User:Frank Schulenburg/The Commons Photographer

I'm creating this page here to work on a periodical for Wikimedia Commons. In my opinion that's long overdue and I've thought about this for quite a while. Is it going to be a quarterly or a bi-monthly magazine? Honestly, I don't know yet. It depends on how much feedback I will get, how much photographers on Commons will cooperate, how many people will be interested in helping with this project, etc.

What's the idea behind this? Photography is fun! The more people participate in Wikimedia Commons, the better. This magazine will be a way to feature some of the photographers who upload their pictures here and to (a) tell the story behind the shots (an area that is somewhat neglected here), (b) let some outstanding photographers share their knowledge with others (we need more shared learning in our community), and (c) to tell some stories about the people behind the many great pictures on this site. Also, let's see if we can get some people together for a bi-monthly/quarterly photo challenge around a specific topic.

Interested in helping with this? Please add your name below. Interested in getting notified when the first issue is ready? Same procedure. Comments, ideas on how to do things better? Please feel free to leave a message on the talk page. Are you welcome to edit this page? Of course! The more people help with this, the more fun it is :-) --Frank Schulenburg (talk) 13:17, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

Content edit

Letter from the editor(s)
The story behind the picture (capturing events in history) (this section will feature a photo that captures an event in history and the story behind it)
- Tell us a little bit about yourself (optional)
- What does the photo show? When did you take this picture? Where?
- How did you happen to be at this place at that moment?
- Some background on how you took this picture (technique / gear / etc.)
- What did you do after you took the picture?
How-to do … (focussing on a specific area of photography every issue, e.g. food photography, macro photography, etc. A photographer on Commons will explain how he/she is doing it)
- What fascinates you about …?
- Gear: which gear to use (camera, lenses, tripod, other) / why?
- Technique: how to get the best exposure / what to watch out for (do's and dont's)
- Recommended post-processing techniques
- Is there a photography book about … that helped you to get better and that you can recommend?
- Which are the pictures that you consider your best in this field?
Portrait: Q + A (either an interview with someone who works on the Commons Meta level or with a photographer)
- Questions for meta people
  - How did you get the idea to start …? / What was your motivation behind starting …?
  - What do you think is the biggest success of …?
  - What did you learn from doing …?
  - What are your plans for the future / for future projects?
- Questions for photographers
  - How long have you been behind the camera and what made you first pick one up?
  - If you pack your bag for a photo shoot – what's in it? why? Any must-have non-photographic items?
  - The creative process of photographers is often undiscussed; can you tell me a little about your process, not in terms of gear/technicque but more in terms of how you go from the discovery of your topic to the final frame. Is it easy? Difficult? Do you consider yourself more intuitive or is each frame an intentional choice?
  - How did you happen to join Wikimedia Commons?
  - What's your favorite picture on Commons? Why?
Challenge (a specific topic per issue; users are invited to submit their photos)
The last snapshot (a short question and a short answer)
- If you could change one thing about Wikimedia Commons – what would that be and why? (e.g. how people interact with each other / how many photographers are on Commons / a technical feature that you would like to have)

I'd like to help with this edit

Just add your name below
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I'd like to read this. Please notify me on my talk page when the first issue is ready edit

Same here
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