Geograph or supplemental
Contents
Why do we separate geographs and supplementals?
As our aim is documenting Germany's geography, the following thoughts give a good hint, which conditions images must fulfil:- A geographical feature must be clearly visible.
- The picture should be taken close to the subject.
- A description relating the image to the map square should be provided.
- Another person should get an impression how that place looks like.
- The image could help a child in interpreting a map.
For images not satisfying these criteria, we don't award points, to still provide an incentive for other people to visit the square and take an image according to these rules. On the other hand, high quality images providing some geographical information but not satisfying the strict criteria are still very welcome. Therefore, moderators classify images as geographs (satisfy the criteria) or supplementals (don't satisfy the criteria, no points possible).
As these rules were developing over the first months of the project, it is possible that some older images are not yet classified correctly, which will be corrected by remoderating older images.
What criteria make an image a geograph?
- The image must clearly show a geographical feature of the square.
- Surroundings of the subject must be visible and the actual place where the subject is located must be shown.
- Subject and photographer location should be in the same square. If the photographer position is not much beyond the grid line, the image can be geograph, if there's no possible subject in the foreground belonging to the photographer's square.
- The subject must be shown in a natural way, as a visitor of the square would see it. Therefore, photographs taken from a plane are supplemental images. Photographs taken from a ship can be geograph.
- The image should not be too small. Very small images will generally be rejected.
- Panoramas are geographs if they show not too much distortion. Also panoramas must be large (this includes high!) enough. If remarkable parts of the image are black/white/... because there were no photographs for the corresponding portions, the image is supplemental.
- There should be no frames or other graphical features not belonging to the photograph. If the actual photograph takes up too little space on the image, the image is supplemental or will be rejected in extreme cases.
- If there are reflections visible, because the image has been taken through glass, the image is supplemental or will be rejected in extreme cases.
- If remarkable parts of the images are blurred because of motion, e.g. because it has been taken from a car, the image is supplemental.
- The subject must not be covered too much.
- In photographs of buildings, at least the front dominating the image should be completely visible (apart from details as antennas). Images of large buildings consisting of several parts, should show at least the dominating front of an independent part (e.g. a wing of a castle). If this is not the case, the image should give a good expression of the scenery. Close up or detail images are supplemental.
- Mobile subjects are no geographical feature at a defined location. Nevertheless, images of such subjects can be geographs if they show a lot of the surroundings: A cow on the meadow, an animal in the enclosure at the zoo, a tram on the rails do represent their surrondings as geographically interesting area.
- Pictures taken at night can only be geographs if enough detail is visible.
- Pictures of subjects located inside buildings are supplemental.
- Pictures of very low quality (blur, strong exposure errors) are supplemental or will be rejected.
- Only unaltered images may be submitted, apart from minor changes as adjusting contrast. Visible time stamps should be avoided.
- Black-and-white images can be geographs.
- Historical images are welcome.
- Pictures of small subjects are supplemental.
- Remarkable parts of the image should show subjects of geographical importance. Therefore, an image showing a lot of sky is supplemental.
- Remarkable parts of the image should show Germany. If the image is taken from another country and if there is no specific subject visible in Germany, the square containing the border should be chosen as subject position.
- Images of subjects located outside Germany but right at the border which are geographically relevant (e.g. border installations, a common monument) can be accepted as supplemental images. Such subjects should at least be located in a square containing the border.
Moderation in case of doubt
For some of these criteria, the lines between geograph and supplemental are blurred, and there will always images that cannot be classified easily. If there are only few arguments for the classification supplemental, moderators tend towards geograph if the submission is of high quality. Especially informative descriptions are highly appreciated.If an image could be geograph for some subject, but not for the main subject the submitter specified (title, description, category), the image is still considered as geograph if the other subject is located in the same square and if the main subject specified is not totally absurd.
Examples
Mobile subjects
GEOBILD: Dieses Bild wäre alleine für die Umgebung schon ein Geobild; auch das 'Überdecken' der Bahn würde das Bild also nicht zu einem Extrabild verändern.
Small subjects
Geograph for another subject
GEOBILD: Kategorie und Beschreibung zufolge ist die stark verdeckte Kirche das Hauptmotiv. Andererseits wäre das Bild für das Motiv 'Kirchstraße vor der Kirche' ein Geobild.
GEOBILD: Das Schwabentor ist zwar zu stark verdeckt, aber mit gedachtem Titel 'Der Schwabentorring vor dem Schwabentor' wäre das Bild auf jeden Fall ein Geobild.
Sky
Environment
Image quality
Gerade noch GEOBILD trotz Bewegungsunschärfe im Vordergrund, da ein noch ausreichender Teil des Bilds scharf ist?