Q: Why are you collecting photos?
A: WBBA II is largely a volunteer project, and in addition to leveraging the many talents of Wisconsin’s birders, we hope to tap into Wisconsin’s excellent photography community. Donating a photo is yet another way to contribute to the atlas project. We intend to produce an attractive, full-color book, and obtaining photos from Wisconsin’s photographers is important to achieving that.
Q: Will you be compensating photographers?
A: We don’t have the budget to this. However, photos that are used in the atlas will increase the exposure to a photographer’s work, and you will be contributing to a worthy cause!
Q: Will I be credited?
A: Of course, your name will always appear next to your photo on the website, and in print if we decide to use your photo elsewhere. We will also include a list of contributing photographers in the book.
Q: I’m concerned about my copyright being protected.
A: As the photographer, by clicking the shutter button, you have copyright to your work. Because we are concerned about making sure you get credit for your work, we have taken a variety of steps to protect your copyright. We will always include your name when we use any of your photos. Also, the full-size versions are only accessible to atlas photo administrators, and the web versions used will be lower resolution and watermarked. Image downloading will be disabled on the website. Photographers will be contacted for final permission if their photos are used in the atlas book. Photos can be removed from the online gallery at any time at the request of the photographer.
Q: Will my photo be used beyond the Atlas?
A: No, photos will only be used for atlas-related activities (promotional materials or in the atlas book itself).
Q: Why do you want unedited photos? I like to edit my photos so they look good.
A: Full-size, unedited images gives us the maximum flexibility in using a photo in the finished book. Images must be at high-enough resolution to look good in print, and sometimes images that look good on a computer screen will not print well if they are not large enough resolution. We will crop, edit, credit, and watermark photos as needed for display in the online gallery.
Q: Must bird photos be taken in Wisconsin?
A: No, while we prefer bird photos from Wisconsin, photos from other states will be accepted.
Q: What kind of photos are you looking for?
A: Photos showing breeding behavior are especially preferred, but high-quality photos of adults are also quite welcome. We are also looking for habitat shots, and photos of people in the field, so don’t forget to take some of those! Because we are concentrating on birds that breed in the state, we are not currently accepting photos of species that are only migratory or winter species in Wisconsin.
Q: Will all photos submitted appear on the website and in the book?
A: Display of photos is at the discretion of photo and book editors, and will relate to how many images we already have of a particular species, as well as photo quality.
Q: What are the resolution requirements for photos?
A: Photos should be at minimum 1500 x 1500 pixels. Ideally, you should send the original file that came off the camera so that we have the maximum flexibility to work with the image.
For further information, contact AtlasPhotos@wsobirds.org