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White House architectural plan

[edit]
Original - Principal story plan for the White House by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, 1807.
Reason
High resolution file of an architectural design for an early expansion upon an important structure. Restored version of File:Latrobe White House.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
White House, Benjamin Henry Latrobe
Creator
Benjamin Henry Latrobe
South Portico
North Portico
  • Comment - I very much want to support this for its exceptional EV and high quality (and I will if I get a clear answer), but I'm wondering what's going on:
    1. Latrobe's article states he designed the east and west colonnades, but I'm not aware of east and west colonnades on the White House. I thought the only colonnades were the north and south ones (which are labeled as porticos, but the stacks of columns supporting the porticos are colonnades). I'm assuming these colonnades (porticos) are those shown in the images at right, the north and south porticos of the White House. Now if that's the case, the article needs changing (and referencing).
    2. If Latrobe did only design the colonnades, then this image is misleading b/c the caption implies that he designed the architectural plan, even if he is the creator of this blueprint. I think that should be mentioned in the caption.
    3. Also, as much as I like the image, I'm well aware that it is not the current floor plan of the first floor of the White House. Being the case, this should be mentioned in the caption so it is clear that this was either overridden, or possibly replaced (maybe the destruction during War of 1812? - I can't see the Truman renovations completely changing the floor plan, but maybe?).
Granted this will need a long caption to be complete. But on that note, I'd like to see what FPC reviewers have to say about captions by commenting here. ~ ωαdεstεr16«talkstalk» 04:20, 30 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I believe the Colonnades, in this context, refer to the structures now connecting the main building (Executive Residence) to the East and West Wings. (The colonnades Latrobe did preceded the two wings; the White House article says they were used for utilitarian purposes like laundry and stables.) See diagram here. Fletcher (talk) 23:52, 30 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted File:Latrobe White House cropa2.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 04:21, 1 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


A Brush for the Lead

[edit]
Original - "A Brush for the Lead", lithograph by Currier and Ives, 1867.
Reason
In the holiday spirit and the lyrics of "Sleigh Ride", we can nearly be like a picture print by Currier and Ives. Best wishes, whatever it is that you celebrate. Restored version of File:Brush for the lead.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
Sleigh Ride, Currier and Ives
Creator
Currier and Ives

Promoted File:Brush for the lead2.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 05:11, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, original site

[edit]
Original - The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel at the original location, Fifth Avenue and Thirty-Fourth Street, New York City. Charcoal and pastel on brown paper by Joseph Pennell, c. 1904-1908.
Reason
A depiction of the original (destroyed) Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City. Restored version of File:Waldorf-Astoria 1904-1908.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Joseph Pennell
Creator
Joseph Pennell

Promoted File:Waldorf-Astoria 1904-1908b.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 05:20, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


The Adoration of the Magi

[edit]
Original - The Adoration of the Magi is a Morris & Co. tapestry depicting the story in Christianity of the Three Kings who were guided to the birthplace of Jesus by the star of Bethlehem.
Reason
Very encyclopedic image.
Articles this image appears in
Adoration of the Magi (tapestry)
Creator
Designed by Edward Burne Jones with details by William Morris and John Henry Dearle

Not promoted --Wronkiew (talk) 05:21, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Ukiyo-e dragon

[edit]
Original - Dragon, Japanese ukiyo-e woodcut, c. 1750-1900.
Reason
Dragon. Japanese woodcut. Dark and mysterious and fearsome. Also a high resolution file in good condition. Restored version of File:Ukiyo-e dragon.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
Dragon, Woodcut
Creator
unknown

Not promoted --Noodle snacks (talk) 09:18, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Housefly mating

[edit]
Original - Houseflies, Musca domestica mating. The male mounts the female from behind.
Alternative 1
Reason
Good quality image depicting an important part of the life cycle of the fly.
Articles this image appears in
Housefly
Creator
Muhammad

Promoted Image:Housefly mating.jpg --Noodle snacks (talk) 09:21, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Alstroemeria aurantiaca

[edit]
Original - Alstroemeria aurantiaca in southern Tasmania, Australia
Reason
One of the better known species in the Alstroemeria genus. It replace a poorer quality taxobox image of the same species in the article. Shows the typical arrangement of flowers for this species. This isn't the same image or species as my previous unsuccessful Alstroemeria nomination.
Articles this image appears in
Alstroemeria
Creator
Noodle snacks

Promoted Image:Alstroemeria aurantiaca.JPG --Noodle snacks (talk) 09:22, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Sprekelia formosissima

[edit]
Original - Sprekelia formosissima, Sometimes called the "Aztec lily", although it is not a true lily
Alt 1
Reason
Adds value to its article, a beautiful flower. Merry Christmas to all!
Articles this image appears in
Sprekelia
Creator
Noodle snacks

Promoted Image:Sprekelia formosissima 1.JPG --Noodle snacks (talk) 09:22, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Bethlehem Steel

[edit]
Original - The Bethlehem Steel works of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Watercolor by Joseph Pennell, May 1881.
Reason
Early depiction of the Bethlehem Steel plant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Watercolor by Joseph Pennell, May 1881. Restored version of File:Bethlehem Steel Pennell.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
Bethlehem Steel, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Creator
Joseph Pennell

Promoted Image:Bethlehem Steel Pennellb.jpg --Noodle snacks (talk) 01:22, 3 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Common Bluetail Damselfly

[edit]
Original - Common bluetail (Ischnura heterosticta) perched on a grass head)
Reason
High quality shot with good EV
Articles this image appears in
Damselfly, Ischnura heterosticta
Creator
Fir0002
  • Support as nominator --Fir0002 05:05, 26 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support well done. — Aitias // discussion 02:27, 27 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support and Question, any idea what Image:Unidentified Damselfly 6171.jpg or File:Unidentified Damselfly 6142.jpg is? I found dragonfly/damselfly heaven the other day, it has literally hundreds of them swarming everywhere and I recognise the nominated species. I rigged up a mt24ex rip off yesterday with some aluminium and the radio triggers. I have half a dozen species to capture yet. I also tried stacked extension tubes on my 400mm, but ditched it in favour of the 200mm because I thought the lighting wouldn't be so good. The results turned out to be excellent back on the computer though and the huge working distance is likely to be really useful. The only downside to the 400mm for damselfly/dragonfly hunting is the weight (very close to 3kg with batteries and battery grip). Noodle snacks (talk) 09:28, 27 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    • Answer: I'm by no means a biologist so I can't really help you with the IDs - I find Brisbane Insects a useful site and you can also use the Victorian Museum/Australian Museum to help with IDs. But yeah awesome that you've found a nice spot! How is the autofocus with the extension tubes? Because they would be very handy with a 400mm's working distance. The lighting on this seems a bit odd though - cyan cast. --Fir0002 08:53, 28 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      • Lighting is probably just a white balance issue there. Those two are with the 70-200mm though. Autofocus was good, there is quite a bit of range that it works over (maybe 1.5m) and it still seems to have the accuracy and speed that the 400mm seems to be known for. For these small damsel flies a bit more magnification would be handy (another box of tubes or one of those 500D magnifiers instead). It isn't at maximum magnification but File:Unidentified Damselfly 6171 2.jpg is a 400mm shot from approx 2 meters away with my diy flash rig. The image is a 50% crop. Noodle snacks (talk) 09:09, 28 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose - The article is little more than a chaotic gallery of images. Pictures cannot (should not) be evaluated independently of the articles they illustrate. How can we stamp a seal of high EV to an image in these conditions, without perverting the ultimate goal of FPC? Commons FPC is the right place for this particular image. -- Alvesgaspar (talk) 11:51, 28 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    • The image is used in Damselfly as the taxobox image and is demonstrative of Damselflies in general (being a fairly common species in at least one part of the world). In my book a high quality image of a species has pretty easy EV regardless of article usage. Either way I created Ischnura heterosticta, where it more specifically serves to display what the male of the species looks like. Furthermore the FPC criteria don't really mention the state of the article, to allow for future growth one should really be asking would the image be of use if the article was of featured quality. Noodle snacks (talk) 12:17, 28 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    • I gave damselfly a bit of a clean and removed about 50% of the images. Noodle snacks (talk) 12:32, 28 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      • Much better now. But I'm still opposing as this picture (in the gallery) has better quality and resolution. Also, this FP was removed from the taxobox to insert the present picture. Although it still remains in another stub, I wonder if this is a good practise. Alvesgaspar (talk) 12:53, 28 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
        • The first image you linked to is Ischnura senegalensis (The Common Bluetail article is about that species), this image is of Ischnura heterosticta. The two are found in geographically distant locations and are probably just a case of Convergent evolution. To resolve the ambiguity I had already tagged the image for renaming, which will happen when the bot gets around to it. The old FP is fir's image, so I doubt anyone is going to get insulted. It looks to me as if its due for delisting. Noodle snacks (talk) 13:48, 28 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
          • I'd like to echo what NS said above - I think that an image's enc value is almost entirely independent of the content of the article; it's an intrinsic attribute of the image. Furthermore I'd argue that an image has even greater EV in a stub because it is essentially doing the work of the (missing) text and thus the 1000 words are put to good use. --Fir0002 11:59, 29 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
          • Well, that is certainly not the spirit of WP:FPC. If it were, pictures would be evaluated only on the basis of their intrinsic quality and potential EV (like in Commons FPC and VIC), and the need to be part of an article wouldn't make sense. In the limit, your final argument justifies the existence of articles consisting of image galleries only. -- Alvesgaspar (talk) 14:54, 29 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
            • On the contrary, this is precisely in the spirit of FPC: Taking the adage that "a picture is worth a thousand words," the images featured on Wikipedia:Featured pictures should illustrate a Wikipedia article in such a way as to add significantly to that article. If the article already has a detailed description of a damselfly then the accompanying image adds less to the article than if the article had no text (note this doesn't mean that I think an article should just be comprised of images!). --Fir0002 22:45, 29 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support for quality and EV. WRT the above, the picture must contribute significantly to an article to have EV, but at the same time the photographer is not responsible for writing articles or fixing their problems (unless he causes them...). Fletcher (talk) 03:29, 30 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support - I think Fletcher said it best and I agree with that assessment. ~ ωαdεstεr16«talkstalk» 04:26, 30 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment - Before being photographers, we are all editors here and thus share some responsability for the quality of the articles we edit. Using them with the sole purpose of showing our photos or serving our nomination interests may (and does) cause damage to the encyclopaedia. The profusion of image galleries is a significant sign of that practise. In this particular article (Damselfly) a FP was removed from the taxobox with the purpose of hoisting the present candidate, not noticing that this other FP, which is in the gallery, has a much better quality and resolution. Alvesgaspar (talk) 12:13, 30 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Neutral IMO Alvesgaspar raises some important points. The purpose of FPC is to recognize pictures that contribute well to articles. The damselfly infobox should have the best quality and resolution, which IMO is not this image. That said, the creation of the stub is IMO good as it facilitates the image and will probably be better written by future editors. Muhammad(talk) 15:53, 30 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose per arguments by Alvesgaspar and Muhammad. This has been a problem for some time now. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 13:17, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted Image:Ischnura_heterosticta02.jpg --Noodle snacks (talk) 01:25, 3 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Greenbottle fly eating

[edit]
Original - An Old World screw-worm fly Chrysomya albiceps, feeding on decaying matter. The Chrysomya, like other blow-flies are an important tool in Forensic science and Forensic entomology due to their ability to smell dead animal matter over a long distance.
Reason
A good quality image illustrating both the fly and and feeding. IMO aesthetically pleasing as well, for those who like bugs :)
Articles this image appears in
Blow-fly, Chrysomya, Chrysomya albiceps, Chrysomyinae
Creator
Muhammad

Promoted Image:Chrysomya_albiceps_eating.jpg --Noodle snacks (talk) 01:25, 3 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Lattice steel pylon

[edit]
Original - A lattice steel pylon is an electricity pylon consisting of a steel framework construction. Lattice steel pylons are used for powerlines of all voltages.
Reason
Good quality image showing details of the structure. It also shows the insulators and vibration dampers in good details.
Articles this image appears in
Electricity pylon, Lattice steel pylon
Creator
Muhammad



Not promoted . --John254 00:58, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Mount Baker Panorama

[edit]
Original - Panorama of Mount Baker, in Washington. The mountain is actually a dormant volcano, not having erupted since 1880. The snowfall on the mountain is annually voluminous; the mountain currently holds the world record for the most snowfall in one season. This panorama is taken from a northwest angle.
Reason
Awesome quality and EV, +wow with that snow falling off the top. This image really shows how much snow falls on Mount Baker.
Articles this image appears in
Mount Baker
Creator
Wsiegmund
  • Comment I think the caption would read better if the "annually huge" was changed - perhaps "The annual snowfall on the mountain is huge" or something along those lines. 16:23, 29 December 2008 (UTC)

Not promoted --Noodle snacks (talk) 00:12, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Frozen Pinecone

[edit]
Original - After a large December winter ice storm, everything outdoors was covered in over half an inch of ice. This Conifer cone shows the result of these ice storms.
Reason
Good quality image, interesting composition. Sharp, detailed.
Articles this image appears in
Conifer cone, Ice storm, Winter storms of 2008–09, Eastern White Pine
Creator
Redmarkviolinist
Thanks for the suggestion. I have expanded the description and added the picture to other pages. Cheers, ṜedMarkViolinistDrop me a line 02:43, 29 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Actually it needs a description on the image hosting page. The location, species of pine, etc. would be good. I'm leaning toward borderline support here, yet it might fare better at Wikimedia Commons FPC where evaluation is more purely on photographic merit. DurovaCharge! 18:09, 29 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Okay, species is Pinus Strobus, or White Pine. I've filled in the description and added the picture to the page. ṜedMarkViolinistDrop me a line 17:28, 30 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Not promoted --Noodle snacks (talk) 00:11, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



London, 1616

[edit]
Original - Panorama of London, 1616.
Edit 1 - Sharpened by deconvolution and contrast increased slightly.
Reason
A high resolution (14.2MB) panorama of London as it appeared in the early seventeenth century. Restored version of File:London panorama, 1616.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
History of London, Stuart London
Creator
Claes Janszoon Visscher
I've taken the liberty of sharpening the original with a deconvolution algorithm (edit 1), which has brough out a bit more of the detail (though I'm not sure the writing is any more legible). Unfortunately it's also brough out the JPEG artifacts from the original, but it was saved with quite high quality so that's not a huge problem. Time3000 (talk) 16:04, 29 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Not promoted --Noodle snacks (talk) 00:11, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



New Year's Eve fireworks display in Melbourne

[edit]
  • Original - NYE fireworks display in Melbourne, Australia as seen from Alexandra Gardens
    Original - NYE fireworks display in Melbourne, Australia as seen from Alexandra Gardens
  • Alt 1
    Alt 1
  • Alt 2
    Alt 2
  • Alt 3
    Alt 3
  • Alt 4
    Alt 4
Reason
Happy New Year everyone! This was my first time that I was in Melbourne for NYE and it was pretty crazy - trains were packed to the very brim and all roads were just solid with people! Anyway a high quality photo with good EV - one of my last images of 2008!
Articles this image appears in
New Year's Eve, Fireworks, Pyrotechnics
Creator
Fir0002
  • Support as nominator --Fir0002 00:56, 1 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Neutral Looks good, but its got a lot of compression artifacts in the sky and around the fireworks. --Yzmo talk 01:25, 1 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose. I think the technical quality is sufficient, but it's on the small side for an FP and composition-wise I think this falls well short of a number of our (technically inferior) fireworks shots (e.g., this or this).--ragesoss (talk) 06:13, 1 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose. I know that fireworks are pretty difficult to shoot (and you don't get much time to change your exposure settings) but they look fairly overexposed to be honest as they're missing colour information in the middle. It isn't unavoidable, and generally the fireworks look much nicer, even if the scenery isn't as well lit. I don't have any particularly great fireworks shots myself from a compositional perspective (always difficult to get a good vantage point that isn't swarming with people) but I do have some where the colours are far less washed out, which I think is pretty important with fireworks. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 00:58, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • Hopefully some of the alts are more pleasing --Fir0002 04:17, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
      • Unfortunately not really, as the colour is still pretty washed out by overexposure. What I think probably would have worked better was to stop down the lens a bit more (I used f/13 to f/22 at ISO 100 last time I tried, diffraction isn't really an issue in this sort of photography) and let the exposure go longer. That way the fireworks won't be as exposed as they last for a smaller percentage of the total exposure, but the background will still be exposed fairly well. (Examples: [2] [3] [4]. I know they're not great either and there isn't any interesting background to speak of, but you see the colour of the actual fireworks better, rather than just the glow around them). Ideally there isn't too many fireworks all at once though, as that potentially this means it'll be overwhelmed, so getting the balance right is sometimes really hard as you cannot predict how fast the fireworks will move, how many of them will explode in the next xx seconds, and even where in the frame they will explode. An unforgiving style of photography, to be sure. ;-) Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 12:29, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
        • Oh and this is just an idea that popped into my head a second ago. If you had the camera really steady on a tripod, you could actually take a frame before the fireworks started, with a much brighter exposure for the background. Then you could blend it with the fireworks frame to get them both exposed nicely. Never tried it before, but I can't see why it wouldn't work. I've got a little program that takes the brightest pixel in a series of images and combines them into one image. Works well for multiple exposures in star trail photography, so you can take sixty 1 minute long exposures to get an hour long star trail without the problems of hot pixels/noise. Only problem is when clouds are moving across the frame. You'll end up with the brightest bits of them all in the final image too which isn't ideal. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 13:25, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose While pleasing, I fail to see the encyclopedic value (3b and 5b). It's not a particularly excellent example of fireworks nor an excellent rendition of the Melbourne skyline. Is Fir0002 starting to rest on his laurels?! ;) Madcoverboy (talk) 09:35, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Not promoted . --John254 00:35, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Nine-banded Armadillo

[edit]
Original - The armadillo with a side shot standing in front of a tree with the fall leaves all around, and a clear view of every single one of the nine signature bands.
Reason
Very good picture of a nine-banded armadillo in the wild.
Articles this image appears in
Nine-banded Armadillo
Creator
Brian E. Kulm, Yiati

Not promoted It is extremely improbable that this would pass given its size and softness. --Noodle snacks (talk) 02:02, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



World War I trenches at Dead Sea

[edit]
Original - Ottoman/Turkish trenches on the shores of the Dead Sea, 1917.
Reason
Currently, none of the images at Wikipedia:Featured pictures/History/World War I depict the Middle Eastern theater of that war. It's time to correct that systemic bias and I believe this has more technical merit than some of the images already featured. Restored version of File:Turkish trenches at Dead Sea.jpg
Articles this image appears in
Dead Sea, Sinai and Palestine Campaign, Middle Eastern theatre of World War I
Creator
American Colony Jerusalem

Promoted File:Turkish trenches at Dead Sea2.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 02:05, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Singapore Skyline Panorama

[edit]
Original - The skyline of Singapore's Central Business District (CBD) at dusk.
Reason
Pretty hi-rez, very dynamic, easily stands out, representative of the spirit of Singapore in many ways. (And the clouds are awesome).
Articles this image appears in
Singapore, Four Asian Tigers, List of tallest buildings in Singapore, Downtown Core, List of cities by GDP, List of cities in the Far East by population
Creator
Someformofhuman

Oppose per above. Fletcher (talk) 00:00, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

  • Comment & Oppose

The crane was blurred because it was moving. They were having late night construction.

I appreciate Bubsty for placing my image as featured candidates. (Didn't knew it until I checked today) But I wish it could be removed from the nominations list. There are a number of photo-graphical mistakes in my own picture in which why I never and wouldn't bother to nominate it, and in which I am embarrassed to explain. It'll be great if you had asked my permission to do so first the next time. And I oppose my own picture. Neither any of my pictures from Commons are deserved to be nominated at all. Someformofhuman Speak now! 04:34, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Not promoted . --John254 03:40, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

White-faced Heron

[edit]
Original - White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae), Searching for trapped bait fish at low tide, Breeding Plumage, Tasmania, Australia
Alternate - Pose more similar to the image preferred by jjron
Reason
High quality. Finally got close enough to this timid species.
Articles this image appears in
White-faced Heron
Creator
Noodle snacks

Promoted Image:Egretta novaehollandiae Tasmania 3.jpg Enough support, no opposes and quite a lot of neutral --Noodle snacks (talk) 05:48, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Camera obscura

[edit]
Original - Camera obscura, from a manuscript of military designs. Seventeenth century, possibly Italian.
Reason
An early demonstration of camera obscura from a seventeenth century manuscript. Restored version of File:Camera obscura unrestored.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
Camera obscura, History of the camera
Creator
unknown

Promoted Image:Camera obscura2.jpg --Noodle snacks (talk) 05:48, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Jorge Martin Obras http://martinjorgee.wix.com/jorge-martin#!c%C3%A1mara-obscura


Juvenile Rufous Fantail

[edit]
Original - Juvenile Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons)
Alternative 1
Reason
Sharp, well lit, clean background - in short a high quality image of a wild bird
Articles this image appears in
Fantail, Rufous Fantail
Creator
Fir0002
  • Support as nominator --Fir0002 12:04, 29 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support This one is looking pretty good sharpness and lighting wise Noodle snacks (talk) 12:54, 29 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose I think the way the branch intrudes into the foreground is distracting, but more significantly, the talon on the right side is completely blurred, while the talon the left is sharp. It goes from blurry to sharp so quick that it looks more like a post processing thing than DOF transition or motion blur (?). Indeed the bokeh is really too strong for me; I think the lead image in Fantail looks more natural, showing some in-focus branches the bird is sitting on. Attaching the animal to its environment adds to its EV, in my view; I just want enough blur to keep the emphasis on the subject. Fletcher (talk) 16:58, 29 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    • I think there is some motion blur on the wing actually, but otherwise it looks very sharp. The shallow DOF is mainly because the branch that the bird is perched on is almost in line with the view of the camera, which accentuates it. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 21:42, 29 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      • Yeah the DOF is entirely natural and is created in the way Diliff mentioned above (I was semi-hiding behind the tree trunk). The alternative shows part of a nearby tree if you prefer it. Also yes there is some minor blur on the wings (from memory it was startled by the sound of the shutter) despite 1/1600s --Fir0002 22:49, 29 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose Poor composition in both cases. The branch interferes in both photos. Makeemlighter (talk) 05:32, 30 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support original despite the branch and some minor blurring. This photo illustrates the subject very well. The bird is easy to see against the background. Wronkiew (talk) 06:39, 31 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose alternative 1 it is not in any articles and should not be put into any articles as the original image shows the same subject matter but has greater encyclopaedic value - it shows more of the bird. Guest9999 (talk) 05:16, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • The general practise is to replace the original in articles with the Alt generally. Noodle snacks (talk) 05:57, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
      • Images with less encyclopaedic value should not be used in articles because they could be featurable. The original image is a better depiction of the bird for use in the encyclopaedia and should be used in the articles it is currently present in over the alternative image; even if the alternative image has technical qualities that could make a difference at FPC. Guest9999 (talk) 06:49, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
        • The point of the alternative is to give people an option - whichever version people like most will go into the article. So if the majority thought the Alt was a better image then it would replace the original. If the majority thought the original was best then it would stay. So perhaps you could state your preference in a positive rather than negative fashion :) --Fir0002 08:55, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
          • An example: File:Poster-sized portrait of Barack Obama OrigRes.jpg is the lead image in Barack Obama, it is probably not featurable, File:Obama Portrait 2006 trimmed.jpg is a featured image of Barack Obama but it will never replace the other image in the article. Another example: remember that picture of a bird that received massive support a few months back only to be removed from the article it was in by the editors' who maintained because it showed an atypical pose? The factors that matter at FPC can differ from the factors that determine whether an image should be placed in an article and from the process of peer review that keeps that image in the article; since Wikipedia is an encyclopaedia and not just a collection of great pictures the former does not take precedence. I'm not trying to be negative and I think both images are very well taken shots, I am only unsure as to whether support the original because of the extremely high standard for this type of image that has been set by editors including yourself. Guest9999 (talk) 16:02, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
            • I think if that alternative had been listed in the nomination of the other image it would probably have been chosen instead which is the point here - to let others help choose which image should be the one to illustrate the article. And if you think that's the original then that's fine. You're welcome to your opinion on the matter but I would argue that this image is well up to standard for wild birds (note that it is unreasonable to demand the same quality for a wild bird photo as for an easily accessible flower in the same way it is unreasonable to demand that quality from a historical image) --Fir0002 00:47, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • I disagree that FPC is a place to set out article content or decide whether an image should be used in an article; it should be used to evaluate images used in articles against the criteria. An image of a bird is always going to have greater encyclopaedic value than one of that a bird partially obscured by a branch, especially when they are as similar as the images in this nomination. Guest9999 (talk) 03:35, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

No Consensus --Noodle snacks (talk) 05:47, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Shea Smith

[edit]
Original - Air Force Shea Smith about to pass in the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl.
Edit1 by jjron - minor adjustment to shadows/highlights for improved lighting, minor sharpening
Reason
High quality image during an American college football game.
Articles this image appears in
Armed Forces Bowl, American football, History of Air Force Falcons football, Shea Smith
Creator
U.S. Air Force photo/Mike Kaplan
  • Support as nominator --–  LATICS  talk  22:01, 28 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Seldom enough that we get good sports photography under free license. DurovaCharge! 00:47, 29 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Weak opposeI think the composition could be much better, particularly if the player's entire body was shown. It's also detrimental that the background on the right side of the photo was left in since the opposing player is completely blurred anyway. The photo doesn't adequately show the QB's body positioning prior to the pass since the framing only focuses on the upper body. I would likely change my vote if the player's entire body was shown. -- mcshadypl TC 05:44, 29 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Weak Support both, preference to jjron's Edit1 Per Durova, these are probably hard to get. We do have a good picture showing the QB's whole body and footwork, which is good for EV. But arguably, this picture puts the emphasis on his head and arms as he prepares to pass. I also don't mind the background blur, as it is just enough to give context while emphasizing the QB. My main reason to support is that this picture seems likely one of the best we have, and it is hard to get these. I don't think a FP necessarily has to be the absolute best we have, or best possible shot. Fletcher (talk) 17:42, 29 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment. I would support if there was a realistic article on this particular player, but as is I tend to oppose on EV as I don't think it has huge value for any of the articles it's in. So that leaves me pretty neutral overall. --jjron (talk) 15:58, 30 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • OK then, Support (preference for Edit1), good job on the article BTW, even if done on the fly - hopefully the article will remain! FWIW I've added what I think to be a slightly improved edit. --jjron (talk) 13:07, 1 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support - I like "action" shots like this and think they can be just as or even more EV than whole-body shots of the player. Good job. Intothewoods29 (talk) 04:32, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support pref edit 1 I think readers will know what the legs would look like, so the crop is unimportant. I prefer the selective focus; Having everything in focus tends to make it difficult to know what to look at. Noodle snacks (talk) 11:48, 3 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Weak Oppose Both Pretty good photo, but IMO doesn't have enough EV to be featured. Also, the completely-blurred right side is pretty distracting. Makeemlighter (talk) 03:26, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support original, oppose edit 1 because of sharpening artifacts. Diego_pmc Talk 18:11, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted File:Shea Smith-edit1.jpg --Noodle snacks (talk) 05:49, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



The Dakota, 1890

[edit]
Original - The Dakota, one of the earliest New York City Upper West Side landmarks, c. 1890.
Reason
One of the more famous New York City apartment buildings, notable (among other reasons) as the location where John Lennon was killed. One of the earliest surviving landmarks on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, photographed from an angle that would have been impossible a few decades later due to subsequent development.
Articles this image appears in
The Dakota, Upper West Side
Creator
Historic American Buildings Survey

Promoted File:The Dakota 1890b.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 06:13, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Impact Sprinkler Mechanism in Action

[edit]
Original - Impact Sprinkler Mechanism in action
Reason
After this failed nomination I retook the shot with the water flow adjusted to a point just below where the sprinkler would spin, therefore keeping my camera relatively dry and hopefully fixing the aforementioned sprinkler bias issue by providing an image of one in operation.
Articles this image appears in
Impact sprinkler
Creator
Noodle snacks
  • Weak Oppose I am going to go against the flow (groan) on this one. Its is much better with the addition of water compared to the old nom, but I think that this limited degree of water flow, whilst making the subject easier to photograph, fails to demonstrate the sprinkler in operation. I like that this new version also shows water coming out of the opposing nozzle, but none of the water is actually sprinkling, its more like an impact trickler :) Noting that it is in Noodle snack's back yard and that he has a number of lens choices, I think an attempt could/should be made to capture the device in full operation with a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action and the spray in full flow. Mfield (talk) 17:36, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support I have to disagree with Mfield. I feel if it showed the spray in full flow, there would be much less emphasis on the sprinkler itself. This image, IMO, depicts the water, but still manages to be the subject. SpencerT♦C 17:39, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Very nice. (: --Ashleyy osaurus 17:48, 2 January 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ashleyy osaurus (talk • contribs)
  • Oppose. I still think this subject is poorly served by a photograph. It requires at least a slow motion video clip, but ideally an animation, to be featurable. Very good photograph, but inferior EV for a subject whose essence lies in its motion. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 01:57, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment Shouldn't it be sprinkler, not sprinker (title of nom and caption)? TerriG —Preceding unsigned comment added by 149.155.96.6 (talk) 11:59, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Weak Support Very good picture. As for EV, it gets only weak support since we really need to see this in action to understand what an Impact sprinkler is all about. Unlike an animation or video, however, this still shot allows us to examine the mechanism for more than a moment, so I think it's worthy of being featured. Makeemlighter (talk) 04:34, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support per nom. Spikebrennan (talk) 14:41, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose It's a high quality image, and it looks pretty cool. However, as Papa Lima Whiskey pointed out, it does very little to clarify how the object works mechanically. As that is the main goal (and problem) of the accompanying article, I'm opposing because I feel it fails to add any real value to the article it appears in. A slow motion animation would do much more to clearly show how it works. Furthermore, the caption is meager at best. Fransw (talk) 21:38, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Weak Support — Aitias // discussion 03:15, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted File:Impact_Sprinkler_Mechanism_2.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 06:15, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Cohoes Falls

[edit]
Original - Cohoes Falls on the Mohawk River in Cohoes, New York during winter, but after a warm spell, which caused local melting, adding to the typical seasonal flow of the river.
Reason
High quality panorama of Cohoes Falls during winter, showing the old electric plant (currently owned by Brookfield Power) on the left. It shows the flow of meltwater during a warm spell in winter. Complete with a partial rainbow on the right.
Articles this image appears in
Cohoes Falls, Mohawk River, Cohoes, New York, The Great Peacemaker, Downtown Cohoes Historic District
Creator
ωαdεstεr16«talkstalk»



Not promoted . --John254 00:33, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Crested Tit

[edit]
Original - a Lophophanes cristatus (Crested Tit) at sunset
Reason
details, natural light, natural environment
Articles this image appears in
Crested_Tit
Creator
Luc Viatour (talk)
sorry, I have to correct and send a larger version! --Luc Viatour (talk) 16:30, 3 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Not promoted . --John254 00:34, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hot Springs of Pamukkale Turkey

[edit]
Original - Dried up, limestone hot springs at Pamukkale, Turkey, in 2006. These were generated when tectonic activity created several earthquakes, creating openings where water burst through, creating springs. One of them, not specified, contained chalk, creating the milky-white color of these springs. The springs have since turned into hanging limestone. The area is now classified as a World Heritage Site.
Edit 1 - Attempting to fix dark coloration in sky.
Reason
Extremely high detail, amazing EV. This has incredible wow, it's fascinating. This is one of Mila's best, plus it's an FP on Commons as well.
Edit 2 by User:Diliff. Reprocessed from original file that Mbz1 provided and cropped at the bottom. Not as 'punchy' as the original but much more accurate and still quite sharp when viewed at 100%
Original 2 - Less wow, but more EV, showing a nearby resort/house.
Articles this image appears in
Pamukkale
Creator
Mbz1

* Oppose per diliff, the edit has a wierd looking sky. The person in it does give a useful sense of scale in this case. Noodle snacks (talk) 11:45, 3 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I am not sure what this cable is.--Mbz1 (talk) 01:34, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Mila-- welcome back, I hope. Spikebrennan (talk) 15:08, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Edit 2.After Mbz's comments, I've gone back and edited the original unprocessed image to bring out the definition and I think it is infinitely better than what was originally nominated here. I had to improvise on the sky as it was fairly dull and I'm not sure if I overdid it, but it looks fairly natural to me and I probably wouldn't pick up on it if I didn't know it had been adjusted. Also, I didn't crop it to the same proportions as the original nomination as I think it is slightly more informative as-is, but I wouldn't oppose the crop either if that's what people wanted. In fact if I were to crop it similar to the original, I'd probably also crop the bottom to remove the cable and the darker patch on the bottom left. I suggest we keep this open a bit longer to give others the chance to change their vote if they want to do so. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 17:35, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Edit 2--Mbz1 (talk) 19:55, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Edit 2 Looking realistic now Noodle snacks (talk) 01:39, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

More discussion on the alternates please. Wronkiew (talk) 06:08, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted File:Hot springs of Pamukkale edit cropped.JPG --Wronkiew (talk) 01:40, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Soviet Wehrmacht Soldier

[edit]
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-236-1045-15A, Russland, Einheimischer in deutschen Diensten retouched.jpg
Original - A Soviet member of the German Wehrmacht, fighting in the southern Soviet Union in January 1943.
Alternative 1 - higher res.
Reason
This image meets most of the criteria outright. Although "small" (not 1,000px²), the image has a good composition and I did some work to get rid of major scratches. This is one of the better quality images donated by the Bundesarchive to Wikipedia Commons. The image is historic and so I know that a number of images have been passed without meeting the minimum resolution requirements given their historic value. As if to underscore the historic value of the image, this image is fairly popular in published books; this is a well known image to WWII Eastern Front historians. This is amongst Wikipedia's best work relative to the subject it represents; the photograph cannot be retaken, and there are few images available for Wikipedia on Russians who fought for the German Army during the Second World War. It has a free license, adds values to three articles (insofar) and is accurate.
Articles this image appears in
Wehrmacht, Russian Liberation Army, Heer (1935–1945)
Creator
Waidelich; retouched by Catalan
I know, but I was hoping that the historical value of the image would supersede the obvious lack in image quality given the conditions the image was taken in and who the picture was taken by. JonCatalán(Talk) 20:21, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose. The issue with the image quality is not something relating to the conditions the image was taken in. It is a digital reproduction issue. Also, you can't just 'upsample' the image to 1000 pixels to make it through FPC. The alternative image looks fairly awful as a result. The original film/print would have far higher quality than this. Whether it is obtainable, I don't know, but this version will not pass at this res, IMO. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 22:26, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Note. In that case, withdraw the nomination. :) JonCatalán(Talk) 22:28, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Regretful oppose for technical reasons. The type of image I call a heartbreaker during archival searches: encyclopedic, interesting composition, but just too short on technical specs to consider for featured picture candidacy. Keep up the good work and do continue searching, please. Historic FPs are rare finds, even with restoration. About 1 in 1000 has the right stuff. Best wishes, DurovaCharge! 03:33, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Not promoted - Withdrawn by nominator. --jjron (talk) 13:30, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



T-37 Solo Student Pilot

[edit]
Original - An American Student Pilot in a T-37 at Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training ENJJPT, the world's only multi-nation fighter training school.
Revision 1
Reason
High Resolution Image with apropos applications in Wikipedia
Articles this image appears in
T-37 Tweet, Air Education and Training Command, Oxygen mask
Creator
— BQZip01 — talk
  • Support as nominator --— BQZip01 — talk 08:48, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • oppose white look significantly blown out, blacks are not very dark. de Bivort 18:42, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment Can we remove some of the haze, please? Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 02:08, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • Much better now. I'm going to be neutral because the image has quite a lot of noise, but it also exceeds the resolution requirement by some amount. At the same time, downsampling is not an option due to the small but significant text on the edge of the ENJJPT coat of arms. The white paint may well be blown out, but that's somewhat forgivable as it's not the central subject. The whitish halos around the pencil (?) and some other objects bother me a bit more, though. The composition overall is fine, even if the photographer should have been invisible to make it really perfect imho. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 18:39, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose EV is somewhat weak, spread over three articles. Shows little of a T-37; does serve to identify the student pilot but is not very educational about the topic, though admittedly it is a hard one to illustrate; does show an oxygen mask but again, not an extremely informative view. Fletcher (talk) 23:57, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Reluctant oppose per the above comments. Particularly agreeing with Fletcher about the oxygen mask. It's a reasonably good photograph but not ideal for any of its encyclopedic uses. DurovaCharge! 17:04, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Not promoted . --John254 02:50, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Social dance

[edit]
Original - Eighteenth century social dance. Translated caption: A cheerful dance awakens love and feeds hope with lively joy, (Florence, 1790).
Reason
A high resolution illustration of historic social dancing with good demonstration of context: active dance poses, musicians, and nearby figures drinking and socializing. Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1799. ;) Restored version of File:Il Ballo.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
Dance, Social dance
Creator
Giuseppe Piattoli

Promoted File:Il Ballo2.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 05:16, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Caledonia, New York 1892

[edit]
Original - Aerial depiction of the village of Caledonia, New York, c. 1892.
Reason
High resolution historic aerial depiction with legible labels of village landmarks. Restored version of File:Caledonia, New York aerial2.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
Caledonia (village), New York, Livingston County, New York removed from article (for now) - see note below. Guest9999 (talk) 05:19, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Creator
Anonymous (published by Burleigh Litho. Co., Troy, N.Y.).

Promoted File:Caledonia, New York aerial2.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 05:12, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Snells Law Wavefronts

[edit]
Original - Wavefronts from a point source in the context of Snell's law. The region below the gray line has a higher index of refraction, and proportionally lower speed of light, than the region above it.
Reason
This file is not only public domain; it's also open (MATLAB) source. It's at least as elegant and informative as a prior winner: Pi-unrolled-720.gif. It's also made by a Wikipedian with many contributions to the commons.
Articles this image appears in
Snell's law, Index of Refraction
Creator
Oleg Alexandrov

Promoted File:Snells_law_wavefronts.gif --Wronkiew (talk) 05:07, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Mazda6/Mazda Atenza

[edit]
Original - 2003 Mazda6 GG Classic Hatch in metallic Titanium Grey.
Reason
OK, so like with recent noms some people will say 'it's just a car', but I personally think this goes beyond requirements for car photos - please view fullsize. Sharp across the vehicle at 17 megapixels, clean car and photo, good setting, good composition, good use of DOF, good details (you can see individual flecks in the metallic paint!), pleasant reflections on the vehicle, etc, along with full encyclopaedic details of car (model, year, etc). Far higher res than I usually upload - you could print this as a poster - but I'm guessing the only people likely to use this commercially are Mazda, and surely they'd take their own photos :-).
Articles this image appears in
Mazda Atenza
Creator
jjron
  • Support as nominator --jjron (talk) 13:17, 1 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment There are a few dust spots/birds that need cloning: Above and slightly left of the antenna, left and horizontally inline with the rear spoiler, two either side of a line going vertically up near the RHS intersection between A-Pillar and bonnet. There is also a faint stitching? band in the sky just to the left of the front mazda logo with another splodge on its left. You also probably need to tastefully apply a little blur in the foreground to hide the stitching lines due to the change in focus point with each shot. All easily fixable. I'll support after that, my only real criticism is the front of the car being in shade. Noodle snacks (talk) 20:31, 1 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • I agree about the couple of dust blobs, but I don't see a stitching band in the sky. What I do see is a stitching error on the driver's side pillar. Not a significant one, but probably worth fixing. Also, I find the shadow detail on the bonnet a bit dark (more so in the thumbnail than at full res though). Did you shoot RAW and if so, could you perhaps lighten it? None of this is enough for me to oppose, but hey, they're fairly easily fixed so I can ask, can't I? :-) Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 22:22, 1 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
      • Here is a small contrast enhanced version which highlights the band. I can't see the drivers side error, I can only see possible a stitching error on the passenger side A-Pillar but I think it is just the intersection of two trim pieces. Noodle snacks (talk) 07:41, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
        • Ah yeah, I see it, very slight though. Stitching error on the driver's side B pillar is here. Oh, and what are those three blobs sitting on the top of the bonnet just to the left of the clouds? They don't look like dust as they're not quite circular, and it would be a coincidence for three to be sitting in a row on the bonnet like that. They look more like the effect of the clone tool clipping the bonnet, but I could be wrong. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 11:38, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support. More than enough detail, good angle. Very reminiscent of Capital Photographer's baptism of fire nomination, actually. ;-) Good luck, product shots seem to attract a lot more scrutiny than the average FP. I guess being easily shot, they need to be almost perfect. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 22:22, 1 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support per Diliff. Was it taken on sloping ground? DurovaCharge! 18:28, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment Agree with above suggestions on exposure: the hood (bonnet?) seems too dark, and I can just barely make out the metalwork of the lower grille - some of it may be altogether black. Otherwise would be inclined to support. Fletcher (talk) 04:35, 3 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment What's with the focus transitions on the ground? Was the focus adjusted between shots? Thegreenj 06:09, 3 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Good quality, resolution and EV. Is it tilted or shot on a slope? Muhammad(talk) 15:42, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Weak support, but support nonetheless. A pretty image, and certainly valuable as a hi-res image. But I don't like how the car is tilted down the hill. I assume that the steering wheel is on the right-hand side of this car since it is in Australia, but I can't tell from the angle of this shot. Spikebrennan (talk) 14:41, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Replies - sorry, had not been on since nominating this until last night. Thanks for comments (and pedantic observations!). Have uploaded a 'corrected' version over the top of the original (I don't think that's a problem since it was just touching up minor errors). From the top:
    • I don't think the spots identified by NS were that significant but have fixed them regardless - FWIW they weren't dust spots, there were a lot of insects about and the 'spots' were mostly out of focus bugs flitting through the shot, some frames (I took more than just this set) had birds in the bg too as suggested, I fixed some before uploading, but must have missed those ones, so well picked out.
    • Re the stitching band in the sky I honestly can't make that out without cranking the contrast right up (perhaps you have a 'contrastier' monitor or something), and even then it's minor, so in the end I haven't changed that because I can't see it.
      • If you could be bothered (and I doubt you can), you can use an adjustment layer in photoshop to jack the contrast so you can see what you are doing, without effecting the image itself. I believe my monitors are accurate and fairly well calibrated. Noodle snacks (talk) 02:33, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
        • Yeah, I thought of that today actually, but uploading this takes about an hour on my connection, so you're right, I can't really be bothered :-). Your monitors are probably fine, but nonetheless different well adjusted monitors can display a bit differently seemingly. That Diliff couldn't really make it out either indicates that it's pretty minor. Or maybe you've just got sharp eyes. --jjron (talk) 14:14, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • Not sure what you wanted done with the foreground, I didn't find it too significant, but have applied a small feathered Gaussian blur across the bottom to try to make it a more consistent transition. Re Thegreenj, yes focus was adjusted across the shot, otherwise it would be like other car photos where the focus falls off across the image. Shooting from this angle relatively close to an object and then stitching is quite a different matter to a 'normal' stitch where you're usually distant from the object and/or stitching lengthways across the object.
    • Yes, Diliff was right re the stitching error on the B-pillar (dammit, I actually fixed another one just near that so don't know how I missed that one!), I have fixed it up, hopefully to your liking.
    • Re the shadows, yes it was shot in RAW, but I find lightening it up makes the brightly reflecting parts too bright, and I'm not really expert enough in editing RAW to alter just the shadow areas. Lifting them much beyond this in Photoshop tends to bring in too much noise, so this was what I eventually settled on. As Diliff said, I think it 'seems' more of an issue at smaller sizes than it really is.
    • Re the proposed stitching error on the passenger side A-pillar, as suggested that is a join in the interior trim (I saw that before uploading the first time and actually went and rechecked not the just the original photo but the car itself).
    • Re the three blobs on the bonnet to the left of the clouds, I'm not sure what you were referring to - there were three grey blobs/streaks which were there in both the original photos that overlapped in that section of the stitch, I wondered what they were too, but I think it was some grey cloud just poking up behind the bonnet, they did look a bit odd even if natural, so have edited them out.
    • Re the ground, yes it was sloping slightly, I don't think the shot's tilted (the clouds look level). As can be seen this is at the top of a hill. To get the background I wanted without distracting trees etc there was only a pretty limited angle of shot, and using the 100mm I was already back in the bush heading down the other side of the hill. Bringing the car forward onto flatter ground meant I couldn't take it with that lens and thus lost the effect. This limited angle also affected the lighting. I agree I would have preferred the front around a little more into the sunlight, but doing so meant that either I took the car almost front on, rather than the preferred 3/4 front/side angle, or I shifted the camera around and lost the clean background. And this is about as good as I'm going to get it there, this is looking north/north-east and was taken late afternoon within a day or two of the summer solstice, meaning that this as far south as the sun's going to provide the ideal lighting. I would have used some fill flash if I had the gear, but atm can't shoot flash off-body.
    • Re Spike - yes right hand drive. In fact you can see both the instrument panel 'hump' in front of the driver (even at image page size) and the steering wheel itself, and I think you can tell which side they're on (but then again I know where they are).
Thanks again for everyone's time. --jjron (talk) 12:07, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted File:2003 Mazda6 GG Classic Hatch, McMillans Lookout, Vic, 21.12.2008.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 05:07, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Singel, Amsterdam

[edit]
Original - A view of a part of the canal the Singel in Amsterdam, Netherlands, which nowadays comprises the flower market on one side of it. At the end of the canal you can see the Muntplein with the Munttoren.
Reason
A restored image of a famous part of Amsterdam, which can't be rephotographed. Except for the Munttoren and some merchant's houses in the background all buildings have been broken down in the last century and replaced.
Articles this image appears in
Amsterdam, Singel and Munttoren
Creator
Massimo Catarinella
I did as you requested me to. --Massimo Catarinella (talk) 20:19, 1 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Support Thank you very much. Fine restoration. :) DurovaCharge! 01:18, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I can, but it is part of the EV... --Massimo Catarinella (talk) 14:50, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I know other FP's have kept it for enc, as well... I can't find it right now, but I remember it was a synagogue. SpencerT♦C 22:53, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Here: Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates/Synagogue at Nuremberg. SpencerT♦C 22:54, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted File:AmstelAmsterdamNederland.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 04:57, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Gothic plate armour

[edit]
Original - A knight in Gothic plate armour, from a German book illustration published 1483.
Reason
A period illustration of a knight in Gothic plate armour. From a hand tinted woodcut, late fifteenth century. Restored version of File:Gothic armor.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
Knight, Gothic plate armour, Gorget
Creator
Anton Sorg

Promoted File:Gothic armor 2.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 04:54, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Jamison Valley, Blue Mountains

[edit]
Original - The characteristic blue haze, as seen in the Jamison Valley in the Blue Mountains
Reason
High resolution and encyclopaedic view along the Jamison Valley on a sunny day, showing the exposed cliffs and the dense bushland common to the Blue Mountains in Australia.
Articles this image appears in
Blue Mountains (Australia) and New South Wales
Creator
User:Diliff

Promoted File:Jamison Valley, Blue Mountains, Australia - Nov 2008.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 04:52, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Scandinavia in winter

[edit]
Original - With a landscape largely shaped by glaciers over the last ice age, the Scandinavian Peninsula is as picturesque in the winter as it is cold. Along the left side of the peninsula, one can see the fjords lining Norway's coast. These fjords were carved out by extremely heavy, thick glaciers that formed during the last ice age. Glaciers also carved the mountains in Norway and northernmost Sweden. South of this mountainous region, however, Sweden consists mostly of flat, heavily forested land dotted with lakes. Lake Vänern and Lake Vättern, the largest of Sweden’s lakes, do not freeze completely during the winter months and can be seen clearly at the bottom of the peninsula. To the northeast of the peninsula lies Finland with more than 55,000 lakes, most of which were also created by glacial deposits.
Reason
High resolution, high quality NASA satellite photo
Articles this image appears in
Ice age, Scandinavia, Scandinavian Peninsula, Climate of the Nordic countries, Östersund
Creator
NASA
Though edited for space, clarity, and excessive detail. SpencerT♦C 01:04, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Well, unless they are perfectly parallel waves, they are probably due to image stitching. vlad§inger tlk 00:54, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I considered that already, but they do seem to be (near)perfectly parallel. They are indeed, as Vladsinger states, not very noticable at normal size viewing, but they do become clearly noticable on fullsize view. Fransw (talk) 22:29, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted File:Scandinavia.TMO2003050.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 04:52, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



American Empire

[edit]
Original - The cover of Puck from April 6, 1901. Caricaturizes an Easter bonnet made out of a warship that alludes to the gains of the Spanish-American War.
Reason
A high resolution historic caricature with encyclopedic value in several articles. Restored version of File:Puck cover2.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
Spanish-American_War#Aftermath, American Empire, Puck (magazine)
Creator
Ehrhart, S. D. (Samuel D.), ca. 1862-ca. 1920, artist. (from Dalrymple, Louis, 1866-1905, artist.)

Promoted File:Puck cover2.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 04:43, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Black Soldier flies Mating

[edit]
Original - Black soldier flies, Hermetia illucens mating. The soldier fly has no functioning mouth parts and instead spends its adult lives in search of mates and reproducing
Reason
Good quality, high resolution with encyclopedic value, contributing to an article which previously had no images showing this stage of the insect's life.
Articles this image appears in
Hermetia illucens
Creator
Muhammad

Promoted File:Black soldier flies mating.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 06:25, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Cannon with gabions

[edit]
Original - Cannon with gabions, from a late sixteenth century illustration.
Reason
When illustrating historical concepts it's informative to have illustrations from that period. This comes from an engineering treatise published in 1588. Restored version of File:Sixteenth Century Cannon.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
Cannon, Siege#Age_of_gunpowder, Gabion
Creator
Agostino Ramelli

Promoted Image:Sixteenth Century Cannon2.jpg --Muhammad(talk) 06:11, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Pin tumbler locks

[edit]
Without a key in the lock, the driver pins (blue) are pushed downwards, preventing the plug (yellow) from rotating.
When an incorrect key is inserted into the lock, the key pins (red) and driver pins (blue) do not align with the shear line; therefore, it does not allow the plug (yellow) to rotate.
When the correct key is inserted, the gaps between the key pins (red) and driver pins (blue) align with the edge of the plug (yellow).
With the gaps between the pins aligned with the shear line, the plug (yellow) can rotate freely.
Reason
I feel that this image shows how pin tumbler locks in a very easy-to-understand way. I am proposing these images as a {{FeaturedPictureSet}}.
Articles this image appears in
Pin tumbler lock
Creator
--Pbroks13talk?

Promoted File:Pin tumbler with key.svg --Wronkiew (talk) 06:32, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

File:Pin tumbler bad key.svg
File:Pin tumbler with key.svg
File:Pin tumbler unlocked.svg
Were promoted as well. seresin ( ¡? )  09:58, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Golden Stag Beetle

[edit]
Original - A Golden Stag Beetle, Lamprima aurata on a grape leaf
Reason
Sharp, well lit, good EV - all the attributes of an FP
Articles this image appears in
Stag beetle
Creator
Fir0002

Promoted File:Golden stag beetle.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 06:32, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



George Washington Carver

[edit]
Original - Botanist George Washington Carver, March 1942.
Reason
Probably the most distinguished African-American scientist of the first half of the twentieth century. Insightful portrait from the end of George Washington Carver's life by Arthur Rothstein. The eyes speak volumes. Restored version of File:George Washington Carver unrestored.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
George Washington Carver
Creator
Arthur Rothstein
  • Support as nominator --DurovaCharge! 19:41, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Good EV and flowers add to the composition. Muhammad(talk) 20:50, 4 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment Noisy at high res, particularly in the face. The suit, by comparison is (sadly?) captured exceptionally well. There are also several spots on the subject's face (especially one on the LHS, on the side of his head) whose providence is doubtful. They could be skin blemishes, but could easily be spots on the photograph as well. Shadows are lacking in contrast in spite of not being lifted much against the original. Also, I'm not a fan of this notion that glowing or otherwise remarkable eyes help in winning academic accolades, but that's irrelevant to the assessment of the picture. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 16:47, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support His skin pores are fairly visible - typical of a man as old as he is - but I don't see overt "noise" beyond that necessary within a photograph of this era. George Washington Carver is, of course, highly important and encyclopedic - his research revolutionised agriculture, and pretty much directly led to all the peanut products that we now eat - in addition to all his other discoveries. A true genius, and a highly notable person. Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 17:42, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support This is as much a question of how to view photos optimally on this page as a comment on the photo.First try as I might I can’t adjust my monitor and video card so that I can see 3 black blobs as apparently I should (though I remember I could do this on my old computer).Despite this I have spent the day fiddling with photos and the print out mostly as they look on the screen.This photo looks poor on my monitor with no shadow detail.Downloaded at full res and viewed in paint shop pro it immediately looks better without doing anything.The histogram shows there is a good range of tones.Take the gamma up to 1.15 and it probably looks as the photographer intended. The pin stripes in the jacket are just visible but the skin tones are still dramatic. Take the gamma any higher and it gets blander.How your monitor is set up obviously makes a big difference to this picture. Viewed as it should be it is a fine photo. I can see no grain at all. I agree the face is slightly pock marked but this adds character.So firstly I would vote for this as a featured picture my only doubt being a lot of people won’t be able to see it properly and secondly I would like to ask what I can do about my monitor (short of buying a more expensive one.)Dave59 (talk) 22:52, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

91.105.11.98 (talk) 22:23, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted File:George Washington Carver2.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 06:33, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Richard Stallman

[edit]
RMS
Reason
It's a valued image Wikimedia Commons
Articles this image appears in
Creator
ComputerHotline
  • oppose good detail, resolution, but flash is unappealing and it is overall too snapshotty.

Not promoted --Muhammad(talk) 06:58, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



White-faced Heron, alternative

[edit]
Original - White-faced Heron foraging.
Reason
jjron suggested that this might be a worthy competitor to the currently nominated Egretta novaehollandiae Tasmania 3.jpg, and I have to agree.
Articles this image appears in
White-faced Heron
Creator
Glen Fergus

Not promoted --Muhammad(talk) 15:28, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Beck's Mill

[edit]
Original - Beck's Mill before restoration
Reason
Depicts an 19th century grain mill that has seen better days and has been neglected.
Articles this image appears in
Beck's Mill, also used in two featured portal
Creator
Bedford
Wow, they restored that thing to death. Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 21:30, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Yep, they did one heck of a good charge. Still, I can't believe they charge $5 to go into it. I'm glad I was able to get Before, During, and After photos nicely showing the changes.--King Bedford I Seek his grace 21:50, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Not promoted --Muhammad(talk) 15:34, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Nixon's Resignation Letter

[edit]
Original - Richard Nixon's letter of resignation.
Alternative 1 - higher res.
Reason
In the aftermath of the Watergate Scandal President Richard M. Nixon lost the faith of the citizens of the United States, and after fighting a long and ultimately unsuccessful campaign to convince the public that he was not associated with the scandal Nixon yeilded to public demand and resigned the presidency, becoming the only serving U.S. President to do so. As such, this is the first (and to date only) letter ever submitted concerning the resignation of a president, a rare and historical find that I feel deserves an FP star.
Articles this image appears in
United States Secretary of State, Watergate scandal, Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Richard Nixon
Creator
Richard Nixon / United States Government
Featured text pictures
c. 1600 B.C. 1787 1823 1898 1945 1945

Four featured text image are manuscripts while two images such as the German instrument of surrender and J'accuse are pressed by machines. The dates of them are also older than the 1974 image.--Caspian blue 23:17, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Half and half, Caspian. The Japanese document was written on a different sort of typewriter. And mere age doesn't make a historic image more or less important. This is the only United States president in history to resign from office. DurovaCharge! 06:10, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Well, I carefully checked the Japanese document, but I do not believe it was a production from a typewriter. Age is also an important factor to judge its value in historical and art pieces. Moreover I don't think the degree of the impact that the surrenders of Germany and Japan caused to the word is as same as the resignation letter of a president in a country.(of course, the country has been boasting her strong power after 20th century)--Caspian blue 18:57, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, it was a script typewriter. Here's a sample of how they produce.[10] Slightly different typeface on that model, but should convey the idea. Every instance of each letter is exactly the same; the indentations and lines are mechanically even. During the mid-twentieth century there were typewriters that didn't use courier typeface. DurovaCharge! 20:40, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
The possibility of bias towards American topics is a valid concern, but the solution would be to expand our coverage of non-American topics, not to cripple our coverage of American ones. And I think you would be hard-pressed to argue the only resignation of a US president in over two hundred years was not a significant event in American history. Fletcher (talk) 00:14, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Fletcher, if you've checked, the majority of our non-US text FPs are images I nominated. I'd certainly be glad to nominate other major historic resignations if they become available in high quality free licensed form. DurovaCharge! 02:18, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, and there are plenty of heads of other states that have resigned in writing - some of whom will also have been the only one in their country to ever do so. Just to put some perspective back in. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 11:11, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose - Per above - Alvesgaspar (talk) 21:00, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support - An iconic letter with huge EV value. Skinny87 (talk) 21:08, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose, too small for my liking (800px...), nominate for replacement and Support Alternative 1 - simply higher resolution, not sure why the original was the smaller version anyway. Obtained from the US Archives site. Caption needs to be enhanced, but undoubtedly an historic image. Even then a weak support, because it's only relevant next to a photo of him signing it - although the signed letter itself is more encyclopaedic than just the text of the letter. —Vanderdecken∴ ∫ξφ 21:20, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Strong Support This seems very encyclopedic. As for the concerns about it being just text, I would say that Nixon's handwritten signature, Kissinger's notation and initials, and the White House letterhead are graphical elements that give it historical impact it wouldn't have if it were just a plain transcription of the letter. However, the caption does need improvement: I was a little confused why it was addressed to Kissinger, which is only explained if you follow the link to the National Archives (or if you have, you know, independent knowledge). Apparently, Nixon's presidency officially ended when Kissinger penned the "HK" on that note. Fletcher (talk) 23:34, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Strong Support Lots of EV here. Makeemlighter (talk) 04:47, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Vast amounts of EV and a very good quality scan mean that this meets the FP criteria. Nick-D (talk) 07:30, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support What next? The Dead Sea Scrolls are "just text"? Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 13:04, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Your comment seems like pointing at me. Don't exaggerate your feeling to mock people in disagreement with you. If I did not highly think of such old and valuable "manuscript" in history, I would not even send my time searching and organizing the images in the table above.--Caspian blue 18:57, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment I challenge the people who claim "vast amounts" or "lots" of EV to show me EV in this picture that can't be represented by text, and goes beyond the two signatures. For instance, can we crop it to the two signatures and it retains its EV? What Fletcher has pointed out can be told in two sentences, which doesn't really impress me against the saying that "a picture's worth a thousand words". I don't think this meets the definition of a picture. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 16:08, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • Comment A picture may be worth a thousand words, but I don't think every picture requires a thousand words' description -- sometimes a picture is effective precisely in its simplicity. This picture is effective in showing an official process (Nixon's resignation) commonly described in words, but not seen. The brevity of the letter allows it to be seen, rather than just read. Indeed had Nixon rambled on for five pages rationalizing his actions, it would be far less effective as a picture (or set of pictures), being so dominated by text, and would probably not be very interesting. It's the stark banality of the letter, juxtaposed with the effect it had, that makes it an historically significant picture.Fletcher (talk) 14:24, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
      • The question we are asking is not whether Nixon should have rambled on. The question is whether this is a featurable "picture", and nothing so far has convinced me of that. And I doubt your stark banality comment can be referenced, so it will have no utility anywhere else on Wikipedia. The huge difference between this and the other FPs listed above is, of course, that no article could be written about the subject of the here nominated picture, whereas all the others have one. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 16:44, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
        • It may be a matter of how one regards at these things, PLW. When some editors see restorations of historic engineering designs they ask for vector diagrams and consider it a waste of time that I put so much effort into paper grain. My formal training is in history rather than engineering, so my goal is to bring the reader back in time and let them imagine--even for a moment--that they're a patent agent in a world lit by candles registering the very first light bulb design. I'm one of the youngest people who remembers Watergate, remembers the 'I am not a crook' speech, remembers the discovery of a missing 18 minutes on the presidential tapes. It was as if the political world was crashing down, and no one knew how it would end. Suppose for a moment it's 1974 and you're a reporter for the Washington Post, or Speaker of the House, or Gerald Ford himself: the surprise and relief and the wonder that the resignation actually happened, followed by thoughts of What next? When an encyclopedia reader can see such an important document for themselves it's easier to imagine it in one's own hand; it makes that history so much more vivid. Maybe you don't view the information that way, but to those of us who do that's enormously valuable. DurovaCharge! 17:21, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
        • I've given my opinion and you are free to disagree with it, although I don't understand the basis for your disagreement. I do not need to source my opinions given outside of article space, so I find that objection somewhat odd. I also note that the Criteria do not require a Featured Picture to have a standalone article dedicated to the particular subject. Although many FPs do have such an article, some do not, such as File:Cicatrices de flagellation sur un esclave.jpg, a picture of a whipped slave used in historical articles, for which there is no article for that particular person; for our purposes, the "subject" can be interpreted to be the topic of the article in which the image is used, just as, in this case, we do not need an article about the actual letter. Rather, the image should add value to the articles in which it's used, and as explained, it is illustrative of an historical event (regarding Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon; and also in United States Secretary of State by visually depicting an abstract process described in the text. I see less EV for the Twenty-fifth Amendment). Fletcher (talk) 00:09, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
          • Then let me be more clear. There is absolutely no precedent for this nomination being approved, as the other scripts that are featured all have their own article. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 11:01, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
            • Do be more clear then. Bring forth diffs of any conversation before this one where the supposed imperative of a separate article for text FPs was discussed. DurovaCharge! 15:25, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
              • Not quite. The absence of an article demonstrates that this document does not have the necessary notability to have an article of its own (if you want to prove me wrong, write one, and reference it well with reliable sources), in addition to not really being a picture in the first place. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 23:43, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
                • I think you've got completely the wrong idea about EV here PLW. An FP doesn't have to have an entire article based around it, it merely needs to contribute to an article and I think this document probably contributes significantly to many of the articles. You might disagree about documents vs photos etc, but it certainly seems like consensus is against you on this one, judging by the supports. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 15:28, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
                  • Please stick to criticising my actual statements rather than putting words in my mouth. I defeated the notion that any of the above-listed documents constitute any sort of precedent for this nomination. It's not featurable, because it's not a picture. It's a jpeg copy of what in the modern day would be a Word document. The assumption that in the case of the other documents, an exception was made due to their extreme importance and notability is highly warranted, and equally the assumption that such an exception should not be made for this document because it's notability has not been demonstrated to the same extent (and btw, the word document comment does not apply to all the above, since some of them include handwriting that may in itself be interesting, or thoughtful laying out (I don't like "layouting")). I do not believe this belongs in the image category at all. If you've read along carefully, you'll have noticed that I'm not opposed in principle to a "Featured Documents" or some such category of featured content, but it will take several more days (being optimistic) until such a process is going to be running. Let me remind you that the huge difference between the two categories is that the majority of pictures proper can be understood by the illiterate (e.g. disabled people, children, and huge but decreasing portions of the developing world), while documents will be entirely unintelligible to those groups. And btw, just because you can read does not entitle you to belittle those groups. Try and remind yourselves why you're contributing to this project. Hopefully, it's not for self-aggrandisement, or if it is, please do a convincing job of hiding it. I'm absolutely genuine, honest, firm, and serious in that request. Thank you. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 19:08, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
                    • Since you asked me to stop putting words in your mouth without actually providing any examples of exactly where I did so, I find it hard to respond to your request. By the sounds of things though, you're just playing semantics here. You absolutely did say "There is absolutely no precedent for this nomination being approved, as the other scripts that are featured all have their own article" and "The absence of an article demonstrates that this document does not have the necessary notability to have an article of its own". Any reasonable person would paraphrase that to mean that you believe that it should have an article based around it for it to be notable enough to be a FP. If this interpretation is wrong, then I think you are being particularly obscure in your argument. If it is right, then where exactly have I put words in your mouth? Anyway, back to the rest of your reply. You say it isn't a picture. Well I had a look at the dictionary and it has two particularly relevent definitions: "visual representation of a person, object, or scene, as a painting, drawing, photograph, etc" and "any visible image, however produced". I suspect that based on that definition, it clearly is a picture. Besides, this is a scan of a physical document with an actual inked signature on it. Word document texts are by definition encoded with alpha-numeric characters, not pixels. Your analogy is therefore incorrect. I think you're just making yourself look ridiculous again by insinuating that because I don't see the problem with this document being featured, that I want to belittle the illiterate and aggrandise myself! Please get off your high horse, and I'm absolutely genuine, honest, firm, and serious in that request too. :-) Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 21:35, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
                      • It seems to me that you are wilfully ignoring the particular combination of things at work here. It is not a picture and in addition, does not seem to have any exceptional notability that would permit us to make an exception, as evidenced by the fact that no article has been written about the piece of paper here depicted, in stark contrast to the existing FPs that might be seen to fall into a similar category. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 23:16, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
                        • To be honest, I think you're wilfully ignoring the indisputable fact that it is a picture, among other things. I find it impossible to have a discussion with someone who simply isn't on the same plane of reality as the rest of us. I give up. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 23:44, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
                          • With all due respect to inclusionism, scanning in a piece of printed text and uploading it as a jpeg does not make it a picture. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 23:52, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
                            • It's been explained above what's wrong with this point of view. Granted, you can be entertaining when you improvise new rationalizations (yes, we must oppose the image for the sake of illiterate children in Uganda!) but now you're becoming a broken record. Fletcher (talk) 00:57, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
                              • PLW, you posted a challenge in boldface and italics for people to explain what EV exists here that cannot be replicated within the article body. Several people have. You have not acknowledged merit to any of these positions--even within the scope of 'we'll agree to disagree'. You posted this request, so please articulate what sort of response you would respect. DurovaCharge! 03:04, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
                                • I'm afraid your request is self-contradicting. I don't ask questions that I already know the answer to. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 17:17, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
                                  • Actually it's fairly often when editors engage in open discussion that they initiate a question with some sort of idea of the lines along which reasonable responses may lie. They might not always be persuaded by those responses, but the terms in which you phrased this--first a 'challenge', then later an assertion that you 'defeated' a notion, suggests a competitive orientation rather than normal editorial dialog. DurovaCharge! 01:51, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
                                  • (edit conflict) I've been asking for EV other than the thinly-baked, "well, it's a president resigning and it has his signature under it". It hasn't convinced me and will not, no matter how many times you repeat it. If you have anything new and interesting that directly relates to the piece of paper here depicted, please bring it forward, but again, of course you can say anything you like in FPC but if you can't reference it in an article, it has no bearing on the encyclopaedic value. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 01:57, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support - no ambiguity in my mind. de Bivort 17:03, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Although this may be a picture of ink and paper, it is the event solidified. All of these documents are what allows the world to function; this one is no different. Granted, typed letters and signatures alone are not impressive or important, but that is just a small aspect of the whole concept represented by this document. To those who oppose, consider all consequences that this one paper embodies. It is far more than letter; it is the physical manifestation of the ideas behind the events and thinking of that time. That’s what a good picture does; it communicates ideas to the viewer. This is why I hope those who oppose might change their mind. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.12.165.120 (talk) 07:42, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, IP users do not have suffrage at FPC. If you wish to vote in any WP process, including FPC, FAC, XfD and so on, please create an account. —Vanderdecken∴ ∫ξφ 09:36, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support. High quality historical document. It's a very simple sheet of paper, but I think the starkness and what it represents is what makes it powerful and interesting. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 15:30, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose important document but I don't think it adds enough value to the articles it's present in. I can't see how anyone's understanding of the topics would be reduced if it were removed. None of the articles describe the appearance or content of the letter itself and only one actually appears to mention it at all. Guest9999 (talk) 19:20, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Lengthy discussion of whether picture obsoletes text or text obsoletes picture
Do the articles have to describe the letter though? Being visual content, I'd like to think it removes the need to describe the letter since the image describes itself! It isn't an absolutely necessary image for the articles, but it does add another dimension to the resignation IMO. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 21:18, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • The reverse argument applies. Since it is text, no digital reproduction in jpeg format of it is needed to illustrate it. If the text were notable, it would be reproduced in an article without the need for a picture. In the vast majority of legal texts, for instance, we don't reproduce them in text format, not by taking a picture of a book that carries the text. Nobody has explained to me why this text is any different. To be specific, how does it address criterion 5? How does the facsimile specifically add value that pure text could not give, i.e. how does it add value? Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 23:23, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • A little thought experiment: go to your bank and ask to withdraw the balance of your account. When the teller asks for identification, provide an unsigned text document you composed in Microsoft Word containing all the same information as appears on your driver's license (or whatever you use for ID). See if that flies and get back to us. Fletcher (talk) 01:14, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
      • So you agree that the signatures are the only significant feature in this facsimile? Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 14:06, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
        • Pot. Kettle. Black. You're putting words in his mouth... I think you'd find he's suggesting the entire document as a whole is the significant feature, though. All aspects (text, signatures, paper texture, letterhead, etc) are relevant to the document being an official resignation of the President. If any of these were missing, the credibility of the letter would probably be diminished. Likewise the alphanumeric information on a driver's license doesn't make it a valid form of ID - the physical card and all of the aspects of it (counterfeiting protection, photo, signature, etc) do. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 14:35, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
          • Dear Diliff, I fail to see how asking a question is putting words in someone's mouth. That's all I have to say in reply. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 15:19, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
            • As usual, you harp over one fairly insignificant part of a conversation and conveniently pretend that the rest of it doesn't exist. As Durova mentioned, you regularly fail to respond to or acknowledge any of the arguments' merit. It really isn't worth the trouble of responding to you if that is the game you want to play. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 20:01, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
              • If the arguments are so meritorious, why are you finding it so hard to lay them out for me? Referring to "the arguments" is hardly convincing if you don't even seem to know what they are. Your drivers' license comparison was hardly relevant, since this document has none of the features you refer to (photo? counterfeiting protection?). Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 01:39, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
                • I have no difficulty at all in 'laying them out for you' and I have done so on a number of occasions above. As I said there, I gave up because you refused to acknowledge them or respond to the points raised. I'm not going to bother to restate them to you as you will no doubt ignore or dismiss them again. My responses in this part of the thread were no longer to discuss this article with you, they were just to try to explain how pig-headed you've been! ;-P Even that seems to be a waste of time as you've just feigned ignorance of your own actions, so I hereby give up even replying to you again on this nomination. You've had your say and so have I. Let the community decide... Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 10:44, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
        • (Edit conflict) Not at all. The document has to be viewed as a whole; its significance comes from the fact that it's the official document that ended Nixon's presidency. To render it as text would make it something less. And your idea of cropping it to just the two signatures was obviously ludicrous. Fletcher (talk) 14:38, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
          • It was a devil's advocate thought experiment. I'm still left with the impression that the supposed notability of this document stems from patriotic feelings towards the US, not from an objective consideration of its overall importance, or ability to communicate meaning (there is a reason why we have Template:Globalize/USA). I enjoyed your brief expose of US history and what it means to you personally, but I still don't believe this document communicates any of that. It's just a piece of bureaucracy that had to be completed so things could continue to go their usual way. Bureaucracy btw does not yet have an image at all. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 15:19, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted File:Letter of Resignation of Richard M. Nixon, 1974.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 06:56, 14 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Crazy old Mariners and the Engravers that love to illustrate Dante

[edit]
Original - Original - Charon, from Dante's Divine Comedy, as depicted by Gustave Doré.
Reason
Gustave Doré was a major engraver - usually considered amongst the masters of the craft - and this particular engraving is dramatic and very nicely composed. Even at this tiny 250px size, it's dramatic and interesting, at full size, it is spectacular.
Articles this image appears in
Charon (mythology), Gustave Doré.
Creator
Gustave Doré
  • Support The detail on the cliffs and water is nice, but it's rally incredible how anatomically detailed Charon is. Featured sets generally need to be complete. Theoretically, if there are a finite number of images, they all belong. But with 75 images (some may not be as good as this), I don't think that's possible. Besides, each image is worthy in it's own right. (Sets were made when one image was marginal, but the set was overwhelming. The tumbler locks are such a case - one image alone might not be approved.) So maybe keep a list of other Dore´ images on hand in a template, and perhaps group them on a subpage. But I don't think a list is called for. --HereToHelp (talk to me) 00:34, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
But on what page? Generally, it's preferred that such galleries are on Commons instead. One possibility might be to do a page on the art itself, as with the William Hogarth subpages, but we'd need some good sources. Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 11:58, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Featured sets are a demotion; a crutch used for images that aren't good enough on their own. What we've seen has been excellent; this image is worthy in its own right. By "not possible," I was expressing doubt that all 75 images could be restored to the technical quality of this one, and have intrinsic artistic value as to match this one. (Even a master has his share of works that just didn't come out as good as the others.) That said, you're welcome to prove me wrong.--HereToHelp (talk to me) 20:25, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
All are pretty good, but some have decidedly more "Wow" than others, and there's also some other problems, e.g. Do we want to feature two pictures of Francesca di Rimini in the storm of souls, or is one enough? What about the three images devoted to Ugolino's story of being trapped in a cell with his family without food or water, and eventually being driven to cannibalism after begged to mercy-kill them, and left alone? (We could, actually - all three are very high-quality, but they're also a very understated and subtle tryptich, relying on the changes between the images to provide a sympathetic picture of the poor fellow, not gory scenes from a cannibal feast. Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 22:12, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Those three could make a good set, especially if all three were good but not quite excellent.--HereToHelp (talk to me) 03:00, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Anyway, moving on, any more comments on this image? Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 01:04, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, and he looks mean (albeit in an anatomically correct way...) Elucidate (light up) 10:41, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Neutral for now. I'm pretty sure I supported this when it was up before, but I'm having a little trouble doing so now. The EV in Charon (mythology) is debatable. While this is an excellent illustration of Charon, there are a bunch of others in there too. What makes this one exceptional? Same thing with Gustave Doré. This picture is in a big gallery of his works. Is this engraving particularly important or representative of his work? I certainly think it has EV in both articles, I'm just not sure if it has enough to be featured. It is truly a spectacular work, though, and I'm glad we have so many of his works on here. Makeemlighter (talk) 04:52, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • To put it bluntly, it would be hard to say one particular work of Doré is particularly important: Doré was best known for producing sets of illustrations for books. He was quite lavish about it: in some works, like the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, there's more pages devoted to engraving than to text. So, you know... I figured the best thing to do is to try and choose the best 5% of the 300 or so engravings of his I have. =) Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 05:21, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • The Bible has about 200 (I think some editions have a few additional engravings that mine lacks, but it's still at least 90% complete), Inferno jas 75. Doré tended to do large-scale, lavishly illustrated book illustration sets instead of individual pieces. They weren't exactly cheap - well, okay: I got a shockingly good deal on Inferno: $20, American. But the Bible was much, much more than that - but I put back some money each month towards such Wikipedia projects. Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 18:49, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted Image:Gustave Doré - Dante Alighieri - Inferno - Plate 9 (Canto III - Charon).jpg --Noodle snacks (talk) 10:47, 14 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Construction at Mount Rushmore

[edit]
Original - Construction on the George Washington portrait at Mount Rushmore, c. 1932.
Reason
A high resolution historic photograph of George Washington's portrait in the making during the construction of Mount Rushmore. Restored version of File:Mount Rushmore unrestored.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
Construction of Mount Rushmore, George Washington, George Washington's legacy
Creator
Rise Studio, Rapid City, S. Dak.

Promoted Image:Mount Rushmore2.jpg --Noodle snacks (talk) 10:43, 14 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



2009 Anti Israel Protest

[edit]
Original - Tanzanian Muslims in Dar es Salaam protesting the 2008-2009 Gaza bombardment by Israel. Similar protests were held worldwide with majority condemning Israel and a few in support.
Original 2 Alternative 1
Reason
Nominating these two images as a set with the recent preference for a single image, now nominating as alternatives, since one shows the wide view and the vast number of people and the other focus on the slogan. The images are of good quality and good EV, and much better than the images which appeared in the local newspapers.
Articles this image appears in
International reaction to the 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza conflict, 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza conflict
Creator
Muhammad
    • I've thought about this one long and hard before coming to a vote and i think encouraging people to go out and document important events in the world far outweighs any minor issues with the image. If we want to have strong pertinant imagery then we need to highlight good examples that we have, wikipedia will only be improved by people going out to cover this kind of event. Mfield (talk) 10:40, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • The shutter was quite fast, I don't know what could have caused it Muhammad(talk) 11:50, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose For one I don't support the concept of a set of featured photos; I think one should pick the best, most illustrative picture to nominate. It's easy and common to have many shots of the same subject from different angles or focal lengths; unless they only make sense as a group, I don't think more than one needs to be nominated. The recent nom of the pin tumbler locks diagram is an example of where it makes good sense to nominate a set. As for EV, I think either one has has some, but not a lot, given that Wikipedia Wikipedia is not a news site. It does illustrate the "International Reaction..." article, but those kinds of articles are a little "newsy" for my taste anyway, and sometimes they get merged into the main article after a couple years. Fletcher (talk) 23:23, 5 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • In regards to Fletcher, not just sometimes, often. There is usually a big "stink" over the article, with a large frenzy of edits for say, a week, and then the article disappears. I doubt the eventual EV of this picture, as it could [IMO] easily lose it in say, a month. As a result, right now I'll abstain. However, if this leads to a real war (look up definition), then I will gladly support. ₪Ceran →(cheer→chime →carol) 02:00, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • I would not like the situation in the middle east any more than it is, but I looked up war as you suggested. Answers.com "A state of open, armed, often prolonged conflict carried on between nations, states, or parties." Wordweb Princeton University PC Dictionary," The waging of armed conflict against an enemy." Surely the situation falls into these definitions, doesn't it? Muhammad(talk) 11:46, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Either. Eventually the content in those article might get integrated into Gaza–Israel conflict (which links back to articles in 2004 or so) but the image would still have EV there and the image does ultimately record a historical event. It could always be thrown into Protest or something generic too. Noodle snacks (talk) 08:35, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support original a more focused composition. DurovaCharge! 02:17, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support original as per noodle and durova. --Russavia Dialogue 06:32, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support original. Good shot and I agree that if the article merges, it will still have sufficient EV. And besides, if it doesn't, we can always consider delisting. There isn't any point looking too far into the future with FPs. It is only the present that matters. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 13:54, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support original. Both are well-composed and encyclopedic, and I would support Alt 1 also except for the focus. Spikebrennan (talk) 15:03, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support original Good composition and, of course, encyclopaedic value. A moment of historic significance. Elucidate (light up) 18:09, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Strong Oppose per Fletcher. News photo? Yes. FP? No. Yes, I believe we should wait until the end of the war. I'm they'll many more interesting images.--Mbz1 (talk) 16:20, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • Thank you for acknowledging that this is an interesting image. Different images show different perspectives, and can be featured differently. After the war, we may get a picture of the guys signing a treaty and we may be able to feature that as well, even though that will be a news picture, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't feature this one. That's like saying, Hey you know, last year's movies were good but I think this year we'll get better ones, so we should't award the Oscars this year and wait for next year :) Muhammad(talk) 16:52, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose for the same reasons, I don't think their very good, in the original, half the field is out of focus, and the alternative is awkwardly small and is crowded with identical signs. It just doesn't see that great to me. Pstanton 07:47, 10 January 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pstanton (talk • contribs)
  • Support original Good composition, and capturing a historical moment happening around us in the world today. A302b (talk) 09:53, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose, strongly. The picture is a good solid picture, not sure it's FP quality in itself but that's not my main problem. It's a picture from Tanzania, not exactly the forefront of protests against the conflict. If this was an image from Instanbul or London or one of the major protests I wouldn't be so much against this. It's also a little bit of presentism because we need to step back and wait to know which of the protests are deemed important at least a week or two after this to see which picture should be featured. The image shows one sign and isn't particularly evocative of a protest or show the character of the protest on a broader scale. This and this are what I think of as protest images and maybe we won't have any like that... but I saw the protests in Bordeaux today (didn't bring camera) but there were definitely shots that would capture it better than a narrow shot of one sign clearly shown. I say we wait until this conflict is over and then go through whatever pictures there are and find the best. If this proves to be the best then maybe then I'll go for it. gren グレン 20:48, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • But I think from a number of discussions about this on the FPC talk page, the consensus is that a FP only needs to show an aspect of the subject well. It doesn't have to represent it absolutely. If anything, this image illustrates a culture/beliefs that are under-represented on Wikipedia and on FPC (although single-handedly, Muhammad may be changing this) and as such, that may actually make it a better candidate. London or Istanbul might have a greater prominence in the news, but why are their protesters more important than Tanzanians? It doesn't look like a tiny gathering. You are right though that this is an conflict that is constantly evolving and other images may present themselves, but if there are two great images from different regions, we can just as easily feature both. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 00:23, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
      • Response to Diliff and Muhammad. I changed to neutral based on your arguments. My bias was that the most important protests were 1) the largest (Turkey) or 2) those in the areas involved (Israel / Gaza) or 3) and domestic pressure countries that will place big diplomatic roles in the UNSC, negotiations for cease fire (U.S., EU, maybe Arab league). I probably deserve a CSB award of shame for that because we must represent areas which do create an important and under represented aspect. That being said, I think the picture could show more and I will still choose to wait until this is over to pick an FP. Thanks for your responses and thanks for pictures that are hard to find elsewhere, Muhammad. :) --gren グレン 20:26, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • Tanzania has a large population of Muslims who are vocal, expressing many of their dislikes through peaceful protests. There have been protests against the Publication of the Porphet's caricatures and against the Hizbullah-Israel 2006 War. All these protests were attended by tens of thousands of people, but you will not find much mention of this in the wikipedia articles or in the news, due to the low media exposure. I sent a few of this protests low resolutuion pictures to CNN and BBC and they couldn't wait to show them:-) Apart from illustrating the nature of this and many other such protests, the picture IMO also shows that Africans too are actively involved in the world picture, what a London or Beirut image would be unable to show. I think Dliff mentioned the rest. Thanks. Muhammad(talk) 06:15, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • I just happened to stumble across a gallery on the protests worldwide on my local (Melbourne) newspaper's website and thought I would share it. These image are from professional news agencies in Los Angeles, Mexico City, Dubai, Washington D.C., Montreal, Buenos Aires, Ankara, Damascus, Athens, New York, London and yes, Melbourne. They do a good job of expressing emotion, but I'm not sure how many would actually be FP material. Credit to Muhammad for getting a shot that (by the looks of consensus) is. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 11:07, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • A protest in Tanzania is just as newsworthy as one in London, but that's the problem -- it's more news than encyclopedic. In answer to Diliff, it doesn't show anything about Tanzania's culture, other than their style of hats, and you have to be very careful about inferring people's beliefs from attendance at a protest. Photography is a powerful medium but it has the potential to confuse or mislead as well as enlighten. What I don't like about protests is that they reduce people to a group mentality based around signs and slogans. I'd like to know what that guy in the foreground thinks: ok, so he is protesting Israel, but is he protesting that Israel's response is disproportionate to Hamas's rocket attacks, or is he protesting that Israel responds at all, or is he protesting violence per se and wants peace and reconciliation between Palestinians and Jews, or is he protesting that the Jews have not yet been driven into the sea, or was he just trying to cross the street and got swept up in a huge mass of people? :-) I can see that the news agencies feel obligated to go take pictures any time there is noise and excitement, but as an encyclopedia I think we should be featuring pictures that communicate some clear meaning, not just that some people somewhere protested Israel. Fletcher (talk) 14:37, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • FWIW, the original picture above was used as the cover page for this online magazine. Muhammad(talk) 09:20, 13 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted Image:2009 Anti Israel Protest Tanzania.JPG --Noodle snacks (talk) 10:43, 14 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Burned mobile home neighborhood in Sylmar, California

[edit]
Original - The remains of Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Sylmar, California. 480 of the park's 600 mobile homes were burned in the Sayre Fire in November 2008.
Edit 1 - Fixed tilt[dubious – discuss], sharpen
Reason
The image was taken a few days after the Sayre Fire in November 2008. There were a lot of reports in the local news about the site, as it lost almost all the homes in the park. The area was deemed a crime scene by the LAPD, and the public were not permitted access. This is one of the few free images that exist of the area. Although the image is a bit cluttered, what with all the burned rubble, I believe it is of encyclopedic value and that it meets the FPC criteria, but then I'm no image wiz. <shrug> This is my first PFC, so be kind :)
Articles this image appears in
Sayre Fire, Sylmar, Los Angeles, California
Creator
Michael Mancino

Promoted File:Burned mobile home neighborhood in California edit.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 06:19, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Erythrism in a katydid

[edit]
Original - Katydid with erythrism, a rare mutation believed to help some members of a species to survive on certain flowers.
Reason
Intriguing shot of a rare condition: erythrism in katydids. Good quality; reasonably high resolution. Erythrism in katydids cannot be adequately explained without a picture.
Articles this image appears in
Erythrism, Katydid
Creator
Flickr user ricmcarthur

Not promoted --Wronkiew (talk) 06:17, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Tuskegee airman

[edit]
Original - Portrait of Tuskegee airman Edward M. Thomas by photographer Toni Frissell, March 1945.
Reason
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American pilots in United States military history; they flew with distinction during World War II. Portrait of one of the airmen by notable photographer Toni Frissell, the official photographer of the Women's Army Corps. Restored version of File:Tuskegee airman.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
Tuskegee Airmen, Toni Frissell, Military history of African Americans
Creator
Toni Frissell

Not promoted --Wronkiew (talk) 07:32, 16 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Original Pages of the U.S. Constitution

[edit]
  • Page 1
    Page 1
  • Page 2
    Page 2
  • Page 3
    Page 3
  • Page 4
    Page 4
(First nom and Second nom of the first page, which is currently featured.)
Reason
The first page was linked in relation to Nixon's resignation letter, and I thought, "why just the first page?" Featured sets seem to have come back in to the vogue recently, so I'm giving all four pages a shot at becoming one. They seem as large, clear, and important as the first. The first page would be the "lead image" and (more or less) retain its current status, but with the rest of the document along for the ride.
Proposed caption
The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. It provides the framework for the organization of the United States Government. The document defines the three main branches of the government: The legislative branch with a bicameral Congress, an executive branch led by the President, and a judicial branch headed by the Supreme Court. Besides providing for the organization of these branches, the Constitution carefully outlines which powers each branch may exercise. It also reserves numerous rights for the individual states, thereby establishing the United States' federal system of government. It is the shortest and oldest written constitution of any major sovereign state.--HereToHelp (talk to me) 03:15, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Articles this image appears in
United States Constitution
Creator
U.S. Government; uploaded by User:Keeleysam
  • Support as nominator --HereToHelp (talk to me) 03:15, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support per nom. DurovaCharge! 03:29, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support per nom. Speaking of which, per the discussion that arose on the Nixon resignation letter nom, let's start a FPC/Discussion conversation about standards for documents as featured pictures. Spikebrennan (talk) 14:58, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Well, the nom just about covered everything I could have said... Definite support. Elucidate (light up) 18:01, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Historic material ... really important. GerardM (talk) 20:47, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose. As I said down at the pin tumbler lock, and have said in the past whenever it's reared its ugly head, I oppose the concept of featured sets. Choose the best one, and that's the featured image, which can then link to the others (or make them a single image if suitable as with the lock) - in this case the lead image is already featured, the obvious choice having already been made. Or, if the images are all so good and high enc, then they can become individual FPs, most likely maintaining their own articles. Featured sets are just hedging your bets. --jjron (talk) 14:07, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • So what if page 4 were the obvious best one? Would you support featuring a page few could identify, even though it's still part of the document whose first page most Americans could spot instantly, even if the quality of page 1 weren't up to the level of page 4? With respect to documents, I think featured sets make the most sense. ~ ωαdεstεr16«talkstalk» 06:27, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
      • Page 1 is the obvious choice for the reasons you give, not because of quality. If page 4 was a great quality scan and page 1 cruddy, then we would assume that a better version of page 1 was available and justifiably oppose. Featured sets are a waste of time. Let me give my own hypothetical - if this becomes featured as a set, and one of the images is removed from the article, does that mean the whole set is delisted? The obvious answer has to be yes. --jjron (talk) 15:21, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
        • I feel that for any situation when a member of a set is removed from the article, somebody will come back and replace it in the article. I think that's a moot point since anybody on the encyclopedia can fix the erroneous move. Besides, who would want to remove a page of the constitution from its own article? I understand a newbie may make the mistake and prefer to only see the page he/she has seen all his/her life (which starts the article in the infobox anyway), but somebody more experienced will come around, notice it, and fix it, that is if it gets past recent edits patrol anyway. I think sets should be used sparingly, but there are situations - such as this - where they are extremely helpful and useful. I think Fletcher's comments below sum up what I'm thinking. ~ ωαdεstεr16«talkstalk» 15:49, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
          • I've seen talk of image sets being nominated that contain upwards of 70 images - in fact I think we may already have one of about this size. It's certainly NOT a moot point that one or more of those will find itself out of articles. Once this is out of the bottle, we're going to see more and more of these things with less and less justification. And as I said originally, if all the images are so valuable, they will most likely maintain their own article, and be featurable as individual images. --jjron (talk) 11:34, 14 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
            • As Wadester explained, the first page of the Constitution alone is insufficient to maintain its own article. As for the 70+ images Dore' set, that's completely separate. I know you're afraid of slipepry slopes, but if it helps, perhaps we can require a set to show the same subject, but different views, pieces, or variations of it that would not be possible or practical to have in one image. The "subject" must be a specific thing, like a [[tumbler lock], not engraving. That's not an official requirement; no such requirements have been set fort, which makes your objection more understandable. If anyone would like to formally address the issue, be my guest. HereToHelp (talk to me) 21:45, 14 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Perhaps the time has come to follow the Featured Topic concept and introduce the idea of a Featured Set for Featured Pictures of a related group. TomStar81 (Talk) 22:06, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Strong Support - Featuring one page doesn't make sense. They are all at about the same quality and it's not a document without all the pages. If we keep limiting it to page 1, it's an excerpt with an arbitrary cutoff dictated by the size limitations of a page written more than 200 years ago... ~ ωαdεstεr16«talkstalk» 06:27, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • As I said on the pin tumbler lock, if they really belong together combine them into a single image, as we are not limited to old page sizes. Otherwise choose the best one. --jjron (talk) 15:27, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted File:Constitution Pg1of4 AC.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 17:24, 16 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Homelessness

[edit]
Original - A homeless man in Paris, June 2005
Reason
Found this while preparing the Commons POTY 2008 - this was second place in 2006, and was so powerful that I had to bring it over here a bit more. It is a little under size, but I think that its power is sufficient that we should consider it.
Articles this image appears in
Poverty in France, newly added to Homelessness
Creator
Eric Pouhier

Not promoted --SpencerT♦C 18:04, 16 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Brooklyn, 1879

[edit]
Original - Currier and Ives chromolithograph of Brooklyn, 1879.
Reason
Detailed chromolithograph of Brooklyn, New York as it appeared during the late nineteenth century. Individual storefronts by the docks are legibly named. Restored version of File:Currier & Ives Brooklyn.jpg (very high resolution).
Articles this image appears in
History of Brooklyn
Creator
Currier and Ives

Promoted Image:Currier & Ives Brooklyn2.jpg --SpencerT♦C 23:22, 16 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Grand canyon of Yellowstone and Yellowstone fall

[edit]
edit 1 - Grand Canyon and Yellowstone Fall at Yellowstone National Park

.

original - Grand Canyon and Yellowstone Fall at Yellowstone National Park

.

The canyon is up to 900 feet deep (275 m) and a half mile (0.8 km) in width.The canyon below the Lower Yellowstone Falls was at one time the site of a geyser basin that was the result of rhyolite lava flows, extensive faulting, and heat beneath the surface (related to the hot spot). The rhyolite in the canyon contains a variety of different iron compounds. Exposure to the elements caused the rocks to change colors. The rocks are, in effect, oxidizing; the canyon is rusting. The colors indicate the presence or absence of water in the individual iron compounds. Most of the yellows in the canyon are the result of iron present in the rock rather than sulfur]]

Reason
Hihg resolution image, which shows how Yellowstone NP got its name.
Articles this image appears in
Yellowstone National Park;Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Creator
Mbz1



Not promoted . --The Nordic Goddess Kristen Worship her 03:27, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Anthomyia specie fly

[edit]
Original - A fly of the genus Anthomyia. The fly is around 3mm long and is commonly known as root maggot fly.
Reason
The fly was very small, around 3mm only. The quality therefore is not perfect but quite good. The image is the actual size without any downsampling, simply cropping out the empty space. This is the max magnification possible with my macro lens.
Articles this image appears in
Anthomyiidae, Muscoidea
Creator
Muhammad



Not promoted . --The Nordic Goddess Kristen Worship her 03:27, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Transamerica Pyramid

[edit]
Original - Diagonal Profile view of the Transamerica Pyramid
Not for Voting from higher viewpoint and without tilt. Trade off is that less of the base is visible.
Reason
Picture is a stunning example of the modern architecture and one of the worlds tallest buildings
Articles this image appears in
Transamerica Pyramid
Creator
Cabe6403
  • Support as nominator --Cabe6403 (Talk•Sign!) 18:23, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose tilt and perspective distortion. It's a difficult building to get a clear shot of but I think for enc this building is better captured from a different angle and not from its own street level as per example. (The most complete top to bottom image I have seen is with a 600mm from Treasure Island and that requires a very clear day). Mfield (talk) 19:15, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose both, not sharp enough to be FP. Second one could probably use a tighter crop and less distracting building in the left foreground. First one is tilted and would have to be retaken without the shadow on the pyramid. gren グレン 20:20, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
You actually don't need to oppose the second, it's not an FP nom and is labelled not for voting, it was just an example to show what the building actually looks like without the distortion and to show how difficult it it so get a clear shot. Mfield (talk) 20:25, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I actually did that because I started thinking maybe the second one was close to FP for a while... well, at least I liked it better than the first one so I think that threw me off :) --gren グレン 20:40, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • I don't see what the issue with the tilt is... looks minor to me and I wouldn't even consider it an issue, just part of the viewing angle. This picture was taken from the top deck of a moving bus as it passed crossroads perpendicular to the street shot down. It is a very difficult building to get a photo showing the structure top to bottom. --Cabe6403 (Talk•Sign!) 23:27, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Not promoted . --The Nordic Goddess Kristen Worship her 03:28, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Technical Drawing of Historical Hot Air Balloon Designs

[edit]
Original - Technical illustration showing early balloon designs: "Lana's aeronautic machine," "Montgolfiers' balloon," "Blanchard's balloon," "Garnerin ascending [and] descending" in his parachute, the "Charles & Roberts' balloon" being inflated, the "form of the wings employed by Lunardi," and the "form of the wings employed by Blanchard."
Edit - colour redone based on the original LOC scans; some additional cleanup.
Reason
High quality LOC scan of the state of aeronautics and hot air ballooning in 1818. Displays many different versions of hot air balloons of the time, many of which are quite fascinating. I admittedly just added it to the Hot air balloon article, where it definitely belongs. I found it at the Wikipedia for Schools site interestingly enough.
Articles this image appears in
Timeline of aviation - 19th century, History of ballooning, Hot air balloon
Creator
Ambrose William Warren, 1781?-1856, engraver. (Uploaded by Bubamara and CarolSpears it seems)

Suspended pending Shoemaker's edit Noodle snacks (talk) 09:21, 6 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

  • Done - Right. Done. I'll put this back up at the top of the page. I think that's right? Feel free to critique the colour - I have an LCD monitor, so colour is a bit angle-dependent, which can make precise matching a bit difficult. Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 06:42, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • Thanks for the effort - I'm not really a graphical editor. ~ ωαdεstεr16«talkstalk» 16:32, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
      • No worries! It's one of those things that's not really all that hard if you know what you're doing, but the trick is learning what you're doing in the first place. =) Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 17:03, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
        • I've had a look at both the original and the edit and I'm finding it hard to notice any significant difference, other than the greater contrast/higher black point value. Durova mentioned that she thought the blue channel was deficient and looking at the histogram, it is. But correcting this would make the background a neutral light grey. I assume this is not what you intended to do. If anything, I see a greater deviation on the green channel in the edit, but to the eye, the colour is extremely similar - just a bit darker. Also, I'm curious about what exactly you tried to achieve in the edit as it doesn't seem explained here or on the image page. As I know very little about the technicalities of etchings/engravings, I wouldn't know what makes a good or a bad restoration of one. Given the paper has no doubt become faded/stained over the years, do you aim to restore it to as-close-as-new, or do you accept the colour of the scan but merely remove blemishes to the detail? Why do you trust the colour balance of the LOC version? Without knowing the answers to these restoration questions, I'd find it hard to judge this nomination and the two images beyond the artistic/historic value. :-) Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 19:06, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
There's a few different things I'm trying to achieve:
  1. Firstly, ink should look reasonably black: Grey ink has a tendency to look "blurry", as the eye instinctively expects it to be black, and presumes deviance is from the black being blurred. I've almost never had reason to regret this trick.
  2. The paper should be a reasonably-natural looking colour. It doesn't need to be a pristine white - that's very easy to generate from something like this for printing, anyway - just drop saturation and tweak the whitepoint - but it should look believably like paper. The old version didn't look quite natural, with regard to colour. I tried a few things, and in the end thought that matching the LOC scan showed a pleasantly-non-distracting sign of age - something I try to leave in my images. Of course, had I been working from a non-historic original, e.g. a modern reprint, or thought it likely this one would be used for printing (you do NOT fake paper texture when printing), I'd have immediately removed all paper texture and set the background paper as a pure white. In my experience, desaturating to greyscale looks ugly - it gives far too "cool" of colours to look natural - and requires you to either nearly or completely make the background white. But this image with a white background is already available. Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 20:10, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  3. There's a few minor bits of cleanup I did that were missed in the original. None were hugely visible - but they annoyed me.
I hope that helps. Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 20:10, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Yep, thanks for the explanation. I guess what confused me was that if this was an image of an engraving, then the paper that it was printed on would not be relevant like it would be if it were an actual historical document. I'm also confused about whether this particular print is of historical importance. Is the original etching still around or is this print all we have left? If the original etching is still around, would a modern re-print be preferable to this restoration of an old print? Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 20:47, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
It's highly unlikely that this old of a woodblock or steel plate would still exist, or, if it did, that Wikipedia would get access to it, and that it hadn't been damaged over time. As for the paper - there's two schools of thought on paper texture and engravings, and I've variously gone with both, but in this case, there's already one without the paper texture. Th old paper can help subtly emphasise age; and engravings can often look better on somewhat warmer colours than the default computer screen white, but it's not, as you say, a major part of the historicness. If I can, I usually try for with paper textre first, though - removingthe texture is a one-way operation. Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 22:00, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted File:Aeronautics2.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 03:59, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Columba livia

[edit]
Original - The Rock Pigeon, Columba livia.
Reason
Good technical quality, excllent EV, though the image is of relatively low resolution. It is an FP on Commons.
Articles this image appears in
Rock Pigeon, Cere
Creator
User:Dori (of Commons]]
I've changed the images around a bit, and fixed the caption. My mistake. Elucidate (light up) 10:14, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Much better. Whil it's not a superb image of the bird, it does show the distict beak well. Narayanese (talk) 02:24, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Question Has this image been sharpened? Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 23:11, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment I would be interested in how people compare this image to this image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Common_Pigeon_Portrait.jpg Tomfriedel (talk) 05:14, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Okay, I'm going to weak oppose this one because I like the more neutral lighting in Tomfriedel's alternative. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 12:27, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose (both). Wild-type Rock Pigeons have orange eyes. Pearl eye is a domesticated mutation. That first picture shows pearl eye and is a Santa Barbara feral. The second pic shows a Chequer (English spelling which I use) pattern is also found in escaped domestic pigeon (feral) flocks and is likewise not the original wildtype bar pattern. The current picture in the infobox now is as close to wildtype C livia as we have been able to find so far. I must admit I'm not completely happy with that one either. It looks a bit like it is about to choke on a piece of corn or something? The pic of the pigeon at Fort Lauderdale beach is a little removed from its wild ancestors natural resident range and having wrong pattern, so I can't support it being featured in the Rock Pigeon article. The trouble is a lot of the pictures being used are actually of feral pigeons. Ferals carry mutations that should not occur in the wild flocks in their original habitat. Nowadays however you would be hard pressed to find pure strains of wildtype C livia unless you went out into the wilds of their original habitat. Mixing with escaped domestics has contributed to mutations (selected for by man in domestic stock) now becoming common in wild C livia. Anyhow, I'm raving on! The pics would be fine to be featured as "feral" C livia but don't belong in the infobox of the Rock Pigeon article. I can live with them further down in that article though. I should add that if the right picture of a blue bar feral pigeon is found (having all the right wildtype criteria with no mostly man propagated mutations), then it would pass as wildtype as they are essentially the same species. A picture of a pigeon walking on a concrete path or flying by buildings is not the right setting. Sitting up on rocks on a cliff face as would be expected in native habitat is the shot we are looking for.--Sting Buzz Me... 02:03, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Not promoted --Wronkiew (talk) 04:15, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Sydney Skyline at dusk

[edit]
Original - Sydney's skyline as viewed south across the harbour from Kirribilli at dusk. The Sydney Opera House is visible on the far left.
Reason
Shows the skyline of Sydney in an encyclopaedic and visually pleasing way. It is currently the lead image in the Sydney article.
Articles this image appears in
Sydney
Creator
User:Diliff
  • Support as nominator --Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 21:53, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment I have to say that it is a nice image, but it would be good form to wait until the active discussion about the choice of top image has formed a consensus, especially as there has been talk about EV. Your image has only in fact been in the article for 24 hours. (I disclose that the previous image in the article was mine, it as been there for some time. Yours is a far better image photographically, I am not offended by it being replaced - mine was no more than a quick shot taken from a ferry that I thought would be useful to WP so I uploaded it, i am not proud of it at all.) But it feels a bit off to self nominate yours for FP at this point, especially in light of recent discussions about self nomination and the length of time images have actually been in the host article. Mfield (talk) 22:20, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • Well, fair enough. There didn't seem to actually be any discussion on the image on the talk page. The person who initially seemed against the image admitted they preferred the replacement once they saw it in the infobox and there was no other discussion since then. I'm happy to mothball the nomination for a while if desired. To be honest though, the EV of the image as a definitive skyline of Sydney in the article is clear. Even if it were decided to keep your image as the lead image, I'm fairly certain it would, as I mentioned on the Sydney talk page, be a good candidate to replace the skyline as viewed from Balmain further down the article. I wouldn't have nominated the image if I didn't think it stood a good chance of sticking there. As we discussed about self-noms and time periods, I thought we basically agreed that while it is generally safer to wait to confirm EV, there is no mandate for it and we should judge each case individually. As I said above, I don't think there could be much argument on the basis of EV. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 22:32, 8 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment I don't see the appropriateness of having this picture in the economy section of the Sydney article. For one it is not supported by text, none of the buildings mentioned in the text can be seen in the image and its features are to small. I also think that the previous image would be more suitable for the info box. Perhaps this would be more suited in the tourism section replacing the opera house pic and Just because it is a featured photo (soon) doesn't make it appropriate for that section. The photo that I have added to that section is supported by text and some of the institutions and a lot of the subject matter can clearly be seen in it. Adam (talk) 02:34, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • What makes you think the previous image is better in the infobox? Also, I concede that this image doesn't show the logos on the buildings as well as the Balmain image, but it is a far more complete skyline of Sydney. I don't know if I would say that the text of the section relates to the buildings visible in the Balmain image. The only one I can see is Westpac, and the caption makes no mention of the economy. Anyway, I think if you want to discuss it further, we'd best take it to a talk page as this is getting beyond the reaches of the nomination. For disclosure, both Adam J.W.C. and Mfield are the authors of two images that this image has replaced or has been suggested to replace, respectively. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 02:59, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
      • I have already disclosed that if you'd care to have read my original comment, I have no bone to pick with the image being replaced, I have an issue with an image being proposed for FP whilst a discussion is still underway as to whether it should even be included in the only article it is now in. Mfield (talk) 03:30, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
        • I know you did, and I did read your original comment. It was just a summary of disclosure regarding both you and Adam together. No need to get narky - it wasn't an attempt to undermine your disclosure.. As I said though, there actually was no discussion underway at the time I submitted this. The only objection raised on the Sydney talk page was withdrawn. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 13:24, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Comment I'm supportive of the image, but I tend to agree there should not be ongoing dispute about it among contributors to the article (either here or on the talk page). Hard to assess its EV until we know it is going to be stable in the article. Tentatively I favor it for the infobox rather than the Economy section, as the Balmain image places the emphasis on the financial/corporate landscape; a broad overview of Sydney's skyline is less useful there. Fletcher (talk) 04:07, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

  • To be fair, there actually wasn't a dispute on the article's talk page at the time I submitted this. I raised the issue on the talk page prior to adding it to the article, and one person had initial reservations about it, but when another contributor added it to the article of his own accord, they rescinded their objections and supported its inclusion. For all of the debate here, as far as I can tell Adam J.W.C is the only person who objects to the image in the article. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 13:20, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Weak Oppose While visually it's pretty much perfect for a city nightscape, I'd have like the composition to also include the harbour bridge as in this pano you previously took. --Fir0002 04:08, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • Wouldn't it be an almost identical picture to that previous one, then? :-) I actually intended to take the same shot as the previous FP when I was in Sydney, but because of the NYE fireworks, they had begun to scaffold the bridge up and it looked pretty awful so I delibrately excluded the bridge. I can appreciate that you might want a slightly different composition, but given that I cannot simply go back and re-shoot (I've been back in the UK for a month now), this is the image I managed to take. Are you opposing because you wish it were different, or are you opposing because it is really unsuitable to be an FP in its current form? Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 11:52, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
      • Well I took it as a HDR upgrade to your existing one :) While I very much appreciate this being very difficult for you to redo, I do think that the bridge should be part of a lead panorama of Sydney as it's such an iconic part of that city (and at any other time of the year including it would have made perfect sense). So for that reason I think your existing FP has greater EV and thus I couldn't support this one nice as it is. --Fir0002 10:35, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
        • I think the existing FP has a different purpose though - this image is suitable for the infobox and the existing FP works well as a panorama at the bottom. Yes, it would have been nice to include the bridge, but if I did, it wouldn't make a good thumbnail for the infobox and therefore would merely have been a candidate to replace the existing FP, rather than complement it. Besides, as Durova mentioned, not every image of New York City needs the Brooklyn Bridge. It is very difficult to get photo with a good composition, with non-panoramic proportions and the Opera House, skyline and the Harbour Bridge all in the frame. As an analogy, you already have a good FP of a kangaroo but you've nominated a new one with different characteristics. Some things about the new one are better (no man made elements in the background, shows feeding) but some things are worse (angle, less aesthetically pleasing composition/pose), but because it describes a slightly different aspect of the same subject, you thought it worth nominating. Same situation here IMO. This image wouldn't be fit for purpose if it included the bridge. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 11:52, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
          • I've never been to Sydney but is it possible to shoot from an angle similar to this? That would be one way to get the bridge and the opera house whilst retaining acceptable dimensions for the lead image. If it's not possible then I'll change my vote to Neutral because I can understand what you're saying with them illustrating different aspects. But just to let you know that other FPC wasn't actually successful so I haven't yet got a kangaroo FP :) --Fir0002 22:12, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
            • Oh really? I was sure that last one went through.. Okay, nevermind, but you got my point at least! As for that image, well it might be possible. Sydney is a massive city with lots of coastline, but quite often it is difficult to get a good shot from public property, as all the good vantage points are obscured by multi-million dollar houses on the harbour. :-) Anyway, you can't actually see the skyline in it, so it may be cut off by other houses, I'm really not sure. It would take a lot of exploring to find the hidden gem shooting locations, I'd say. And as I said to Mfield below, some of them require access to people's balconies! As a mere tourist with limited scouting time, I was more limited to where the ferries happened to take me! Even this shot required a 10 minute walk through residential streets from the nearest ferry stop, or else a 20 minute hike across the Harbour Bridge and then down a few side streets. You sort of have to know what you're doing, to cut a long story short! Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 23:55, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
            • On that note, I am waiting until next time to shoot one from here[11] (or better yet of possible from the land in the lower half of the frame) as it gives a nice broad view. Mfield (talk) 22:53, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
              • That actually looks like a good spot to shoot from. Sydney is blessed with so much harbour that there is practically an unlimited number of good locations to shoot from (if you can get access to the shoreline, a decent vantage point or in an ideal world, a friendly resident with a balcony!), although I think that would probably also result in a panoramic composition. I can't quite tell from a map exactly where it was shot from. That little peninsula is either Cremorne Point or Taronga (from what I can see from Google Maps). Actually given the title of the image (given it is on your site, did you take it? If so, why are you waiting until next time to reshoot it?), it must be from Taronga. The ferries go to both locations so it would be worth the trip. I'd be very interested to see what you can shoot from there. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 23:55, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
                • Yes I took it and that one is shot from the zoo, but it's a crop from a two frame handheld pano that I shot a few years back when we jumped on the ferry to go there for the afternoon with some friends and i just had the camera on my shoulder. No tripod and only the one lens. I have meant to get over there at dawn last time i was in Sydney to shoot it properly but had no time. Mfield (talk) 00:11, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment I think this image would be appropriate for the lead image in the Tourism in Sydney article instead of the Opera House image and in the same section in the Sydney article. Also I am not sure if this image looks natural especially the colour of the Sky. If I were there at that time would it look exactly like that. I wouldn't mind seeing a version of this image that hasn't been tone blended. Adam (talk) 06:43, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • A couple of things.. I agree it could work in the tourism article, but I actually think that if it were to, the Opera House picture should probably be moved to replace your image from Balmain in it too. I'm not saying that to spite you, I'm saying it because it is actually located right in the middle of the Sydney Opera House section! ;-) As for the colour of the sky, the sky can and does turn pinky purply just after sunset. It doesn't happen at every sunset, but it does happen. It has been enhanced slightly with a minor saturation boost and contrast enhancement, but I maintain it does still look natural. Besides, would your image of the Blue Mountains look like this if I were there? Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 11:52, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
        • It would look like this if you were there. Also I never objected to the image being in the Sydney article but I did suggest that it would be good for the tourism section, but I admit that that it does look good in the info box as well. As for the tourism article (in Syd) I think all images would be appropriate as they all show Sydney from different perspectives. Adam (talk) 22:02, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Strong support This picture is a great composition and shows a very impressive view of Sydney. Wladyslaw (talk) 08:10, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support--Mbz1 (talk) 16:17, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Good quality, aesthetically pleasing. IMO adding the harbour bridge would probably make the image lose its appeal as seen in thumbnail in the article. Muhammad(talk) 16:49, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support excellent composition. No comment on the harbor bridge dispute--looks fine to a silly Yank from the other side of the world. Not every panorama of NYC needs the Brooklyn Bridge and/or Statue of Liberty. The possibility of different vistas adds character to a city. DurovaCharge! 17:49, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support I said above I was supportive of the image so I should give an official !vote. I think it is definitely a great image for the article, and whatever its final placement, I agree no one seems to be trying to get rid of it. Fletcher (talk) 00:26, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Though I wonder if there isn't a larger resolution available. The colors in the sky are very impressive! --Massimo Catarinella (talk) 01:01, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support - really good.--Avala (talk) 20:41, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted File:Sydney skyline at dusk - Dec 2008.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 04:25, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Eastern Grey Kangroo

[edit]
  • Original - A wild Eastern Grey Kangaroo feeding in native grassland.
    Original - A wild Eastern Grey Kangaroo feeding in native grassland.
  • Alt 1
    Alt 1
  • Alt 2
    Alt 2
Reason
Unlike my previous FPC of a wild kangaroo this was taken in deep bush and so doesn't have any issues of man made structures in the background. High quality image of an iconic Australian animal.
Articles this image appears in
Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Macropus
Creator
Fir0002

Promoted Image:Eastern grey kangaroo dec07 02.jpg --Muhammad(talk) 06:24, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Parma Wallaby

[edit]
Original - Mother with a Joey in her pouch.
Uncropped Alternative
Reason
Good quality, adds value to article; first good photo in the species article
Articles this image appears in
Parma Wallaby, wallaby
Creator
Benjamint 04:59, 9 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted File:Parma wallaby crop2.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 06:31, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Papilio Machaon

[edit]
Papilio Machaon
Edit 1 by Fir0002 - WB, noise, sharpening
Reason
It's already a featured picture in Wikimedia Commons
Articles this image appears in
Old World Swallowtail
Creator
ComputerHotline

Promoted Image:Thomas Bresson - Machaon-1 (by) edit.jpg --Muhammad(talk) 06:53, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Female Chrysomya megasephala

[edit]
Original - A female Oriental Latrine Fly, Chrysomya megacephala feeding on animal feces, a behaviour referred to as Coprophagia. The Latrine Fly is among the most dangerous dipteran vectors of enteric pathogens. It is also a good pollinator of mangoes.
Reason
Good quality. The fly is one of the most dangerous vectors of parasites and before this picture, wikipedia had none. So good EV as well.
Articles this image appears in
Chrysomya megacephala, Chrysomya, Coprophagia (Just added. Calliopejen1 (talk) 19:34, 9 January 2009 (UTC))[reply]
Creator
Muhammad

Promoted Image:Ch.megacephala wiki.jpg --SpencerT♦C 20:55, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Siberian Tiger - Makari

[edit]
Original - A Siberian Tiger (P. tigris altaica).
Edit 1 by Muhammad - Background blurred, shadows lifted, sharpened and noise reduction
Existing FP (Not for voting)
Reason
Stunning Panthera tigris altaica photograph with very high resolution. I think its quality supercedes previous photographs.
Articles this image appears in
Tiger, Siberian Tiger
Creator
Nick Jewell
  • It was the best siberian tiger picture I could find, although I agree it would be better with a blurred background. Unfortunately, I don't want to mess the picture up, and don't know how to do this. It isn't my picture, and I don't know a lot about editing photographs. I just did a lot of searching to find the best tiger picture I could find with a free license. Are you (or anyone else) able or interested in adding blur? A302b (talk) 10:17, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Picture removed from both artciles, where they had been put today, replacing better ones. Not a good practise to use articles just for the purpose of hoisting FP candidates. -- Alvesgaspar (talk) 08:50, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment Sorry, I didn't know. I honestly thought this is the best image available, and looked through the various tiger pictures. I didn't know that editing pages and nominating at the same time wasn't allowed. I am willing to withdraw this nomination if it is against the rules. But I still think it is a better picture than the ones that were there previously. Is there a page where there are different versions of a picture and people can choose which one is best for the topic? This version has such better resolution and sharpness, and shows the subject clearly. A302b (talk) 10:10, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment This may or may not be the best image for illustrating tiger fur (scary thought?), as it shows the fur both dry and wet. I found that interesting, and will be observing how this nomination goes. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 14:18, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose out of necessity, since it's not being used in any articles. The composition is not as good as the existing FP, although this one is more detailed. Still, we can hope for a better tiger headshot than either this or the existing FP.--ragesoss (talk) 03:34, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Not promoted --Wronkiew (talk) 06:15, 18 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Surviving Herero

[edit]
Reason
Historical image that contributes greatly to Herero and Namaqua Genocide and really drives home the horror of the event
Articles this image appears in
Herero and Namaqua Genocide, Scramble for Africa, Battle of Waterberg
Creator
Unknown

Not promoted --Wronkiew (talk) 06:15, 18 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Sarcophaga bercaea feeding

[edit]
Original - A Sarcophaga bercaea specie, commonly known as Flesh-fly feeding on animal feces.
Alternative 1 - Sighly different angle
Reason
Good quality picture with good DOF and lighting. Replacing poor quality and very small images in three articles as the lead image. Good EV as well. Sorry for freaking you out with all these fly pictures ;-)
Articles this image appears in
Flesh-fly, Calyptratae, Oestroidea.
Creator
Muhammad

Promoted File:Sarcophaga Bercaea2.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 06:20, 18 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Werdau townhall

[edit]
Original - The town hall in Werdau, Landkreis Zwickau, Germany. In 1905, the city held a contest for the design of a new town hall, as the old one (built in 1727) had become too small. The tower and floorplan of one design was combined with the façade of another, and ground was broken for construction on August 1, 1908. It was inagurated on April 26, 1911.
Reason
High-res and of a very nice quality; good enc. as well
Articles this image appears in
Werdau
Creator
Aka
Here, let me expand the caption. The building is also noted as "the landmark of Werdau", and apparently has been printed on postcards and china. SpencerT♦C 19:02, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted Image:Werdau - townhall (aka).jpg --Muhammad(talk) 07:44, 18 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Mantis shrimp from front

[edit]
Original - Frontal view of a mantis shrimp showing eye stalks, claws, and fluorescence.
Reason
Captures the finer features of a mantis shrimp with remarkable detail, including fluorescence (maybe it could benefit from cropping but I do not know how).
Articles this image appears in
Mantis shrimp
Creator

Not promoted --Muhammad(talk) 17:26, 18 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Damage from Hurricane Ike in Gilchrist, Texas

[edit]
Original - A lone house standing amongst the numerous sites of houses that were destroyed in Gilchrist, Texas by Hurricane Ike. On September 13, 2008, Gilchrist was devastated by the storm, which completely destroyed all but few homes. The coastline along Gilchrist, once a straight line, became jagged and desolate, permanently altered by Ike's turbulent storm tide. Of the 1,000 buildings in Gilchrist, 99.5% of them were knocked off of their foundations.
Reason
Aside from the obvious encyclopedic value, in my opinion the image is interesting and high-quality.
Articles this image appears in
Hurricane Ike, Effects of Hurricane Ike in Texas
Creator
Jocelyn Augusitno/FEMA

02:51, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Not promoted . --The Nordic Goddess Kristen Worship her 02:59, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

European Rabbit

[edit]
Original - (Not so) European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) Tasmania, Australia
Reason
High quality image of a problematic pest.
Articles this image appears in
Rabbits in Australia, European Rabbit
Creator
Noodle snacks



Not promoted . --The Nordic Goddess Kristen Worship her 03:00, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Map of the Idaho counties

[edit]
Original - This image shows the counties in Idaho.
Reason
An accurate SVG
Articles this image appears in
Idaho, County
Creator
ZooFari
No, the shading was used to distinguish them a little and so it won't look too simple. It is like the map of the United States, which is usually randomly colored regardless of the 13 colonies. ZooFari 02:20, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
"So it wouldn't look so simple" really isn't a great reason for doing anything graphically; simplicity is bliss. As for distinguishing between the counties, four shades is the minimum needed to make the distinction. Otherwise, it makes it seem like you've classified the counties into two types, since it's hard to associate randomness by design in the shading when there's only two different shades. Thegreenj 03:03, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Not promoted . --The Nordic Goddess Kristen Worship her 03:01, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Damaged Catholic Church during the Second World War

[edit]
Original - Pvt. Paul Oglesby, 30th Infantry, standing in reverence before an altar in a damaged Catholic Church.
Reason
I think the EV value is immense, and the image meets the minimum resolution requirements. The only down side is the light that comes from the open roof; I don't know if someone can make the image a bit better by tweaking the contrast or the brightness, or both. Nevertheless, in regards to the EV it shows the damage done by the Western Allies during the bombardment of Italian towns and cities during the advance in 1943-44. I think it's a powerful image, just because the subject is an American soldier in a destroyed Catholic church.
Articles this image appears in
30th Infantry Division (United States), Acerno, Italian Campaign (World War II)
Creator
Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Overseas Operations Branch. New York Office. News and Features Bureau.
  • Comment under 1MB is really too compressed for this image size. Needs rotation, lots of dirt removal, and it looks like a fairly large vertical scanner streak is here. Unless a much better version could be located I'd recommend this for valued pictures instead of FP. DurovaCharge! 02:21, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Well, let's see if anybody is willing to try and remove the dirt and whatnot, first. I finally found the blots of dirt; I thought "by all over the picture" you guys meant literally all over the picture. :) JonCatalán(Talk) 04:09, 10 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment: The nom is older than 7 days... so do we want to suspend it? SpencerT♦C 14:14, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment Sorry to be so late to the party, but this one really caught my eye. I saw it a week or so ago and came back to see how it was getting on. It's a superb, iconic image, well worth a little restorative effort. I'm not sure what people are referring to as "lots" of dirt; the very light grain seen through the roof area is probably a "ghosted" (over-exposed) view of an exterior wall or adjacent building and shouldn't be removed IMO. A slight rotation would do wonders for it but all it needs is a quick once-over with the clone tool. I'm don't consider 1Mb to be over-compressed for a b&w image at this resolution; there aren't any artifacts that I can see. The only thing I can't see is the article-relevance. It seems odd that such a powerful, evocative illustration of the destructive power of war isn't actually in the War article, rather than (mis)placed in a campaign article and a couple of others, with dubious EV. And if it's VP-worthy it's FP-worthy for its "wow" value, don't you think? Be a shame to cast it aside for want of a little effort. mikaultalk 00:43, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Like I said, I can't edit images very well. I will try to rotate it. JonCatalán(Talk) 02:35, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
My apologies, I wasn't suggesting you could. It's always a good idea to run unprepared images through Peer Review first, get it fixed and save all this last-minute stuff on the FPC page. I'd be happy to do the work, I'm just concerned it'd be too late for this nomination. Rotating and retouching won't take too long but it might take me a couple of days to get round to it; EV-wise, it needs to be added to a more appropriate article as War and perhaps Ruins are the themes here, not infantry divisions or Italian towns. As it's kind of polite to give images a chance to be vetted by article editors for a while prior to FP nomination, I'd suggest re-nominating. I'm not sure what others think, but once things get this far down the page it's hard to get opinions, never mind supporting !votes. mikaultalk 05:47, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Seriously, unless someone locates a much higher resolution version, I don't see any potential for FP here. EV, moving, etc. Yet I can't restore data that doesn't exist. Unless someone is actively looking for a better original this nomination should close. DurovaCharge! 07:34, 20 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Not promoted --Wronkiew (talk) 17:12, 20 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

[edit]
Original - Portrait of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, 1901, after an 1898 painting of Wilhelmina in her coronation robe.
Existing FP for comparison
Reason
Very high resolution etching in good condition with good technical execution for a significant Dutch monarch. Restored version of File:Queen Wilhelmina unrestored.jpg. (Note: We already have File:Queen Wilhelmina & Juliana.jpg of this monarch as an FP).
Articles this image appears in
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Creator
George J. Verbeck, engraver (based upon a painting by Thérèse van Duyl Schwarze)

Promoted File:Queen_Wilhelmina2.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 17:18, 20 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Common Pigeon Portrait

[edit]
Original - A Rock pigeon. The white swelling visible on its nose is the cere, a soft, fleshy swelling found on the beaks of some birds. Hawks, parrots, doves, skuas and budgerigars are among the birds that have ceres. The cere plays a role in indicating the reproductive stage of certain dimorphic birds, and also has a key function in respiration.
Edit 1 Cropped
Reason
Very naturally lit, shows the cere, could be cropped if EV requires. Is a competing candidate to this nomination.
Articles this image appears in
is competing with another nominated image, I expect the winner(s) will be placed in Rock Pigeon and cere
Creator
Tomfriedel

Not promoted --Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 22:03, 20 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The Ministry of All the Talents

[edit]
Original - James Gilray satirises the breakup of the Ministry of All the Talents, the government of Britain from 1806 to 1807, by showing them as doomed spirits being punted across the Acheron to Hell. The Ministry of All the Talents was made up of ministers from a variety of parties in the interest of national unity; however, after a year, infighting over reform of the restrictions placed on Catholics caused the government to break up.
Reason
James Gilray is a major satirist/cartoonist, and, in the late 18th and early 19th century, if you were a politician, you knew you had it made when Gilray satirised you (even though it would inevitably be a pretty nasty joke). I saw that we had this, my jaw dropped.

We really should make this an FP.

Articles this image appears in
Charon, Ministry of All the Talents
Creator
James Gilray

Promoted File:Charon's_Boat.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 04:29, 21 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Dam Square, Amsterdam with Naadje statue

[edit]
Original - Dam Square, Amsterdam with the 'Naadje' statue as it appeared c. 1890-1900.
Reason
Dam Square is the center of Amsterdam. Sort of a sister nomination to Queen Wilhelmina below: a view of the plaza outside her palace during the early part of her reign (the palace itself is out of frame at left). This 1890s vista includes the 'Naadje' statue, which was erected as a military memorial during the 1850s and taken down in 1914. Slight tilt in the statue itself is probably accurate photography: according to the Dutch Wikipedia article it was so poorly constructed that the nose fell off shortly after it was built, the head had to be replaced, and in the decade following this photograph one of the arms fell off into the fountain below. Unfortunately the Dutch article about the statue is unsourced and I have been unable to locate English sources. Still, a period landmark well known in the Netherlands and a good view of the city at the time with horsecars and other period features. Compare to this modern panorama. Restored version of File:Amsterdam photochrom.jpg
Articles this image appears in
Dam Square, History of Amsterdam
Creator
Detroit Publishing Co.

Promoted File:Amsterdam photochrom2.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 05:02, 21 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Dusky Moorhen

[edit]
Original - Dusky Moorhen (Gallinula tenebrosa)is an Australian waterbird
Reason
Good quality, shows bird well.
Articles this image appears in
Dusky Moorhen, Moorhen, Rallidae
Creator
Benjamint 06:10, 13 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted Image:Dusky moorhen442.jpg --Noodle snacks (talk) 06:57, 21 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Female Superb Fairy Wren

[edit]
Original - Female Superb Fairy Wren in mid call
Edit 1 - cropped by jjron to remove dead space and distracting blurred out greenery; dimensions also better match its male partner image in the Superb Fairy-wren infobox
Reason
High quality image of a common but surprisingly difficult to approach bird. Technicals are good and the moment captured IMO is perfect - mouth fully open in mid call. The background of a brown blackberry bush illustrates a typical habitat for this bird and also shows off its camouflage. Compares well with the existing Superb Fairy Wren FP.
Articles this image appears in
Superb Fairy Wren
Creator
Fir0002

Promoted File:Female superb fairy wren-edit1.jpg --Noodle snacks (talk) 06:56, 21 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Charles Darwin

[edit]
Original - Rotogravure portrait of Charles Darwin, c. 1880.
Reason
Yesterday an editor sent a friendly reminder that next month is the two hundredth anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth. So it would be good to have a featured picture to run for the main page. Restored version of File:Darwin unrestored.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
Charles Darwin, Rotogravure, Darwin from Insectivorous plants to Worms
Creator
Elliott & Fry

Promoted Image:Darwin restored2.jpg --Noodle snacks (talk) 06:55, 21 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



California Ground Squirrel

[edit]
Original - California Ground Squirrel, one of the most common species of the Spermophilus genus.
Reason
This got some positive comments at peer review, so am hereby submitting it for FP consideration. Good clarity, no discernible noise, and above all, a cute pose.
Articles this image appears in
Spermophilus
Creator
Howcheng

Promoted Image:CA Ground Squirrel on rock.jpg --Noodle snacks (talk) 06:54, 21 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Passiflora Tarminiana flower

[edit]
Original - Banana Passionfruit (Passiflora tarminiana) flower prior to opening
Reason
The original plan was for a sequences of three images as the flower opens and the fruit appears, didn't happen as I was bed ridden during the time it was happening. Either way it adds value to the article and is of high quality.
Articles this image appears in
Passiflora tarminiana
Creator
Noodle snacks

Not promoted --Noodle snacks (talk) 11:15, 21 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Gaillardia fanfare

[edit]
Original - Gaillardia "fanfare" Cultivar in Tasmania, Australia
Edit 1 Centered
Reason
Quality is quite high, adds value to the article
Articles this image appears in
Gaillardia
Creator
Noodle snacks

Support I agree that Edit 1 is the better of the two. Pastor Theo (talk) 23:50, 20 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted Image:Gaillardia fanfare centered.jpg --Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 02:47, 22 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Mitt Romney

[edit]
Original - Businessman and politician Mitt Romney
Reason
Uniquely situated photo of a charismatic leader
Articles this image appears in
Mitt Romney, as well as in 24 others
Creator
Jessica Rinaldi, FPC per Eustress



Not promoted . --The Nordic Goddess Kristen Worship her 03:24, 22 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

MIT Building 10

[edit]
Original - The facade of MIT's famous Building 10 overlooking Killian Court
Reason
Photograph of an iconic building at a major research university, style is emblematic of early 20th century Beaux-Arts architecture and City Beautiful movement
Articles this image appears in
MIT
Creator
User:Madcoverboy
Not for consideration Other view of MIT Building



Not promoted . --The Nordic Goddess Kristen Worship her 03:26, 22 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Craticulina sp.

[edit]
Original - A Craticulina sp. fly. These flies are parasites of the sand wasp, depositing their larvae on the food caught by the wasp for its larvae, an act known as Kleptoparasitism.
Reason
A good quality, high res image, contributing to three articles. Good EV as well.
Articles this image appears in
Kleptoparasitism, Miltogramminae, Craticulina
Creator
Muhammad

Promoted File:Craticulina sp.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 06:18, 22 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Erik Karlsson

[edit]
Original - Ice hockey defenceman Erik Karlsson of Frölunda HC during a game in 2008.
Without noise reduction
Edit 2 by Fir0002 - selective NR
Reason
High quality sports photograph
Articles this image appears in
Erik Karlsson
Creator
Krm500
  • Support as nominator —Krm500 (Communicate!) 00:36, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • weak support Is a less tight crop available, something showing the rest of the hockey stick, or some of the crowd? de Bivort 01:35, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • I had looked at a few different crops and decided to go with a tight 1x1 to be as clear as possible at thumb size. But comparing head to head with a slightly less tight crop it looks better with the less tight crop, I replace it with that.—Krm500 (Communicate!) 03:57, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support I really like it. I actually prefer to see the stick cut off where it is than to see the whole stick because when you do that you get too much open background which can be distracting. Its too bad wiki's release criteria is a bad as it is cause I would love to see more of your work on here. -Djsasso (talk) 02:28, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Size and sharpness are both sufficient. I don't think the inclusion of the stick would necessarily make it a better photograph. Cacophony 13:10, January 18, 2009 (UTC)
  • Weak Support We have very little sports photos as FPs which I guess is indicative of the (relative) difficulty in taking them. So for that reason I'm feeling a bit lenient towards the cut off hockey stick. But it seems as though a lot of texture (particularly in the face) was nuked with NR software - could you please upload a less edited version (which I would full support)? --Fir0002 23:13, 18 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose I just don't think this is a good shot of the subject, lighting doesn't seem that great, the subject appears to be grimacing, the hockey stick is cut off... --Pstanton 07:38, 19 January 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pstanton (talk • contribs)
  • Weak oppose. I noticed the same issue with texture, especially on the face, that Fir0002 brought up. It looks great in thumbnail (and I think the cropping is good), but it's kind of a Monet.--ragesoss (talk) 16:58, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose as per Ragesoss. Omnibus (talk) 00:54, 20 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support I'd go with Fir here, in fact I'd go with a noisy version in preference to the NR one; that's what sports shots tend to look like. I'd also point out that even as it appears here, if you view it at ca. 1600x1200 processing artifacts aren't an issue. It would be a pity to penalise larger uploads simply because they're big enough to see otherwise invisible faults, wouldn't it? mikaultalk 01:18, 20 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Great to get some input, I will upload the non prepossessed version, and maybe someone can do a better job with it or simply go with that version for voting. —Krm500 (Communicate!) 01:29, 20 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Original reviewers please comment on the unprocessed version. Wronkiew (talk) 01:44, 20 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Not promoted --Wronkiew (talk) 07:11, 22 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Bismuth crystal

[edit]
Original - Bismuth crystal
For comparison
Reason
encyclopedic macro photography of a bismuth crystal with scale ratio
Articles this image appears in
Bismuth
Creator
Micha L. Rieser
  • Support as nominator --Micha L. Rieser (talk) 11:47, 14 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment I've been meaning to make some bismuth crystals myself sometime. Because this is a studio shot I find it fair to demand near perfection. The colour cast in the background suggests a while balance adjustment is in order. Compared to the other image I have added for comparison I find the fine detail lacking. I think the image needs a contrast adjustment, perhaps some sharpening and also some noise reduction in places. Noodle snacks (talk) 13:17, 14 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I don't see your points. The crystal is constant sharp not like your comparison. All details are there. There is a big scope of brightness and darkness and a big scope of colors. The background is a nice gradient. The picture looks very natural because of not two much image processing. That was the point it became featured picture in the german wikipedia. Sharpen and conrast adjustment would destroy the clear impression of that picture. --Micha L. Rieser (talk) 18:54, 18 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Not promoted --Fir0002 10:20, 22 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Obama official portrait

[edit]
Original - Barack Obama's official portrait is as the first United States Presidential Portrait taken with a digital camera.
Reason
Absolutely fantastic portrait
Articles this image appears in
Barack Obama, President of the United States, etc. etc.
Creator
Pete Souza, the newly-announced official White House photographer
That one also has terrible lighting and expression. Its promotion received significant opposition and seems to have been a case of "best we have for now." This one is of far better quality; to have File:Obama Portrait 2006 trimmed.jpg featured but not this one would just seem madness to me. What qualities does featured image File:Obama Portrait 2006 trimmed.jpg possess that this image lacks? I see none, and in fact see a much better image here. TAway (talk) 06:08, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Questions:
  • Are the white specks on his right shoulder and lapel lint, or is there something wrong with the photo?
  • At least he trimmed his nose-hairs this time, but someone should have told him to trim his ear-hairs too. There's a forest in his right ear! I suppose the people who were bothered about the nose hairs at the other Obama FPC will want his ear hairs edited out too, but that doesn't bother me. Since I'm pretty new to FPC, do we go around giving people haircuts when they have bedhead? Matthewedwards (talk • contribs • email) 07:02, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Well we don't/shouldn't make changes that would affect the accuracy of the original image. We would only make changes that fix faults in the reproduction of the scene (colour balance if necessary, remove spots/dust if scanned etc). None of this would likely apply to this image. As far as I can tell, all of the 'faults' you mentioned were part of the reality of the scene at the time and therefore there is no need to fix them. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 10:58, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Don't promote. What makes this portrait any more special than any other bureaucrat politician picture? Nothing I can see. The fact that he is off center in the picture is somewhat distracting, IMHO. Kelly hi! 07:35, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • Not every bureaucrat is the soon-to-be President of the United States, though. Doesn't that make it somewhat more notable than average bureaucrat's portrait? That last comment also makes you seem a bit ignorant of traditional studio portraiture. You might find it distracting, and that is your perogative, but it is very orthodox framing also used in every other presidential portrait, just as an example. Finally, the lingo is Oppose and Support, not Don't promote and Promote. Just a heads up. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 10:21, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Strong Support - high quality picture of a very important man. Good composition, flattering, high technical quality and released under a license I'm thrilled to see Obama's administration fully supporting. —Vanderdecken∴ ∫ξφ 11:43, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • I don't know if it is specifically Obama's administration that is fully supporting the free license thing... All works of the US Government are released into the public domain, aren't they? George W Bush's portrait license says "This image is a work of an employee of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.". Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 12:26, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Strong Oppose subject of the photograph isn't in the centre (or even near the centre) of the frame, making the picture appear as if part has been cut off at the right hand side. I know it hasn't (since this is a direct copy of the official release), but it is still off-putting enough that 'high technical standard' (#1 in the criteria) is questionable. Yes, other portraits have the subject off-center, but those that do (such as of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, linked above) do so in a way that doesn't distract the viewer and immediately draw attention to the composition, rather than the subject. Cynical (talk) 16:48, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • Comment Either of the 'other versions' listed (according to filenames they're different photos taken at the same time, for posters?) would be preferable to this image as they lack the distracting composition. Cynical (talk) 16:56, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support A wonderfully composed portrait (putting the subject off-center is a good thing in my mind, it's more visually appealing), good use of depth of field. Colors are well used to and tie it together. --Falcorian (talk) 17:07, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Excellent image, and obviously encyclopedic. --Chasingsol(talk) 20:20, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Strong Support I'm not an Obama supporter, but this photo is definitely very excellent. It should deservedly be featured. Jason (talk) 22:24, 15 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Fantastic image; very timely. HereToHelp (talk to me) 00:28, 16 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Beautiful photograph; it depicts an authoritative, handsome, important man. It's probably the best Obama portrait out there, and certainly the one of the highest resolution. aristotle1990 (talk) 02:26, 16 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Weak Oppose I'll grant the objections to the composition are pretty weak; if you check the Commons gallery it seems in line with traditional presidential portraiture. However the plain white background looks almost clinical to me (other portraits use a darker background, if plain, or they use texture such as bookshelves, or even a window in JFK's portrait). There are also bad looking octagonal reflections in his irises, which must be from the strobes. It is common for reflections to appear in the iris, but they don't usually look so well defined. He's one of the most photographed people in the world so it should be possible to get a better one sometime. Fletcher (talk) 03:10, 16 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose. Its a great photo, but per Kelly I don't see anything special about it. Perhaps if there was emphasis on the highest quality ever because its the first digital pic or something, but other than that I don't see anything special to it. The centering is not important to me. - A.J. (talk) 04:04, 16 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose per A.J. -- mcshadypl TC 06:49, 16 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose. It's just the official portrait of a U.S. President. I don't see why this one should be a featured picture when none of these pictures are featured pictures. They all look basically the same. OCNative (talk) 08:15, 16 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
None of those pictures come anywhere near the high technical standard of this one. Please look at them at full resolution. All are very noisy and lack sharpness. Cacophony (talk) 08:40, 16 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Alright, how about this one, this one or this one? OCNative (talk) 03:11, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
After looking at those and browsing around Category:Politicians_of_the_United_States, I'm now completely convinced that this is the highest quality political portrait available on Wikipedia. With the abundance of photos available I think we need far more than 18 political FPs. I welcome you to nominate some. Cacophony (talk) 04:18, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
So you don't think any of the opposition votes exist primarily because of the subject of the photo? We are voting on the merits of this particular photograph but it is inevitable that some voters allow political bias to affect their vote. Kinda like real life, dontchathink? We have to give everyone the benefit of the doubt though. Cacophony (talk) 04:09, 18 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Several of the !votes seem clearly biased one way or the other and should be disregarded. (That's why they're !votes; if you can't follow the criteria your opinion doesn't count.) I don't envy the closer. Fletcher (talk) 15:44, 18 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Several other users have already pointed out that the technical quality of those photos is nowhere near the quality of this one. In fact, George W. Bush's portrait was itself a FPC in 2007 but failed for almost entirely technical reasons. Were that picture as high-quality as this one it probably would have passed. Flyerdog11 (talk) 23:21, 18 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose. Bad lighting prevents detail in the iris. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 00:03, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose He isn't the president yet, so I can't see how this is his "official" presidential portrait, and the blurring of the flag in the background looks awful, isn't particularly high resolution, and as above, the lighting detail in the iris "IS" bad. --Pstanton 07:41, 19 January 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pstanton (talk • contribs)
    • Comment In what way does the blurring of the background "look awful"? And I assume you'll strike through your original complaint that begins with "he isn't the president yet" once he becomes President? Lastly, the resolution is very good, and better than all previous Presidential portraits. Omnibus (talk) 09:05, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
      • As I read it, Pstanton was expressing doubt that this could be the official presidential portrait, since at the time it was taken he was not president, so the complaint would be independent of whether Obama is going to be president at a later date. On the basis of Pstanton's comment, it would seem to be more correct that this is the official president-elect's portrait. Perhaps the official nomenclature is lacking in rigour on this point? After re-reading the caption, I took the liberty to correct an apparent substitution of "is" for "as". Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 12:36, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support --Alephalpha (talk) 08:48, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Strong support. Ticks all the EV and image quality boxes. It lacks ever-so-slightly in wow, but it makes up for that in spades with importance. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 12:08, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose I believe this is a misguided nomination of an awkward and contrived portrait. The only recommendation is the subject, which seems to have swayed the majority of !votes, its only redeeming feature being the high resolution of the camera used. In all seriousness, I've never seen so many courtier's comments on FPC. Since when was the use of a digital camera sufficient grounds for Featured Picture promotion? Composition isn't only unbalanced, with disparate elements (subject, flags, white wall) forming a clumsy pastiche of previous presidential portraits, its slavish rule-of-thirds subject placement is wholly inappropriate and quite amateurish. The shoulders are too front-facing, making the left shoulder look "lost", the awkward white space between Obama and the flag draws the viewer's eye past Obama's right eye towards... nothing. It's so poor it barely warrants Valued Picture nomination, but given the subject perhaps retains just enough value for that. Please, try to see past the pixel count, through the lack of technique to the realisation that the President has no FP clothes at all... mikaultalk 12:35, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • Haha, you sound more like a jaded art critic than an FPC voter, but fair enough, I respect your photographic experience on this one. I do think though, that whether you like the composition or not, this is very much in the style of all the other presidential portraits. They all have their own style (reflecting the photographer but also the decor and fashion of the day), but the general composition remains similar. Just as many good photographers cringe at the style of typical American senior yearbook portraits ;-), they are what they are, and within the bounds of that style there is still clearly good and bad photography. Likewise, within the bounds of what this photograph tries to be, it is a good portrait IMO. Out of interest, can you suggest an freely licensed 'official style' (not arty or informal) portrait of a politician or any other notable figure that is significantly better than this one? I'd just like to see exactly what you're looking for. Diliff | (Talk) (Contribs) 12:48, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
      • <puts down pipe, strokes beard> I wasn't going to elaborate too much, just point out the formal reasons why this is a disaster of a formal portrait, but seeing as you ask... with the possible exception of Jimmy Carter, almost any other US presidential portrait (given a suitable file) would be way preferable. The best comparison is probably the Reagan one, if only because the Obama one has obviously been based heavily on it. In Reagan's portrait, the President was photographed in time-honoured dignitary style. He's integrated with his surroundings, appears relaxed and assured, is positioned naturally with shoulders facing slightly into the frame, head slightly to one side, further "involving" him in the scene. Lighting is strong and direct (are you getting all these jaded art critic metaphors?) with backlighting to bring him forward, head close to the top of the frame to enhance apparent stature. Obama, by direct comparison, is a shrinking, isolated figure, with ordinary brolly-and-reflector lighting, facing front-on to the camera as if he were in a photo-booth, not the White House waiting room. Reagan was shot on film (of course) so it has grain at 100% (of course) so it would never impress those who equate high-resolution digital reproduction with technical expertise. But it's a vastly superior portrait from a photographic point of view and is much more deserving of FP status for the encyclopedia. You describe the ENC problem with this nomination exactly when you say within the bounds of what this photograph tries to be, it is a good portrait. That's not the point of FPC, surely, and actually not true, to boot. mikaultalk 21:15, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support (maybe Weak support?) Excellent technical quality, far far above previous presidential portraits. The composition irks me a bit, but I think the encyclopedic value and technical quality push it to FP level. Calliopejen1 (talk) 13:50, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Weak support after pondering for a long time. Quality IMO is quite good as expected of such a camera. Composition is not wrong, but I have seen many official pictures with a similar poses and I guess I now find it boring. This FP on the other hand has an interesting pose. --Muhammad(talk) 16:05, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Great image with no faults that I can see. -- 82.24.37.103 (talk) 16:40, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment Nudge, nudge...could you wonderful newcomers skim the rest of the FPC page please and review our other candidates? DurovaCharge! 18:29, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose I'm going to echo earlier contributor's concerns about the composition - off center, cropped shoulders, indistinct DoF, etc. don't make up for it being a high-res photo. I would also caution all the new commenters (presumably coming from BO's article) that there's no rush to promote this image - he's gonna be around for at least 4 more years. I imagine one or two more pictures will be taken! Madcoverboy (talk) 19:08, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose I'm not much for close-ups of people, as they don't show much. There is another FP of a grey-bearded man, but at least he's talking. This doesn't inspire me, effect me, or spark any interest, despite my support of the subject as a candidate. —Goodtimber (walk/talk) 01:46, 21 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Clear EV. High quality photo. Seems like a pretty obvious FP to me. Makeemlighter (talk) 06:38, 21 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support, very high quality --Church of emacs (Talk) 17:21, 21 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose strange crop on the right side. --Avala (talk) 11:17, 22 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

---

I make 24 supports to 18 opposes, ignoring "strongs" and "weaks". I'm going to close as not promoted, and suggest that re-nominating it in a month might be a better idea, once we see what sort of images have become available.

Not promoted --Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 16:19, 22 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Garden Orbweaver with prey

[edit]
Original - Garden Orbweaver, Eriophora transmarina, with spider prey caught in its web
Alternative 1
Alternative 2
Reason
High quality image of an orbweaver with its prey - IMO a quintessential spider scene
Articles this image appears in
Spider web, Spider
Creator
Fir0002
  • Support as nominator (preference for original) --Fir0002 02:15, 16 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment. You've put this as the taxobox image in spider. Do you really think it's the best spider photo on Wikipedia? I personally think you yourself have created a number of better ones, and honestly don't find that it's particularly engaging as the lead image for that article. --jjron (talk) 07:35, 16 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • I actually do think it's the best that I've taken for the article. To me this scene really typifies spiders. It's got a classic orb weaver web (and captured prey - which I think is important as that is the whole point of a web) and of course an orb weaver spider - a species which again to me really typifies spiders with its colouration, large abdomen, small thorax and extended legs. I know this is hardly an authoritative source, but a quick search in MS Office clipart online [12] in some way support this "generic" spider. --Fir0002 10:57, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • After initial placement of this image another editor replaced it for another, then fir reverted. One user also had preference for the original (at thumb size) at Talk:Spider#Proposed_replacement_for_lead_image. I'd also be concerned about the stability of article placement at present. Noodle snacks (talk) 10:09, 16 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
      • One editor with 188 edits to the article expressed a preference for the previous image, another with 31 edits to the article removed it. With the current showing it seems unlikely to survive in the article, as currently positioned, for long. Considering that the uploader admitted to being bold when inserting the image I'm surprised they reverted its removal without further discussion. Guest9999 (talk) 18:55, 16 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
        • I would have gone with further discussion if I'd been reverted back to the original lead (the one before I replaced it). Anyway out of curiosity how did you get the page-edit statistics Guest9999? --Fir0002 10:57, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
          • Probably by using http://vs.aka-online.de/cgi-bin/wppagehiststat.pl. SpencerT♦C 14:13, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
            • Actually used the "revision history statistics" link that's given at the top of a page's history ([13] in this case), although the link given above works just as well and has more detail. Guest9999 (talk) 10:52, 18 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
              • And back to the original issue, I find it a bit messy as a taxobox image. The taxobox image for spider should clearly show a typical morphology, rather than trying to show any specific behaviour. As you say this spider may be reasonable to use in that context in terms of body shape and colouration, but they're not hard to find sitting cleanly in the middle of their undamaged web with their eight legs out and clearly displayed, and taken from above rather than below would also serve better for the taxobox (after all, how do most people view spiders?). In this shot it's taken from below, the legs are not all cleanly visible, the web is in disrepair, and the prey that you put emphasis on is blurry and indistinct. I don't really think it works that well. --jjron (talk) 14:14, 20 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
                • Actually the centre of the webs isn't particularly neat - check out this infosheet. The problem of course with taking from above is that you're bound to have DOF issues. Also you'd lose out on the prey - which while not in sharp focus (except for alt 2) is still there. It's actually relatively rare (at least in my experience) to find them out with their prey during the day as they typically only come out at night when there aren't any birds watching. --Fir0002 10:17, 22 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
                • On that note a current featured picture of the same type of spider () would maybe work better as a general illustration of a spider. Guest9999 (talk) 19:21, 20 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Alternative 1 only. The original lacks snap, it just isn't that interesting to me. There are many better images of spiders as far as composition. Alternative 1 is one of those images. Omnibus (talk) 07:44, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Not promoted --Wronkiew (talk) 01:28, 24 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Hoarders and Wasters

[edit]
Original - Gustave Doré's depiction of Canto VII of Dante's Inferno turns the rocks that the damned hoarders and wasters are forced to move around, Sisyphus-like, into giant bags of gold, emphasising the reason for their punishment.
Reason
An excellent, encyclopedic image that manages to represent the punishment of the misers and wasters to great effect by adding a highly effective visual reference to their greed/spendthriftness.
Articles this image appears in
The Divine Comedy, could well be used elsewhere.
Creator
Gustave Doré
I tried to find some more information on Brux, but it doesn't seem like he's particularly notable outside of having worked with Doré. Maybe more will come out once I find his real name. Shoemaker's Holiday (talk) 11:22, 20 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I haven't found anything, myself. There doesn't seem to be much out there; a Google search for +Brux "Gustave Dore" brings up my question as the top hit. :) Just to be clear, my support does not hinge on gaining this information. Matt Deres (talk) 04:09, 21 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted Image:Gustave Doré - Dante Alighieri - Inferno - Plate 22 (Canto VII - Hoarders and Wasters).jpg --Fir0002 10:59, 24 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Long Legged Fly

[edit]
Original - A Chrysosoma sp. of the Dolichopodidae family, commonly known as Long Legged Flies. They make up a large family of true flies with more than 7,000 described species in about 230 genera distributed worldwide.
Reason
A very difficult picture to take IMO. This fly is very sensitive to flash and just as one takes a picture, the fly flies away, leaving the photographer with a picture of a plain leaf. In order to take this picture, I had to trick the fly. I noticed that whenever I fired the flash in quick succession, it did not fly away on the third attempt. So I manually fired the flash twice, and in less than a second had to manually focus and take the picture. To add to all that, the fly was small, only 4mm long. Compared to other images in the article, IMO this has the most EV as it shows the fly from an encyclopedic angle.
Articles this image appears in
Dolichopodidae
Creator
Muhammad Mahdi Karim

Promoted Image:Long legged fly.jpg --Fir0002 10:59, 24 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Sunflower disk florets

[edit]
Original - The sunflower Helianthus annuus, like other members of the family Asteraceae, has a characteristic inflorescence. Each flower head which superficially looks like a large flower, is made up of several small disk florets, the structures shown in the picture above.
Reason
Good quality and EV. No other images in the articles display the details that this image displays.
Articles this image appears in
Sunflower, Asteraceae
Creator
Muhammad

Withdrawn --Noodle snacks (talk) 00:02, 25 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



White-faced Heron

[edit]
Original - White-faced heron perched on a semi-submerged log
Alt 1
Reason
I know we already have an FP of this heron but I believe this one serves a different purpose - namely as a lead image for the article. It's sharp, well lit, shows the entire body (including feet), and has a clean background.
Articles this image appears in
White-faced Heron
Creator
Fir0002

Promoted File:White faced heron03.jpg --Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 01:51, 26 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Portolan chart of the Mediterranean

[edit]
Original - The oldest original cartographic artifact in the Library of Congress: a portolan nautical chart of the Mediterranean Sea. Second quarter of the fourteenth century.
Reason
Historic cartography this time: it turns out the oldest map (or to be precise, nautical chart) at the Library of Congress was available in high resolution digital form. JPEG2000 unfortunately, which makes this a little less than ideal technically but still very high resolution and a substantial improvement over the previous lead image at portolan chart. Surprisingly, neither cartography or history of cartography had a lead image. They do now. Mediterranean and part of the Black Sea. Fourteenth century, second quarter. Ink on vellum. Restored version of File:Mediterranean chart fourteenth century.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
Cartography, Portolan chart, History of cartography
Creator
Anonymous, probably Genoan

Promoted File:Mediterranean chart fourteenth century2.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 06:28, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Crested pigeon

[edit]
Original - The Crested Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes) is a bird found widely throughout mainland Australia. There are only two Australian pigeon species that possess an erect crest, being the Crested Pigeon and the Spinifex Pigeon.
Reason
Good quality/clarity
Articles this image appears in
Crested Pigeon
Creator
Benjamint 01:59, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Not promoted --Wronkiew (talk) 06:43, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Mirror writing calligraphy

[edit]
Original - Eighteenth century mirror writing in Ottoman calligraphy. Depicts the phrase 'Ali is the vicegerent of God' in both directions.
Reason
Mirror writing calligraphy flourished in the early modern Ottoman Empire where it was associated with the Bektashi order and carried mystical connotations. Restored version of File:Mirror writing.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
Mirror writing, Islamic calligraphy, Culture of the Ottoman Empire, Ali
Creator
Mahmoud Ibrahim
  • Support as nominator --DurovaCharge! 07:04, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support Good EV. For everyone's information, the phrase Ali is the vicegerent of God is one of the fundamentals of Shia Islam and one of the first religious phrases taught to children :-) Image could be added to Ali as well, under Succession to Muhammad. --Muhammad(talk) 13:51, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment. I don't understand the choice of leaving the modern mounting on the outside yet cleaning up other signs of this being a picture of a surviving artifact (i.e., the smudges, stains and other damage). If this is supposed to show the surviving writing in a modern context, then most of the cleanup isn't appropriate. If it's supposed to be a restoration to what it may have looked before history took its toll, then the mounting should be removed (it could be replaced with solid white, if a border is still necessary aesthetically because of the closely cropped paper).--ragesoss (talk) 16:33, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • The red is not the modern mounting, Ragesoss. On the original file File:Mirror writing.jpg, the modern mounting is secured by fibers to the outside of the red period mounting. DurovaCharge! 16:58, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
      • Intermediate mounting then. Not the original, though, and the original paper was probably never this clean since it was put on the red mounting.--ragesoss (talk) 18:02, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
        • There seems to be a problem with the LoC page hosting link (not sure how). The bibliographic notes do state that this is the original border mounting and the calligrapher's artistic choice: The calligrapher has used the central vertical fold in the thick cream-colored paper to help trace the exact calligraphic duplication (Selim 1979, 162) prior to mounting it onto a cardboard and pasting rectangular pink frames along its borders. DurovaCharge! 19:32, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
        • The note on the image page makes no sense, as the central crease has been removed in the restoration. I'm not keen on restorations of this nature, where a good deal of original detail is removed for no real reason. It looks neater, but probably never was as clean and uncreased as this. Is there a reason why it needs to be cleaned up to this extent? mikaultalk 01:40, 20 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
          • A substantial amount of degradation occurred in the three centuries since this image was made. Pigmentation flecked away from stress points, particularly the crease, and dirt gathered in crevices. Addressing that means making choices, such as a decision that paper seams themselves would remain visible with considerably less grime. A fold in a fresh piece of paper that has been flattened and glued to another surface is virtually invisible. Not absolutely invisible, of course, and that is where file size makes the difference. In a 60MB source image there would be enough data to reproduce that detail convincingly. This was a 21.8MB source file before cropping. DurovaCharge! 02:19, 20 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted Image:Mirror writing2.jpg --Muhammad(talk) 17:09, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Aeneas by Barocci

[edit]
Original - Federico Barocci's "Aeneas' Flight from Troy". 1598
Reason
A great, high resolution image of historical artwork with a high level of emotion showing the flight from Troy
Articles this image appears in
Aeneas Baroque Founding of Rome Trojan War Aeneid
Creator
Federico Barocci
  • Support as nominator --Pstanton 07:32, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
  • Oppose. Too small to capture the full detail of the painting, and it's not clear whether a significant portion of the image has been cropped out (which it seems like it might have been). Also, the image page needs to be fleshed out. It should describe what is going on in the paining, and have details like medium and size.--ragesoss (talk) 17:03, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment I can see your point, but I'm not very skilled at Wikipedia functions, so I myself would have no idea how to do that, is there some sort of forum in which this picture can be listed for improvement? --Pstanton 23:58, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
  • Comment Actually, I've checked and if nothing else, it appears this is an uncropped image. I can't find any other versions of this that include more detail, but yes, the image page does need fleshing out. --Pstanton 00:18, 20 January 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pstanton (talk • contribs)

Not promoted --Muhammad(talk) 17:29, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Battle of Mazandaran

[edit]
Original - This large-scale painting depicts the Battle of Mazandaran, an event in the famous Hamzanama. In this battle scene, the protagonists Khwajah 'Umar and Hamzah (nicknamed Sahib Qiran, "Owner of the Epochs") and their armies engage in fierce battle. Originally, the faces were depicted, subsequently erased by iconoclasts, and repainted in more recent times. (more context on image page)
Reason
Another reason to love the Library of Congress. This is a fantastic scan of a 16th century illuminated manuscript illustrating an important Persian romance, the Hamzanama. This is one of 1400 folios that were commissioned by Akbar the Great. A lot of context relating to the image is on the image page, if you're interested to read more. The verso is also available at File:The battle of Mazandaran verso.jpg if anyone is interested (though not featurable quality it could be interesting for the few en.wikipedians who can read it...).
Articles this image appears in
Hamzanama
Creator
Unknown calligrapher commissioned by Akbar the Great

Promoted Image:The battle of Mazandaran.jpg --Muhammad(talk) 17:32, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Rambutan

[edit]
Original - Ripe Rambutan fruits (Nephelium lappaceum)
Reason
That's a fine photography of a gorgeous exotic fruit from Southeast Asia. The photo meets all the criteria established such as: sharpness, grainless, good definition, nice composition, high resolution (10mp) and others. Please,see it in full resolution.
Articles this image appears in
Rambutan, Sapindaceae
Creator
Whaldener Endo

Not promoted --Muhammad(talk) 17:44, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Layla and Majnun

[edit]
Original - A scene from Nezami's adaptation of the romance "Layla and Majnun". The thwarted lovers meet for the last time before their deaths. Both have fainted and Majnun's elderly messenger attempts to revive Layla while wild animals protect the pair from unwelcome intruders. Late sixteenth century illustration.
Reason
Ever wonder where the Eric Clapton song "Layla" gets its title? The love story originated in Arabia in the seventh century about a man driven to madness when the woman he loves is forced to marry someone else. This is a sixteenth century illustration for a twelfth century Persian adaptation of the tale. Restored version of File:Layla and Majnun.jpg.
Articles this image appears in
Nezami, Layla and Majnun
Creator
unknown

Promoted Image:Layla and Majnun2.jpg --Muhammad(talk) 17:49, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates/File:Mount Storm Power Plant, Aerial.jpg

Laughing Kookaburra

[edit]
Original - Laughing Kookaburra perched in a eucalypt tree
Alt 1
Reason
High quality image with a clean background of one of Australia's most iconic birds
Articles this image appears in
Laughing Kookaburra
Creator
Fir0002

Promoted File:Laughing kookaburra dec08 02.jpg --Wronkiew (talk) 17:45, 29 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

  • Why was the alternate promoted instead of the original? It looks like there is equal support for each. Perhaps more input should be requested... Makeemlighter (talk) 03:23, 30 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    Alternate received slightly more support, by my calculations. Considering that both versions received overwhelming support, I decided to pick the most supported version instead of leaving it open. If someone who did not review this image thinks it was closed early, I'll be happy to revert the promotion and put it up for more discussion. Wronkiew (talk) 06:45, 2 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Little Wattlebird

[edit]
Original - Little Wattlebird feeding on a flowering Corymbia ficifolia
Reason
I was really pleased with this shot, the quality is good and the bird really pops at full size, not so good at thumb size though.
Articles this image appears in
Little Wattlebird, Corymbia ficifolia
Creator
Noodle snacks

Withdrawn A pity almost no one bothered to view it at bigger than thumbnail size, take into account this image's usage within the article or consider its encyclopaedic value. It is a sunken ship now though. Noodle snacks (talk) 04:58, 30 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Invitation to the Inauguration of Barack Obama

[edit]
Original - Invitation to attend the 2009 Inauguration of Barack Obama. The invitations were individually engraved, leaving a raised impression on the front, and an indentation on the back of the sheets. The invitations were produced in a 100% green manner, using recycled paper, by companies certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
Reason
A very detailed image of the Invitation to the Inauguration of Barack Obama, showing detaling in the engraving, fibres in the paper, etc, etc. I've chosen to nominate this version because the original .png file, File:Inaugural invitation 2009.png is too large to be thumbnailed and used in articles, while the smaller .png version, Image:Inaugural invitation 2009 72dpi.png, doesn't show the detail this one does. There is also an alternative file, File:Reverse of seal of Obama inauguration invitation.jpg, which shows the reverse of the invitation and the indentation of the seal.
Articles this image appears in
Invitation to the Inauguration of Barack Obama, Barack Obama 2009 presidential inauguration, and United States presidential inauguration
Creator
Commons:User:Kop (original png file), User:Matthewedwards (this jpg file)

Withdraw, please. Matthewedwards (talk • contribs • email) 07:23, 22 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Withdrawn --Noodle snacks (talk) 12:30, 30 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Fairy Penguin

[edit]
Original - A wild Little Penguin returning to its burrow to feed it's chicks on Bruny Island
Reason
The only decent quality image on wikipedia of a wild fairy penguin. The flash is a requirement since they only return to the nesting sites after dark. A very difficult shot to take. The light levels were far to low for autofocus (4 seconds at ISO 1600) and manual focusing was extremely difficult (I used a narrow aperture to raise my chances). I had to limit myself to a couple of shots as flash photography was not allowed (Though the sign and Tourism Tasmania photographs use flash!). Noodle snacks (talk) 11:05, 21 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Articles this image appears in
Little Penguin
Creator
Noodle snacks

Not promoted --Noodle snacks (talk) 12:29, 30 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Barack Obama sworn in

[edit]
Original - Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.
Reason
Captured from the actual swearing in. Higher resolution than the other proposed image, better facial expression.
Articles this image appears in
Barack Obama, Barack Obama 2009 presidential inauguration
Creator
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo

Not promoted --Noodle snacks (talk) 12:28, 30 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Barack Obama after inaugural address

[edit]
Original - President Barack Obama waves to the crowd at the conclusion of his inaugural address, Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2009.
Edit 1 sRGB conversion and removing greyish color cast
Reason
President Barack Obama waves to the crowd after his inaugural address. The image has good lighting and framing, and shows the subject in an active posture. It is a historic image with high encyclopedic value.
Articles this image appears in
Barack Obama 2009 presidential inauguration
Creator
Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley, USN
Sorry, but IPs do not have suffrage at FPC. If you wish to vote, please create an account. It is also good etiquette to provide a reason for your support, even if it is 'per nomination'. —Vanderdecken∴ ∫ξφ 10:17, 21 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Not promoted --Noodle snacks (talk) 12:28, 30 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Willy Brandt

[edit]
Original - Willy Brandt, German Chancellor (1969—1974), Mayor of West-Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany (West-Germany), 1980
Reason
High quality portrait photo, recently uploaded by the Federal Archives of Germany
Articles this image appears in
Willy Brandt
Chancellor of Germany (Federal Republic)
Creator
Reinck, 1980-03-05, Deutsches Bundesarchiv (German Federal Archive)

Not promoted --Noodle snacks (talk) 12:29, 30 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



There were giants on the Earth in those days

[edit]
Original - Titans and giants, including Ephialtes on the left, in Gustave Doré's illustrations to Dante's Divine Comedy.
Reason
I love the way that the perspective and tiny figures of Dante and Virgil add scale, and the stark strangeness of the landscape we find them in. Stunning in thumbnail, astounding at full size.
Articles this image appears in
Titan, Aloadae, Gustave Doré (gallery).
Creator
Gustave Doré

Promoted Image:Gustave_Doré_-_Dante_Alighieri_-_Inferno_-_Plate_65_(Canto_XXXI_-_The_Titans).jpg --Muhammad(talk) 17:42, 30 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Feta Cheese

[edit]
Original - Feta Cheese
Reason
Detailed and clear
Articles this image appears in
Feta
Creator
Noodle snacks
  • Support as nominator --Noodle snacks (talk) 02:04, 25 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comment (aplies to garlic nomination, too) I would support, but there are two fixable problems. This pitcture (and to a much lesser extent the garlic nom) is oversharpened; prominent black/white haloes are everywhere. Also, along with the garlic nom, the backgound cut-out isn't accurately done; the big block of feta and the farthest clove of garlic are particularly prominent, but cut-out issues are all over the place. Thegreenj 02:39, 25 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    • Actually they haven't been sharpened much at all, just shot with hard light which shows up the fine surface detail more. Where are you refering to on the feta? All the missing chunks I can see should be missing. Again I'm not seeing it with the garlic, the surface on the top right particularly is lumpy. Here are some references pre any PP: (feta, garlic) Noodle snacks (talk) 03:34, 25 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
      • As to the sharpening, I'm talking about the light and dark bands File:Feta Cheese crop.jpg here (taken from the middle of the original). The bands are apparent without enlargement on my screen. There are similar patterns in both images. The cut out follows the contour of the cheese fine, but I think the problem is that it doesn't fade into the background in the way a real OOF transition would. It looks unnatural to me. It's diffenent with the garlic: the OOF bulbs look blocky, almost pixelated. Not sure how to describe it better than that. None of the things I've mentioned are in either pre-PP. Thegreenj 04:42, 25 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose My main problem with this and your garlic shot is the no-shadows-floating-in-black style - I'd much prefer seeing some shadows giving it some "support". Also there are quite a few (easily fixable) jaggies at the top of the back piece. Finally I'm not too keen on the hard lighting of this as most of the white cheese has turned grey - more light on the top of the scene would have been beneficial I feel. --Fir0002 07:45, 25 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Reluctant oppose I'd have supported this shot had it been on a more typical backdrop - cheesboard? cheesecloth? - but the lengths you've gone to to provide a neutral bg have made it look surreal, as if hastily marqueed out of an entirely different shot for dramatic effect. Thanks for being honest enough to link to the original capture, but it only serves to show how un-redeemable it is as an FP candidate. mikaultalk 12:04, 25 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose In addition to what's been said, I think there's something wrong with the lighting in general. This is not how I remember feta. Hmm... the meta-info says flash did not fire, but it looks a bit flashed. Papa Lima Whiskey (talk) 01:48, 26 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose bc of lighting. Does not convey feta cheese's whiteness effectively. Calliopejen1 (talk) 13:36, 26 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose. During all my trips to outer space, I never once saw feta cheese floating around. Kaldari (talk) 22:55, 27 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Oppose. Because of the composition. It should be placed on a plate or in some other neutral environment, not floating in darkness. - Mgm|(talk) 11:59, 30 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Withdrawn --Noodle snacks (talk) 04:25, 31 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



Garlic Bulbs

[edit]
Original - Garlic Bulbs and cloves
Reason
Figured I better get in on a food nom or two before fir takes them all :P
Articles this image appears in
Garlic
Creator
Noodle snacks

Withdrawn --Noodle snacks (talk) 04:23, 31 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]



White Pelican

[edit]
Original - White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) swimming in St James's Park
Edit 1 Recovering some shadow and overall detail
Reason
This image is sharp, clearly shows the shape of a white pelican swimming, and has beautiful reflections off of the water.
Articles this image appears in
Great White Pelican
Creator
Dakoman

*Promoted image: Edit one According to my calculations, the original has 5 supports and edit one has 9. ZooFari 04:44, 30 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted File:Whitepelican edit shadowlift.jpg Can you follow the closing instructions please. --Noodle snacks (talk) 05:01, 30 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]


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