Just thinking.

We must have a degree in photography here so that our nominations won't be rejected, or buy a very expensive phone or camera just to take a very good quality picture.We just want a way spot to become a PokeStop or gyms to be approved so we can play this game but why making it so hard for us to reach your standards in accepting our nominations. We do understand your rules, we followed every step, we adjusted, we appealed. Just to wake up in the morning receiving an email of rejections. I think the percentage of our nominations to be accepted is like catching a 100 percent IV Pokemon, or shiny Pokemon, 1/1000 chance.

Comments

  • Hikaru588-INGHikaru588-ING Posts: 539 ✭✭✭✭

    The only time an expensive phone or camera might possibly be needed would be where a good night time photo of a wayspot makes sense.

  • SeaprincessHNB-PGOSeaprincessHNB-PGO Posts: 1,631 Ambassador

    We are allowed to do a little bit of editing. I always take the photos first and then do the submission using an "existing photo". If the lighting is bad, I use a program to apply a small filter to improve the lighting, contrast, brightness, etc. Apps that will do this are free and easy to use. I use a program called Snapseed - it's definitely available on Android. I'm sure something similar is available for iPhones.

  • Hosette-INGHosette-ING Posts: 3,471 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @SeaprincessHNB-PGO I do that too. I never alter the content of the image other than cropping and fixing my incredible inability to hold a camera level but I definitely adjust exposure, color, contrast, and occasionally sharpen as well. My Pixel 6 Pro has outstanding editing qualities built-in, as do other Pixel phones.

  • P1dg3ySlayer-PGOP1dg3ySlayer-PGO Posts: 165 ✭✭✭

    If you can understand the basic concepts such as lighting, focusing, framing, understand a little about ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed, you will be better than most.

    ISO - The darker the environment the higher the ISO and more noise enters the camera sensor. The more noise or the darker the image is, the higher chance the image could (not will) be rejected.

    Aperture - Most camera phones will automatically change the aperture without your knowledge. Aperture is essentially defines how much detail or depth of field is captured. In other words, how sharp the image is from the nearest point to the furtherest point. Numerically, the smaller the number, the less sharp the whole image will be. The higher the number, the sharper the image will be. (This alone won't guarantee the sharpness).

    Shutter Speed - This defines how long it will take for the photo to be captured once the shutter button has been pressed. The longer the shutter speed, unless supported by the tripod and a timer, the more blurred the image will be (sometimes referred to as camera shake). The quicker the image has been taken, the more sharper the image is. The Shutter Speed also determines how much light is allowed in.

    The ISO / Aperture / Shutter Speed forms the Photography Triad. The Triad with the wrong settings will produce the wrong results. The Triad with the right settings will produce the right result. You don't need a degree to take a good or bad photo, just practice and a basic understanding on how to take a photo.

    Lighting is also a factor. For what most of us do, natural lighting is what we rely on. So if you are going to take a photo on a bright shiny day, you need to ask yourself, is the sun behind, in front or to the side of you. If it's in front of you, will get, in most cases, the wrong effect. IF the sun is behing you, you will get the right effect, but may get what is called harsh lighting effect if the object you are photographing is shiny / reflective / etc. If the object is reflective, you may want to wait for some light cloud cover to get the desired effect.

    Focusing. In most cases on the phone, this is automatically done. With a bit of knowledge of the camera app on your phone, you can work out how to manually control the focusing so that you can select the subject to focus on. Leaving to auto focusing means you need to work with your phone camera to work out what to focus on and let the camera work it out.

    Framing. This is harder to explain. Some will say "Rule of Thirds" in order to give an intent. But in terms of creating a Waypoint, you may need to consider how the subject is framed so that it can be seen in all the respective Niantic games. Is centering the main subject going to give you the intended effect?

    There is a lot to think about, but definitely not a Degree worthy knowledge.

  • Hosette-INGHosette-ING Posts: 3,471 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @P1dg3ySlayer-PGO Unfortunately phones don't generally give you control over the exposure triangle... they want to do everything for you.

    The rest of your advice is quite good.

  • P1dg3ySlayer-PGOP1dg3ySlayer-PGO Posts: 165 ✭✭✭
    edited March 2023

    It depends on what phone you use and what camera app you have installed. I have found Camera Apps that gives me a lot of control over the images I take. I can't speak for Apple IOS, but the more recent versions of Android gives you (via the camera app) better control of the images you take. In cases where you can't control what the camera app does, it's important to know what you can control (i.e. what day to take the photo and where to stand).

    I did a 12 week course on Photography, and a lot what I have learnt is based on trial and error and experience (as well as being a member of camera clubs in terms of improving the quality of my photos). But it doesn't mean that anyone else needs to take courses or join camera clubs to take good photos.

  • SeaprincessHNB-PGOSeaprincessHNB-PGO Posts: 1,631 Ambassador
    edited March 2023

    This assumes the person is taking the photo first and then submitting existing photos (which is what I think we're all advocating for). If they take the photo through the app (either PGO or ING) they are submitting a glorified screenshot of a live image.

    I would also remind people that when the lighting source is behind you, that's when your own shadow falls across the image. Too many reviewers don't like shadows, though they really don't make the submitter identifiable. But the person's own reflection is a much bigger issue and a big reason why I think you need to take the photo first so you can examine it for mistakes like that. Too many times I didn't realize I'd captured my own reflection until after I'd gotten home and looked at the submission on my PC in good lighting. (Seeing my phone screen in outdoor lighting is the bane of my existence.)

  • P1dg3ySlayer-PGOP1dg3ySlayer-PGO Posts: 165 ✭✭✭

    I agree with taking the photo first and subbing later, but that would also rely on there being a SV available to pinpoint the nomination.

  • SeaprincessHNB-PGOSeaprincessHNB-PGO Posts: 1,631 Ambassador

    Almost all the stuff I nominate can be done just from Satellite. And when I "nominate later" all I really do is get back in my car so I'm just a few meters away from where I was standing when I took the photo. If I forget how to find it on the map/satellite view just a few steps away...I've got bigger problems.

  • X0bai-PGOX0bai-PGO Posts: 1,667 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Funny thing… if you actually go to a photography contest, where professional photographers use high-end equipment to capture images, you will typically see very little that will pass Wayfarer standards.

    Get the subject straight on, centered, and square; get tight enough to minimize the background; and ensure proper lighting is available… these few tips will prevent most image-based rejection reasons.

  • Yacatect-INGYacatect-ING Posts: 163 ✭✭✭

    Reflections are the reason I can't take photos head-on. Everyone's love of reflective glass doors and shiny metal surfaces is killing me.

    You can take the photo first and submit it 30 seconds "later", which is what some of us do. We're submitting it "later" while still standing right on top of the submission location to make sure the pin is correct. There are benefits to doing it this way, including saving a copy of the photo that you can use for resubmission in case you mess something up the first time (eg. accidentally including a face that could've been cropped out) and having a chance to open up the photo in the gallery and check for problems. Plus, you can take a bunch of shots first, compare them, then pick your favourites to use for submission.

  • P1dg3ySlayer-PGOP1dg3ySlayer-PGO Posts: 165 ✭✭✭


    You can't really compare Wayfarer standards with Photo Contests standardsd. Different criteria / standards altogether.

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