Submission of Photographs!

Nothing speaks louder than having pictures on the web site that highlight our Indiana Valkyrie collection. Our Hoosier pride is on par with anything else out there at the state level. In order to maximize the enjoyment, and minimize the frustration on getting your photographs on the web, here are some guiding principles to consider.

Selection Criteria

In the same way that review stories, we will review the photos that are submitted to the site. In general, the selection criteria is as follows:

(1) Photographs should be clear enough that people that click on the picture can actually see what it is that you've captured on film! Sounds simple, ha, ha, but you'd be amazed how many pictures are fuzzy, in poor light, and are not centered. Nevertheless, we can manipulate the photograph slightly, but we can't perform miracles. If in doubt, submit the photograph and let us review it, if it works fine, otherwise we'll get back with you and let you know.

(2) Generally, our posting methodology includes a thumbnail as well as the picture. Each thumbnail photograph is hyperlinked to the larger picture.

(3) As you have already seen from the site, we try to say a sentence or more with each photograph so that when people click on the the thumbnail, they get to read something in addition the picture.

(4) No nudity, or compromising situations should be in the photographs.

Supported File Formats

Photographs tend to be better suited to JPEG (.JPG) format because the phtographic color integrity is handled better and they can be resized (for the thumbnails) without making them too fuzzy. However, we can also take GIF, BMP or TIFF formats.

A note about TIFF files. If you use a scanner to convert your pictures to digital media, you should be aware that the best setting are 72 dpi. Setting your scanner for more resolution is a waste of time and file space because the screen-based medium of the web is dependent on your monitor, which has a maximum 72 dpi density. As the resolution goes up, the files sizes go up unbelievably, so be careful. It is not uncommon to get a TIFF file of several megs before you even know it. A typical JPG file will run around 80-90K for the larger format, so aim for that size. Anything larger will take far too long to download.

Cropping and Resizing

Our standard size for photographs is 503 wide by 286 high, and don't ask us why, it just is :) Actually, to keep everything consistant on the web site, this is what we will try to resize all photographs to. If it becomes necessary to crop a photograph in order to get this consistent shape and size, we will do that if at all possible. Sometimes it is not possible, and in that case, we will just put the photograph out there the best we can.

Scanning

If you do not have a digital camera, don't worry. By sending your photographs to Scott Townsend, he can get your photos scanned and put on the web site for you. Please send your photos along with a self addressed and stamped return envelope so when he is done you can get your pictures back. Please allow five (5) working days for this process, as he must fight to get control of his home computer from his son! Send the photographs to:

Scott E. Townsend
1735 Berkey Avenue
Goshen, IN 46526

NOTE: Scott Townsend cannot be responsible for lost or stolen photographs, so it is best if you have duplicates made so that just in case they get lost in the mail we can still be friends. Thanks for your understanding.

If you have any further questions about photographs, then please contact us.