User blog:Angel Emfrbl/Photo picking?

Okay I'm going to write a little bit about photos supplied by companies for sales purposes and why some do and don't appear on the wikia. For copyright reasons, we can only show a few photos and that limits us to 1 per figure, unless you get a fan photo. Theres no need for anymore then one though. I don't tend to like front of images, but pick them out when theres nothing else. This was because I was taught that a 3/4 angle gave a better in depth on the 3D perspective of an object, with front and side profiles giving the least useful amounts of visual data. Basically, images of the back are useless, if a person wants to fin them? Well if their buying them their already heading in the right direction.

The next thing to go for is which image is presenting itself the best. This means a image with a suitable "pose" is peferred as it. After this, the overall showing what the product is becomes important, this varies as to how useful it can be. It was not needed for Luka figma to have the tuna in the picture as the bit everyone is interested in (I presume) is Luka herself. The same with the gun (plus the wikia wouldn't like the photo and you could hardly see BRS's details).

However, due to the importance of showing the extras, the Nendoroid Miku Support figure HAD to have the photo showing what is and isn't included in the package to show the reader what you get. This was the same with the Miku Append figma, as all those details were the essence of her character and let me tell you; Miku Append photographs are awful! In some photos her "love" handles (hip handles, sorry thats my name for them) were missing, her tie did not float in others... the back cable is missing... Basically, it was a model with a heap of problems related to it and in the end I settled for the one that gave, I felt, the best summery of the figure and a suitable comparison between the previous Append figure and the box itself.

Actually, choosing the final picture for show is the hardest part, in the long run you have only one photograph to show the person what a figure is. You HAVE to make it a good one. The thing is, though the wikia isn't an advertisment place, the fact we have information about the figures does mean some will glimpse at what their missing. I doubt a company will complain, as they tend to ignore what couuld result in a sale. If a fan looks at the photographs and "wants" that figure, then they will seek out the company to buy that figure and it equals in a sale. So in a way... Yeah we end up being a advertising space in that sense even if we're not trying to be. :-/

I will always object to too many photographs leaking onto a wikia because I'm aware of a copyright infringement, everything uploaded is always for demostrational purposes, I don't like the idea of photographs for prettiness. I happen to scold that some wikias do this. It is not important to have every single image up on the web in existance and not a good idea at all. If the companies object to the photographs, your left looking silly. In particular to manga images, if you have an entire page on the web there could be blood... One frame however will usually be skipped over. Despite the copyright infringement, companies don't object entirely to fans uploading *some* things because it adds to the fandom and expands the interest resulting in money in the pocket for them, you juist got to know where to draw the line thats the thing.

I have had goes at the One Piece wikia over images for a while now. Newbie editors keep rushing to add shots of cells from the manga whenever it comes out, to the point where we had 20 images up for 15 chapters of the Fishman island arc. I managed to get a message across that this is not on, that they have to cut back to as little as possible and use images where needed only. In some cases there was an image per paragraph during the Marine Vs Pirate war, which resulted in me (much to my annoyance) having to take down about 75% of the photos. Honestly... You don't need two photos of the Shichibukai in one paragraph...

Still, I am aware of the picture pains even as I do this wikia. Having been through a fandom where fanart was also attacked when westerners "stole" it, thats also something that has never left my mind. That was a serious fall out between Japan and the west when it happened in that fandom... And made worst by stupid fans on our side of the fence being unable to understand why its wrong and making it worst by saying "they should feel honoured we're using their art...". Honestly, the IQ levels of some were brought into question over that, and I myself had remember having work stolen back at highschool. It wasn't funny seeing someone else trying to get marks with work that you knew wasn't their own. Thank goodness my tutor knew my style, otherwise they'd gotten away with it as their tutor was none the wiser.

Regardless, the impact was quite serious on that fandom in Japan, enough for the message "we're quitting" to come back... If they ever did any more art, I don't know. All I know is the west caused some to quit arting in Japan and that was enough. Its okay to admire something, but to take it is wrong. Without the thing o admire though? It was a dead loss.