Oh dear. It's that time again. Time to remind everyone about the Caedes Snapshot Policy. Caedes.net is not a social networking site. Photos of oneself are accepted and appreciated if they have some artistic merit. The fact that you may be attractive (in your opinion) does not in and of itself make an image of you "art". Fortunately I do not have this problem, and you will find no images of me on this site. (It also keeps "The Man" from finding me.) One carefully constructed and artistic image - fine. There s a gallery for that. Repeatedly uploading images of yourself indicates that you are either egotistic or overly needy and fishing for compliments.

Those photos of your dog or cat? The rest of us really don't want to see them, and though precious little Tigger may be just adorable, this isn't the place to share your photos of him. No one wants to have your dog or cat on their desktop unless they're a relative. If so, mail them a photo instead.

The bottom line is this: Caedes.net is not the place to share personal photos. There are other sites for that.

Oh, and everybody, PLEASE read the Rules of Composition. They're brief and extremely helpful.

Good luck, Regmar.

Thanks, Regmar. I appreciate your protecting the site's purpose and identity.

I think this should be put on the front page for the people who never come into the forums..eh?

That I'd second.

I 3rd it same as I think that there should be something about ripped images on there with a link to the Vigilante Thread..
BUT do you think that people would read it?? they don't read the COC and the people who are posting these images don't think its a snapshot, we've all seen how they react when been told unfortunately.

Even if they don't read threads like this it's still useful to be able to point people to it when someone kicks up a stink about how unfair and mean we're being when we reject their photos...

So.....cats and dogs are out even if they belong to someone else? Cats and dogs have no business on Caedes, right?

no I don't think thats what they mean.. you can take pics of cats and dogs just not your average pic, I would say if it's creative then its not a snapshot.. but if its just a pic of a dog sitting looking at the camera or a cat sitting on a chair then thats a snapshot.. but.. thats just my opinion i'm probably wrong.. ;)

my idea of a snapshot
not a snapshot

No subject is excluded. Any type of snapshot image should not be uploaded, it's just that the most common subjects to fit into that category are pets and self portraits/family.

If you have a photo of a cat or dog that you yourself would download if you found it on another site to use as wallpaper, then that's fine. If you're uploading it because you want to show your friends or for some reason other than it's artistic merit, it's a snapshot.

If your are unsure how to quantify that, then look at equivalent images in the relevant permanent galleries – that should give you a benchmark to work towards.

I would also suggest that you err on the side of "It's a snapshot." If you have to ask, "Is this a snapshot?", then it probably is.

I would also suggest that you err on the side of "It's a snapshot." If you have to ask, "Is this a snapshot?", then it probably is. Photo's out of moving cars, anything out of focus, most family photos - these are snapshots. Your newborn child - probably a snapshot. A photo of your pet - probably a snapshot.

For many of us there is a fine line beween snapshot and non snapshot.
I guess one man's snap is another man's art sort of thing.
ALL of my pictures begin as snapshots - I snap and I shoot, then I decide whether they are of any merit. So far I have not had any rejections but rely on the final decision of the selector to be fair and thats the end of it. I do not have any newborn children, and since my cat went to cat heaven I have no pets, but I do hope other people's pets and newborns are not precluded :)

I think what Samatar said makes a lot of sense, andputs in in a nutshell - "If you have a photo of a cat or dog that you yourself would download if you found it on another site to use as wallpaper, then that's fine. If you're uploading it because you want to show your friends or for some reason other than it's artistic merit, it's a snapshot."

Just a thought- a picture of say, a rhinocerous or a spiny anteater could in theory be far more of a snapshot than a cat or a dog, but would be more acceptable because it is unusual. So lets be fair to the cats and dogs of this world and judge the snaps/photos on their artistic merit, not their species - lol

That’s the general idea…. There are many fine images of pets and babies uploaded here where clearly some thought has gone into them but these are definitely in the minority. Similarly, even if they are good they become of limited interest if they get repeated a lot. Yes, we are all glad about your new arrival etc etc but lets leave it at that. One of the main and underlying points of the snap policy is that the site shouldn’t be used for sharing family photos. Don’t be under the impression that the snap policy only applies to these categories though – it applies to any image uploaded here – it’s just that these two categories are the worst repeat offenders. Members who repeatedly ignore snap rejections and keep trying to upload the same type of images are even less likely to get them approved as it shows a complete disregard for the site and it’s policies bordering on contempt.

it's like these conversations never even happened.....

Isn't Dilbert running a series right now about beating a dead horse?

*wide-eyed confounded look*

what conversations?

;-)

The conversations about snapshots. It's like no one hears them, and the snapshots keep coming.

Well, who is responsible for letting 'snapshots' on site?

its a 50/50 split - the people who choose to ignore the CoC and the ones who let them slide and approve them. without the former - the latter wouldnt be an issue.

There's the rub. Some new people may upload without having fully read the code or think that perhaps their post doesn't represent a snapshot, but those images wouldn't make the site without someone 'letting' them through.

most people assume that when you upload an image and click the box acknowledging that you have read the CoC and that you understand that your image is in compliance with it - that you aren’t lying about that.

Images slipping through the net and getting approved in error doesn’t validate the upload in the first place. Yes – there are images that get approved that shouldn’t be but members have to take personal responsibility for their own work too. If they can’t be bothered to read the sites rules - that’s entirely their own fault. If they are in any doubt about it – they should ask the question – not choose to ignore it completely.

You're right, Phil, of course. I agree.

To those who don't have to reject other people's work, very few people think their work qualifies as a snapshot. We who have to decide what gets in and what doesn't take a lot of grief from the offended artists here. I usually approve a snapshot if I look in a member's gallery and don't see other snapshots, but I send along a suggestion in a PM to please be aware of the site's snapshot policy. Usually this works, but there are still people who shoot photos with camera phones, then enlarge it thinking it's going to look fine. There are the guys who shoot pictures of their girlfriends who they think are the hottest women in the world, so any photo of them must be art. Then there are the baby photos. Oh dear. These are rarely good, but if it's your baby, of course you think it's the most beautiful thing ever photographed. And pets. I won't go there.

Then there are the syncopants who post one-line comments on the snapshots saying, "great photo!" and hoping the snapshot producer will go look at one of their images and give it a similar "good review". These people make the snapshot producer think that their snapshot really is good, AND THE SITE MEMBERS WANT MORE!!!

The community as a whole is supposed to work hard to truly produce art, then give honest critiques of others' works to help them and other artists improve by reading thoughtful criticisms. Sometimes I see a good image languishing with no comments, yet see a blatant snapshot with a trail of positive commentary. Yuck. Sometimes I feel like we're trying to hold back the sea with our hands.

Maybe we should have a snapshot gallery, that the images get deleted after 30 days, just to show that snapshots don't have any lasting value. The mods could shuffle them into the snapshot gallery and people might realize that snapshots aren't very valuable except to those involved.

or we just adopt a zero tolerance to it instead.

yes please!

I second that Rob!

All I want for Christmas is my double bladed axe, my double bladed axe, my ....

i thought you wanted to hang up your battleaxe for good? :-)

I do...just some encouragement for the newbie mods...coming soon:-) It is the season of giving lol

Well for those who are concerned about the snapshot policy I guess it works.. I just got a notice to say my upload was rejected even though it was a macro shot AND I requested critique because i was experimenting.. yes it was of an animal, it was a close up of his eye/face.. I'd like to know why? was it because it was an animal, was it because it was hohum? or was it because of what I had written?? so my suggestion is this.. Yes reject snapshots I fully support that, but maybe a line to say WHY? so that it won't happen again.. ;)

While I totally understand and agree with your point Jacqueline, it's not always possible for us mods to provide specific feedback due to the total amount of images, time etc. Most of us do try to send a PM whenever possible.

I checked the moderator thread with regards to Snapshot rejections and your image wasn't reported over there. It might have been by one of the mods that aren't that active in the forum or that was pressed for time. I'll see if I can track down the mod and get some feedback for you with regards to the reason...

Thanks KJ.. i'd appreciate it I was experimenting with my camera and wanting feedback, its no problem if you can't.. now if there were little boxes to tick to give the artist an idea ;)

Can it be, that the mods react a bit harsher now? Snapshots never was something I really thought about, than it happend in two weeks to my husband and two friends of mine, who are all three very good artists. I saw all three images and did not feel that I see snapshots. Today I posted an image of the sculpture of a funny little duck, that looked sad to its feet. I never felt that was a snapshot, since it was nothing "personal" and light and colors were nice and re-edited. But now it happend to me also - I was told that I uploaded a snapshot ... So again my question: Are the mods harsher now, or is it just bad luck for all of us four ?

‘Imagine a cute little duckie-sculpture, that looks sad to its "feet" - thats what you will not see because of the so called "snapshot" rule’


The snapshot guidelines that apply equally to any subject matter regardless are easily accessible for any member to read prior to uploading an image. In addition there are various threads including this one highlighting this. Yes, the mods are getting increasingly diligent in enforcing it and have made that clear on several threads. There are still some images ‘slipping through the net’ that shouldn’t but many more are being blocked of late.

Hi Sabine,

While I can't answer in total about the mods being stricter, I can reply in reference to your image. Sometimes what makes a snapshot isn't whether it's personal or how well it's edited, but the composition and framing of the shot. This is the case with your image - the duck wasn't personal, but because it was a statue, there was the opportunity to move, create a scene in one way or the other that either didn't happen or didn't come across as you intended, which left an image of a well created fake duck - who was amusing itself - but not a completed scene. Hope this info helps,

Cat

I saw that image Blumie and agree that the colors were very nice. Personal image?, Yes, it was, to you. You related how it looked to how you felt.
The mods are not necessarily harsher, but more in tune with returning the site to it's former state of 'premium wallpaper' as well as following the edict of *caedes. Ask yourself if the duck is something that anyone one the site would put on their desktop for several days. The whole meaning of the image is still personal to you.
There were poles, a partial tree and a stick of some sort as well as the duck in the image.
One of the criteria for posting here is that this is not for photo sharing.
I suspect that is why it was rejected as a snapshot.
Hope this helps. ;=)

You guys and gals are doing a great job. Looking through the new images now is a treat rather than a disappointment:-)

If I may add to the discussion here ... I get the impression that the word itself, 'snapshot', is being deemed as the offensive part by the members and as a personal affront.

Clarity and colours can still be good ... and yet, the photo under question can still be considered a 'snapshot'.

So, it goes beyond the skill behind the camera and extends to the subject matter as well.

Don't let a word inhibit you from seeing the bigger picture.

And no ... no pun or play on words intended with that last part. Ok, maybe just a little . ;o)

Thanks for taking the time to answer and yes, I think I can life - and will - with those answers about what you did not like about the picture - but please do not judge my pics about my words. I first choose an image - than I find some words. Okay? Also thanks for letting me know, that it is indeed harsher now, so nobody will wonder, if he/she might become worse with the months ... Smile

From the looks of your gallery DigiCamMan, I would say that most of your shots are pretty carefully considered.

I think you are a jerk. I have a beautiful picture of two children posing that I truly believe is art and not just another "snap shot". Not only are you people very judgemental of what you believe art to be, you aren't even polite when you are turning a photo down. The photo I tried to submit is no different than any photo of the people category of photography.
This is a very snobish site and you now have one less member!

In three years you have managed one comment – the one above this and two posts – the latest one being rejected as it clearly violated the sites rules on posting snapshots in particular family ones and had little if any redeeming features to it from either an aesthetic or general interest point of view. It has nothing to do with snobbery, if on the extremely rare occasions that you have chosen to contribute to the site you have done so with a breach of the code of conduct both in your image and written posts then that is probably more of a commentary on your own attitude than that of the site and its administrators.

Being a fan of the people gallery, I want to recall that there is a big difference between a photo of your son and your niece, and an artistic work like this or a very original capture like this

Please have a look to this thread. Thanks

I am very sorry that I posted the comment. It was completely my fault to believe that anybody but myself and my family would see any beauty in the picture. It was plain and boring and I was wrong. Once, again I am very sorry that I have violated any rules. I just thought the way she was positioned was so beautiful, with her hand on him, kind of saying "please protect me". I didn't read the fine print and for that I am paying.

You are right, I haven't really contributed anything to this site except one picture and that was just a lucky shot. I am sorry if I offended anyone. I hope the picture is deleted from wherever it is that you can see it so I don't have to hear there are no redeeming features to it again.

Thanks and sorry again.

Thanks for your comprehension. You're welcome :-)

Referring to the first post "The bottom line is this: Caedes.net is not the place to share personal photos. There are other sites for that."

I agree totally. Completely.

It appears though that through these discussion boards the site has developed another dimension - that of community and maybe for those who want to extend that aspect . . . . .


Could there be a Gallery accessible perhaps from the Discussion Board, viewable only to members to which 'snapshots' could be posted. Then if members want to share their pets, themselves, amusing, or plain boring snapshots they could do so there. Those on their friends list could share whatever moment it is they want them to share,and those who are not interested need never go near there. Call it the Community Gallery, no comments permitted - if anyone wanted to do that it could be done by pm, and make the time limit for each item a matter of days after which they are deleted.

Perhaps it would help those who want to share this type of image to resist the temptation to upload to the main galleries - lessening the number of snapshots to be sifted through by the sifters.

I wonder about that too. That would involve setting up a Social Networking part of the site. It might encourage people to put stuff there that isn't strictly "art", but it's possible that they'd just ignore it and keep dumping schlock into the art galleries.

Some have suggested charging us to upload images. The fee would have to be small enough that it wouldn't hurt our less affluent members, but high enough that people would tend to be more selective in what they upload reducing the two per day number down to maybe one per week. That way we might want to spend more time crafting the one image we do upload. I don't know - it works for golf courses. If people have to pay to use something they tend to take better care of it.