Forum photo posting guidelines

[Joe Copalman]

Being that AzAP is as much about the craft of photography and the development of our skills as photographers as it is about our shared passion for aviation, members should ensure that the images they post to the forums meet the basic criteria of a good photo prior to posting.  Since AzAP admins and moderators WILL NOT screen photos, it is the responsibility of members to "screen" their own photos prior to posting.  Here are a few questions (really basic, elementary stuff for veteran shooters, but worth listing for those of us who are newer to it) that one should ask prior to posting a photo to the forums:

• Is the image too grainy, fuzzy, or blurry?


• Is it oversharpened (jagged edges where straight lines should be)?


• If the horizon or any vertical structures are in the photo, are they properly leveled?


• Is the subject properly framed?


• If it is a color image, are the colors an accurate representation of what was seen?  (Avoid over-saturation and false-color images unless it serves an obvious artistic purpose).


• Is the image too bright or too dark?  (Keep in mind that blown-out whites, where no details can be made out, are typically not something that can be sufficiently corrected.  T-45s are notorious for this).


• Is the image free from dust spots and scratches?


• If it is a photo of a propeller-driven or rotary-winged aircraft in flight or under power, is there sufficient blurring of the moving parts to indicate movement?


• Does the subject fill a good proportion of the image?  (If the aircraft takes up less than 1/4th of the frame, you might want to think twice about posting it).
• Is the image relatively free of clutter, such as fences, ground equipment, people, vehicles, etc.?


• Lastly, is the aircraft the main subject of the photo?  While a photo of a bikini-clad woman riding a grizzly bear and throwing a javelin at a robotic penguin with a 747 landing way off in the distance would certainly be a captivating image, it would not be appropriate for the forums since the 747 would not be the primary subject.  However, if you were to catch a 747 landing with a bikini-clad woman riding a grizzly bear and throwing a javelin at a robotic penguin in the background, please, for the love of all that is good and holy, POST IT!

If, after asking all of those questions, you feel that the image would make a valuable addition to the forums, please post it to the appropriate thread.  And keep in mind that we are only talking about GOOD photos here - not outstanding, amazing, mind-blowing, 100% publication-quality photos – just good photos that meet the basic standards outlined in the questions above.  

Beyond that, try to refrain from posting several shots of the same aircraft taken on the same day in the same series.  For instance, if a 747 lands at Willie, don't post eight or nine shots of it on approach, touching down, deploying thrust reversers, rolling out, taxiing by, and parking on the cargo ramp.  Pick one or two of the best photos from that series and post them, even if the entire series is publication-quality.  The logic here is that since a lot of us shoot together, we're not all flooding the threads with identical images of the same aircraft at the point in space at the same time.  

[wingsnstuff]

Joe/Matt

Excellent guidance on posting photos.  I'm not sure any of mine meet the criteria yet, but I'm working on it.  I've printed out a copy of the guidance to put in my camera bag as a reminder when I'm out snapping away.  That shutter speed blur, and ISO graininess is proving to be an elusive blend.  Too fast everything is frozen like a model (good sometime...not so good most of the time).  Too slow and the subject becomes too distorted.  Too much/inappropriately high ISO settings and photos look like they've been shot through a snow storm.   

With regard to posting, if and when I have something worthy of posting on the forum, I would like to walk through the posting process with one of you the next time we're together.  I'll bring my laptop so that my visual brain connects with the very small piece of my abstract brain.     

Regards

Vance

[Joe Copalman]

Bump.

[Dave S.]

Tap tap...

[cpasley]

So being as though I am starting out ,I should not be afraid to post something due to its lack of professionalism or that it may not meet the same standards that some others on here may post? If i read it right thats what I got out of it

[Jay Beckman]

Never hesitate to post an image but definately give it the "fine toothed comb" first.

Nobody here is Ansel Adams but we all should be able to tell if something is blatently out of focus or unsharp due to slow shutter speed or camera shake.

- Did you chop off a tail or a wingtip?
- Is it properly exposed or is it crushed/blown out?
- Is it really an interesting and dynamic angle or just another snapshot of a plane?
- Are there distracting elements that could have been avoided by slightly changing your angle or could they be removed in editing?
- Is the quality suffering because you had to do an extreme crop to fill the frame?

IOW, is it the best image you're capable of creating?  If it is, fire away!  If it isn't but you still think it's worthy of discussion, then I would suggest posting it in Critique and let folks offer their thoughts on what might improve it or help you for next time.

We can all learn from each other which is what makes this group tick...

[cpasley]

So Jay with that in mind would say from the photos I have posted so far that I am doing ok with the guidlines

[Jay Beckman]

I think everyone is doing OK...

Not everyone is always able to shoot when conditions are perfect and not everyone enjoys the same level of access or freedom to shoot when they want, so there will always be compromises.

At the end of the day, each individual has to look at their body of work and ask themselves the same questions:
"Did I post my best effort?"
"Am I getting everything out of my photography that I can?"
"Am I making images that people want to look at?"

If you have any doubt about the above, then you have to ask yourself one other question:
"Am I capable of asking the questions that will help me improve?"

Trust me, I was asking a lot of people a lot of questions when I was at Oshkosh...  AirVenture for me was probably 75% brain picking and 25% shooting!

[cpasley]

Thank you Jay for putting my mind at ease after all you have nothing to worry about all your shots are epic ,I have even used one or two as a custom background on my PC at work

[Jay Beckman]

Just be sure you tell people where the images come from...   

[Dave S.]

Chris,

Jay was spot on with his comments.  Earlier, when I bumped the thread, I wasn't really trying to make any comments about what anyone is posting.  I was just bumping the thread to keep the guidelines near the front burner of everyone's mind.  Last it had been commented on was back in February, and I had come across it this afternoon.  So, I thought what the heck, seems like a good time to give it a bump.

At the end of the day, we are all here to share a passion and to hopefully learn a little something or two.  Sharing the passion is hard to do if you don't post any pics, and it's hard to learn a little something if you don't ask any questions.

- Dave S.

[cpasley]

Holy cow Dave you are right this is from an old post ,good thing you brought it alive again or I would have never known

[Joe Copalman]

Bumpity-bump-bump-bump.

[Jay Beckman]

Bump .. Bump .. Bump

[Joe Copalman]

Thanks for the bump Jay.  These guidelines should always be on everybody's mind when shooting, when editing, and when posting.  The goal should be to share your best work with the group and with visitors to the site. 

We're working on setting up a few more resources that we can use to improve our shooting - the goal is to focus more attention on the portion of our mission statement relating to helping all members become better photographers.  I think we've settled into a doldrums of "nice shot" or "a tad overexposed" comments, but we really haven't provided resources (links, tutorials, tips & tricks, etc) that members can really sink their teeth into.  Hopefully we can have these resources up and running by the end of the year.  Any input, as always, would be greatly appreciated.