Alright, I’ve got some time.. Anyone want a Grab Bag Mini Keeper Directory?

I believe Scathach inquired about it in another thread, and I decided that I have a bit more time these days to try to get this done. It may take a while, so please be patient with me if I get backed up on it! This will be something that I work on in my spare time only, and sometimes that’s hard to find 🙂

Here’s the deal:
In the past when I have done these, it’s been very difficult to track down permissions, images, etc., and there have been some issues regarding picture ownership in the past. So I’m going to do it a little differently this time.

If you’d like your dragon to be featured in the directory (which, when it has a few entries, I will include in my signature just like the others and you are welcome to link to wherever you wish) you must EMAIL me your photos and permissions.
Please be SURE to state in the email that you are giving me permission to modify and post your photos on my website.
I will not be able to post without your expressed permission!

That said, please also make SURE that YOU own the photos you are sending!!
Ownership of a photo belongs to the person who took the photo originally, NOT the person who currently owns the piece pictured! If YOU took the photo, YOU own the photo! If you meet this requirement, you can give me permission to use it on my site – you cannot give your husband’s permission, your brother’s permission, or your neighbor’s permission if they took the photo. They must email me if that is the case.

I know, this sounds stupid and annoying over a picture – but please trust me when I say that the issues I have encountered in the past were absolutely not worth my time and effort to go through! It may seem like a silly step for you, but it really helps me in the long run avoid unnecessary drama and frustration in my life! 🙂

As these dragons are pretty symmetrical, I only require that you send me ONE good photo of her DISPLAY SIDE – this side is the one where her front paw is in the foreground, resting on her tail (example below!) and she is facing to the left. From this side, you can see all her beautiful colors and both of her gems.

Here’s an example of the display side:

*Please note that I will ONLY be accepting images of the display side!*

Please be sure that the photo is AT LEAST 1000 pixels wide. Small pictures are VERY hard for me to adapt to my webpage, and the bigger the better! I am happy to modify the raw image from your camera – it’s very large, but that means I can resize it without losing any of the quality 🙂

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Some notes on taking photos of your dragon:
These are tips and are by no means required, but highly recommended!!

Photos are best taken in a lightbox or under natural light. I almost always take my pictures outside if I can, because the sun is the best natural light source! Pretty much everything looks its best when taken on a slightly cloudy day. If you do not wish to move your piece outside for photos, just make sure you have plenty of light when you are taking pictures.
When you take a picture of your dragon, it is best to stand a few feet away and use the zoom on your camera instead of taking a picture up close. The reason for this is that if you take a picture up close, the proportions of the dragon become distorted due to the camera’s proximity to the dragon. When you step back and zoom in, the dragon’s proportions stay correct! I learned this after MANY months of taking pictures of Windstones, and trust me when I say – you can tell the difference!
Here’s an example:

Poor Riverspine on the left looks like he’s a bit full of himself – his head is big, his feet are tiny! This is because I was standing very close to him when taking the picture. Taiga, on the right, was taken from several feet back using zoom. His proportions are correct to if you were standing in front of him, and he looks much prettier because of it!
(I realize this particular tip may be more difficult for people using camera phones! Again these are just tips, and not requirements 🙂 )

Flash is NOT recommended. It tends to wash out and discolor the piece in photos because of the slightly bluish tint of the artificial light that is used in most cameras. I of course understand if you have limited resources and I will still accept pictures that use flash! However, if you have the time and resources, I highly recommend using the tips above. They will really help your dragon to stand out!

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That’s about it! Sorry for the super long winded post, but I wanted to be sure to cover all my bases before starting this 🙂 If you have any questions, please feel free to ask away – however, do NOT post your image in here and give me permissions in this thread – I WILL NOT be taking images from this thread or from PMs – please, EMAIL ONLY! This makes it much easier for me to organize permissions and images 🙂 Thanks everyone!!

Hannah’s email:
atoadaso [at] gmail [dot] com