Have you ever played the card game, Set? Color, texture, shape and number; to match, each element must either be identical or completely different. After the 2010 Regional ATI Conference in Nashville, I do not hesitate to say that effective photojournalism can be a lot like matching a set where each element is completely different.

After the program presentation slideshows, I received comments like “There were no pictures from my team,” “I wish there were more group activity pictures,” “It would be nice to include pictures of the skits,” and “There were only pictures of Khaki team.”

There are so many variables to balance. Here are a few that stood out to me from this Conference:

Boys and girls

Individuals and groups

Specific and general

Activity and tranquility

Attentiveness and excitement

Just like in Set, it isn’t always easy to find and capture the most effective combination of elements. Creativity is key to shooting any event, but if you do your best, each final presentation will be better than the one before.