Chapter 4 · Photos
Real Moments, Warm Light
The joy is real. The camera just has to be there.
The collage rule: one grid, quarter-circle corners (from the crest's curves), empty cells in solid navy, solid gold, or gold dots. Round one corner fully, not every corner a little.
Do
- Mid-action: building, painting, running, laughing for real.
- Natural, warm light: outdoors and bright rooms.
- Let uniforms and banners bring navy and gold into the frame.
- Crop tight for collages; go full-bleed for the big moment.
- Posed is fine where portraits belong: headshots, senior circles.
Don't
- No stock photos, ever. An imperfect real one beats a perfect fake.
- No heavy filters, cool grades, or everyday black-and-white.
- No stretching or squishing; crop instead.
- No text over faces or gradient scrims; use a solid navy or gold block.
- Gold duotone covers are a designer move; ask first.
A note on prayer: it's part of daily life here, but we're reticent about photographing it. Not a prohibition, just guidance to use it very sparingly rather than as a go-to image. When in doubt, reach for a different real moment.