Contributing Photos to ZipcodeZoo.com
1,496 of the world's best wildlife photographers chose ZipcodeZoo.
ZipcodeZoo.com is home to 331,922 photos and illustrations and 1,471 sound recordings.
ZipcodeZoo.com is home to 331,922 photos and illustrations and 1,471 sound recordings. This represents the best efforts of 1,496 of the world's best wildlife photographers, artists, and sound recordists. We are very proud to be associated with this talent!
We believe that only with multiple photos can we clearly see differences between individuals of different age, sex, season, condition, and activity. Individuals of a species may differ in look from each other; these differences may be important in natural interactions, and absolutely need to be seen if the naturalist is to identify an observation correctly. Whereas the high cost of producing photos for books limits traditional texts to one or two photos per species, the Internet makes possible this unlimited use of photos. We want more!
What We are Looking For
We require that all photos be identified by binomial name either as part of the file name (eg., panthera_leo.jpg for a lion) or in a supplied list (such as a spreadsheet) that contains pointers to image file names (eg., Panthera leo: img0234.jpg) Because of the volume of photos we receive, we dare not attempt to identify species from photos, or to infer binomial name from common name.
We prefer photos that show the plant or animal in a natural setting. If in a zoo setting, we will likely crop the photo in an effort to make it appear more natural.
You must be the owner of the photo, and the photographer.
We are especially keen to receive large, high resolution, well-focused images. Please do not resize images to accomodate us -- we much prefer to start with the largest images available.
What We Don't Need
We do not need to be your exclusive outlet for your work.
We do not need date taken, location taken, or general caption info -- though each of these elements is always appreciated.
We Will Protect Your Hard Work
We have done a number of things to try to protect our photographers and sound recordists.
- Our Terms of Service begins with the statement "We at Zipcode Zoo are grateful to the many writers, sound recordists, cartographers, and photographers who have contributed to this site, and we ask that you respect their generosity by fully honoring the terms of their respective copyrights and property ownership. Requests to use a photograph on this web site must ALWAYS be directed to the photographer herself, and no permission is granted for your use simply because their work appears on our site."
- We have done what can be done to prevent downloading photos other
than as part of a page display in a browser.
- A click on the image which leads off the Basic Info tab for a plant or animal displays a popup when right-clicked: "Images are copyrighted; please do not copy or save", and right-click menu options are disabled.
- On the Photos/Sounds/Video tab, Image Browser option, the main photo at the top of the screen displays the caption and photographer name on mouseover or right-click, and right-click menu options are disabled.
- Below this large image, the name of the photographer is displayed, with a link to that photographer's personal page on the site. This page, such as http://zipcodezoo.com/Photographers/David%20Stang.asp, is intended to present a small image of the photographer, a short bio sketch, a slideshow of some of the photographer's work (max of 500 images), and thumbnails of the work they have submitted. The bio sketch can include contact info, if you wish to be contacted by our visitors.
- In addition to displaying the photographer's name below the large image on the Image Browser tab, we provide info on the copyright holder and optionally a link to a "permissions for use" page that might be on your site.
- If a visitor to the site right-clicks one of the thumbnails on the Image Browser option, they will be able to view source, but the url of the image is a thumbnail only, not the full image resized. Large photos have different names and reside in different directories.
- On the Photos/Sounds/Video tab, Thumbnails option, all photos display the caption and photographer name on mouseover or right-click, and right-click menu options are disabled.
We at Zipcode Zoo are grateful to the many writers, sound recordists, cartographers, and photographers who have contributed to this site, and we ask that you respect their generosity by fully honoring the terms of their respective copyrights and property ownership. Requests to use a photograph on this web site must ALWAYS be directed to the photographer herself, and no permission is granted for your use simply because their work appears on our site.
Getting us the photos
There are several ways to ship your photos:
- For an individual photo: Go to the species page (eg., http://zipcodezoo.com/animals/p/panthera_leo/Default.asp) for the species in a given photo. Click the Upload an Image link at the bottom of the page, and upload a photo of that species. If we don't post it promptly, pust write us at Photos@ZipcodeZoo.com
- Under 100 photos: give us permission to manually scrape photos and captions from your web site. Just write us at Photos@ZipcodeZoo.com
- For hundreds of photos: give us permission to use automated routines to capture photos and captions from your data-driven web site. We can run our code during period of lightest traffic on the site, at times you suggest. Just write us at Photos@ZipcodeZoo.com
- For any number of photos: place them on a CD or DVD. Label
your package carefully, and mail to
ZipcodeZoo Photos
13311 Brass Ring Place
Potomac Maryland USA 20854
For any photos submitted, please include the exact text you wish us to use for the copyright notice, and a link if you want us to link to your "Permissions for Use" page. We want to include your photo and bio sketch on your Photographer page on our site, so be sure to send those to us, too.
Thanks!