h2g2 Photographers' Showcase
Created | Updated Mar 13, 2008
About the h2g2 Photographers
The Photographers Group consists of Researchers with a common interest - and none of us are professional snappers, we're just enthusiastic volunteers. The ability to point a camera, click and upload the pictures are the only main abilities required. The club is hosted offsite at Yahoo Groups, each member has their own folder to upload pics they're proud of to impress the other group members. These are rotated for the homepage display. There are three moderators, Emmily, Galaxy Babe and Wilma. We run the group, selecting nine EGEs from the Database each fortnight for photographing. Any group member can add suggestions to the Database, all you need is the A-number and the subject title, but it must be an Edited Entry.
Read the Entry, set up a suitable photograph, then submit to the appropriate folder prepared by the moderators. If there's a problem one of us will be in touch to discuss any issues. Submissions are accepted on the basis that they are the member's own photos, and there are rules (no advertising, no faces, etc) which are displayed on the Photographers homepage on h2g2: Photographers. The moderators check the photos and if they need cropping to 200x200 size this will be done. The approved photos are then placed in a Voting Album, and when submissions close voting commences. Each member can vote in any category for one photo they like but it mustn't be their own picture. Votes are counted by the moderators, and a minimum of three "Yes" votes will usually see an application to the EGE. The Editors give final approval and then the Hall of Fame (links on the Photographer's Homepage) for that particular month is updated, and the winners announced to the Group by email. The folders are then cleared and within a day or two a new set of nine EGEs are presented for consideration, starting the whole process again. The photographer gets a credit on the actual EGE as well. Five applied photos earns the member a shiny Photographers badge for their Personal Space!
The Photo group also works to help upcoming entries hit the Front Page with an image the Editors wouldn't otherwise have available to them via the BBC Library. Members are encouraged to lurk Peer Review for interesting articles, and authors are becoming clued up that their own photos can be applied to their Entry once it's gone through the process. A recent example was Giford's Giant Pandas - he informed me that he had a photo so it was collected and processed; that Entry will now feature his photo and be displayed on the Front Page on the day it goes "live" - a process I am immensely proud to be part of. If the author doesn't have a suitable picture themselves, you may be able to provide one, or someone at the Group may, in which case an email to the Group is all that's required. There's nothing stopping you writing an Entry about something you have a photograph of, either.
All the links to the previous Halls of Fame are on the Photographers Homepage, and members are encouraged to create their own Personal Hall of Fame, the A-number should be posted at a conversation thread on the Homepage and it will be added to the others already there. Members are invited to discuss any aspect of the process, and expected to enjoy themselves, because taking pictures is fun - having an image you took being applied to an EGE is hugely satisfying and something to be proud of. The Photographers Group has been going for over 18 months and we've applied photos to over 300 EGEs; there's still plenty left to do!
The Photographers' Showcase
Perfect Reflections, by ST
The following photos were used in the Beeblecast's Photographers' Showcase. Thanks very much to everyone who sent in their photos, particularly those who sent in photos for other clips - unfortunately, there was not space to include all of them here! We are very grateful for all your contributions.
 Boatyard at Night by ATinyDistantVoice |  Pigeons by visitor to planet earth |  Sunflower by Emmily |  Fire Engine by Mazin' Mad Fiddler |
 Pillar and Phone by Mazin' Mad Fiddler |  Pincushion Magic by ATinyDistantVoice |  Waterlillies by Galaxy Babe |  Alnwick Castle by Galaxy Babe |
 The Great Glen by ST |  Wilderness by TheJonM |  Cityscape by TheJonM |  Heron Sunset by TheJonM |
 Chilli by Wilma |  Sunset by Wilma |  The Alhambra by Skankyrich |  Sanyang Fishing by Skankyrich |
Thanks again to everyone who took part!
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