must be taken again. SUBMISSION WITH MANUSCRIPT For review with a manuscript and reduction and reproduction purposes in the printing process, two copies of each 35mm, black-and-white photograph, measuring 20.32 cm by 25.40 cm (8 in x 10 in) or 13.0 cm by 17.5 cm (5 in x 7 in), should be submitted with the manuscript. Likewise, if the reproduction of a roentgenogram is to accompany the text, a glossy black-and-white photograph of the roentgenogram, not the film itself, should be submitted. Information necessary for interpretation of pho tographs submitted for publication must be given on a legend sheet written on a separate sheet of paper. A gummed label bearing the figure number, corresponding to the figure number in the text, and
1381
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article-abstract/57/12/1381/4558756 by Washington University in St. Louis user on 14 February 2019
Photographs that Speak
the author's name should be adhered to the back of each photograph. To avoid any question of correct positioning of the photograph, an arrow is needed to indicate the top of the picture. Ink applied directly to the back of a photograph, however, threatens the longevity of the photograph as the ink chemicals slowly eat into the paper. In addition, writing on the back destroys the finish by adding pressure lines to the photograph when it is copied. Illustrations should be protected by cardboard to prevent bending in transit, but mounting them on cardboard or mats makes reproduction extremely difficult. To avoid marking the photograph with pressure lines, a cardboard guard must be used to cushion paper clips that fasten illustrations together.
PERMISSION TO PRINT OR REPRINT The inclusion of a recognizable likeness of a patient in a photograph requires written permission to print. This must be obtained from the patient or a responsible adult if the patient is a minor or judged incompetent. This written permission must accompany the manuscript when it is first submitted for consideration for publication in PHYSICAL THER APY. If permission is not granted, the patient's face
1382
Fig. 2. Background does not distract and details are sharp and clear; method of use and the size of the device are easily discernible.
PHYSICAL THERAPY
Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article-abstract/57/12/1381/4558756 by Washington University in St. Louis user on 14 February 2019
Fig. 1. The hand exercising device is lost in the cluttered background and the eye has no clear center for focus.
must be blocked out. In either case, identifying patients in legends by pseudonyms, letters, or num ber consistent with designations assigned in the text shows discretion by the author and assures privacy for the patient. If the author wishes to print an illustration previ ously published by himself or another author, he must obtain permission to reprint from the editor of the publication in which it originally appeared. Permission must be obtained even though an author seeks to reprint an illustration previously his own. A copy of the editor's permission to reprint must accompany the original submission of a manuscript with illustrations to be considered for publication. Ideally, photographs are an asset to the text of an article. They provide an impetus to concepts presented in the text, clarify content, and enhance the appeal of an article for the readers. Creating ideal photographs is a two-step process: 1) compos ing subject matter (or message to be communicated) and 2) eliminating all technical blocks which would detract from communication of a clear message (Fig- 2).
