Photography Week
April 9 - 19
Wikipedia Takes Columbus 2017 is a ten-day photography event hosted by the Ohio Wikimedians User Group and Wikipedia Connection at Ohio State. The goal is to take photos of Columbus, Ohio State University, and the surround area to help illustrate our city on Wikipedia. Between April 9 and April 19, upload photos you've taken (either during the week or prior) of Columbus and its surrounding metropolitan area to the Wikimedia Commons and help illustrate Wikipedia.
Wikipedia's sister project, the Wikimedia Commons, is home to over 30 million educational media files that help illustrate our world - and Columbus could use your help! There are many things to take photos of in our city: buildings, museums, artifacts, outdoor areas and parks, events, city vehicles, notable faculty, and more. By contributing photos to the Commons, you'll be contributing to one of the world's largest repositories and archives of free media.
Sharing photos or event details on social media? Use hashtag #WikiTakesCbus
Event information edit
Wikipedia Takes Columbus will take place from Sunday, April 9 to Sunday, April 19. Everyone is invited to participate! See the sections below for things to photograph, and instructions for uploading your photos to the Wikimedia Commons.
Note that photos don't have to necessarily be taken during the week; photos you've taken in the past are accepted! You also don't need a fancy DSLR camera to take photos; quality photos taken with your mobile device or point-and-shoot camera are welcome.
Scavenger hunt edit
On Wednesday, April 12th, Wikipedia Connection at Ohio State will be hosting a scavenger hunt to explore and photograph Ohio State's campus. The primarily goal will be to help populate Draft:List of buildings at Ohio State University with photos. The group will meet at 5:30 PM in Room 344 of the 18th Avenue Library. While this event is oriented for Ohio State students, outsiders interested in participating are welcome to join!
Prizes edit
This year, we have two prize categories for top contributors to Wikipedia Takes Columbus! For each category, the winner will receive a Wikipedia language water bottle and notebook.
- Prize for whoever takes the photos of the most unillustrated Ohio State campus buildings (refer to Draft:List of buildings at Ohio State University).
- Prize for whoever illustrates the most Wikipedia articles with their uploaded images.
Things to photograph edit
There are plenty of things to photograph and illustrate around campus. All of the Wikimedia Commons' current media related to Columbus can be found at Category:Columbus, Ohio, and media related to Ohio State can be viewed at Category:Ohio State University. Keep in mind that just because something already has a photo doesn't mean you can't upload another one - things are always changing, need updating, and there are always multiple angles to photograph something at.
Here are some ideas of things to photograph - and don't be limited to this list!
- Buildings
- See what's missing on the list of Ohio State buildings
- Building interiors (notable halls, libraries, etc.)
- Museums and contents
- Check that photography is allowed within museums, and that you're not violating copyright by photographing copyrighted artistic works.
- Outdoor areas (the Oval, Mirror Lake, parks, etc.)
- Ariel shots
- At Ohio State, consider taking photos from the top of Thompson Library, the CBEC building, the medical center, etc.)
- Ohio State and city vehicles
- Notable faculty and people.
When taking photos, remember to respect peoples' privacy.
Instructions edit
Want to upload a picture that you took? Great!
- Head over to the Wikimedia Commons, Wikimedia's repository of free images.
- If you already have a Wikipedia account, you can log in at the Wikimedia Commons with the same account.
- If you don't already have an account, creating one takes just a minute!
- Click the 'Upload file' link in the left sidebar, or click here.
- Select the photo you'd like to upload and fill in all the proper details.
- Make sure the photo is one that you have taken yourself.
- Note that by sharing your work on the Wikimedia Commons, you grant anyone permission to use, copy, modify, and sell it without notifying you.
- The file's name should identify the subject of the image.
- The date should be the date that the photo was taken.
- Add your file to Category:Wikipedia Takes Columbus 2017. You can also add your file to Category:Columbus, Ohio or Category:Ohio State University. If you would like, check for any sub-categories your image might better fit in.
- Upload your photo, and you should be done!
Photography tips edit
- Use Category:Wikipedia Takes Columbus 2017 to count your contribution.
- Consider taking photos in the morning or evening when the sun is shining on the side of your subject, instead of from directly above.
- Make sure your camera is metering on the subject.
- Try using HDR if your photo has a large range of light (e.g. light sky and dark building).
- Position your subject using the rule of thirds.
- Try including people or other objects in your photos to help show the scale and size of the subject.
Results edit
- Five participants uploaded 181 photos of Columbus and the Ohio State University to the Wikimedia Commons (see commons:Category:Wikipedia_Takes_Columbus_2017).
- Several photos have been used to illustrate articles, as well as Draft:List of buildings at Ohio State University.
- This year's contest winners:
- The participant who uploaded the most photos of unillustrated Ohio State campus buildings was Blervis. Congratulations!
- The participant who added the most of their own photos to Wikipedia articles was Rimmel.Edits. Congratulations!
Sign up edit
Participants:
- SuperHamster (talk · contribs)
- Rimmel.Edits (talk · contribs)
- Shftin2gear (talk · contribs)
- Blervis (talk · contribs)
- Wintonc7 (talk · contribs)
Our event also has a Facebook event page that participants can join.