2012 Tortoise Friends Calendar

[Lisa McIntyre]

A message from Sally (the collator of the pictures for the calendar)
*****************
Everyone: I am still very short of photos for the calendar. At present, I am not sure we will be able to go forward and print one unless I get some more photos to choose from. So, one final plea - if you have a nice photo of your (or anybody else's) tortoise, that meets the criteria defined below, please do send it to me if you would like a chance for it to be selected for next year's Tortoisefriends Calendar 2012. sally@tortgirl.co.uk

I am going to be away (Hurricane Irene permitting) for a couple of weeks, so deadline for submission extended to 10th September.

Please only send ONE photo per email while I am away, or my inbox will crash and you will stop other people's photos getting through.

I will respond to all emails on my return - if i haven't responded by 17th September, email me again and check whether I received your photo.

Get snapping!

Sally

----- Original Message -----
From: Sally Wiltshire
To: tortoisefriends@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2011 3:13 PM
Subject: [Tortoisefriends] Tortoisefriends Calendar 2012 - PHOTOS PHOTOS PHOTOS



People. It is mid august, and I have the sum total of 12 photos submitted. Now, they are all lovely photos, and I guess we could just about make a calendar out of them, but we usually like to have a little more choice than that!

Closing date for submissions is August 31st. I know it has been a rubbish summer, but please DO either go through some files and send some old photos, or get out there and take some new ones!

Looking forward to a full inbox and loads more splendid pictures to choose from for next year's Tortoisefriends Calendar 2012

Photos guidelines below: and can I please re-iterate ONE PHOTO PER EMAIL. I was recently sent a mail with 4 photos in that was 19Mb in size - i have no idea how it got through, but it has killed my inbox and took several goes to manage to get it open and get the photos saved elsewhere. Please don't do this!

Many thanks
Sally
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PHOTO GUIDELINES:
The Tortoisefriends Calendar is internationally renowned <g> but in order for us to continue to produce an exemplary calendar, we need your photos. But not just any photos. We need BIG photos. HUGE photos in fact. Last year we received over 400 hundred photos, and at least 100 more that could not be used or voted upon as the file size was WAY TOO SMALL to print at good enough quality. I cannot stress highly enough, the photo file size has to be pretty much at the maximum your camera will take, in order for us to print it at good enough quality to include in the calendar. Trial and error and previous experience has also identified a number of other requirements, and some common sense guidelines. I have summarised these below:

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:
1. The photo file when you mail it to me must be a minimum of 1Mb in file size, up to a maximum of 5Mb. This means the resolution/compression settings on the camera must be between 1600 x 1200 and about 4000 x 3000. Pictures smaller than this will be rejected. Pictures bigger than this crash my inbox <g>

2. If you need help with working out how to make sure you have the highest resolution setting on your camera (and this may be called resolution/compression/or any number of other phrases), the easiest way to describe it is that in the menu this will be the setting that gives you the least number of photos for your memory card. For example, my previous camera had settings of Superfine (highest resolution), Fine (medium resolution) and "Normal" (low resolution). At "Superfine" I got 200 photos on a 1/2 Gb card. At "normal" I get 1000 photos on a 1/2 Gb card. Superfine is the way to go.

3. The photos must be landscape (e.g the longest edge along the top and bottom). We cannot print "portrait" (longest edge along the side) photos.

**Please note that photos that are not within the required file size range and orientation, regardless of how good they are, will have to be rejected as we cannot print them**

PHOTO HINTS:
4. Ideally, the tortoise should be a good example of its species, and in an appropriate habitat (e.g. a tortoise eating lettuce on a carpet, or eating plants that are not recommended, cannot be included).

5. Likewise, photos taken in vivariums or under artificial light rarely come out well, and will not generally be selected. Outdoor photos are more likely to be favoured, but be mindful of the environment - think about the fencing/enclosure walls you using. Outside but in a milk crate doesn't really work for us either <g>.

6. Something interesting in the colour/background/setting will help your tortoise stand out - however, there are only so many "tortoises eating colourful lavatera/dandelion" we can include so a little imagination may be required to give your tortoise that special edge

SUBMITTING YOUR PHOTOS:
7. Please email your photos to sally@tortgirl.co.uk. You can start sending them now, if you have them.

8. PLEASE SEND ONE PHOTO PER EMAIL ONLY. This helps me in tracking and cataloguing the photos, and hopefully prevents my inbox crashing with too many large files. If my inbox crashes not only do i not get *your* email, but I don't get other people's either.

9. I will acknowledge each email I received - so, if you mail me a photo and I haven't replied within one week, then please email me again in case it has gone missing in an overfull inbox.

10.The closing date for your photos is 31st August. This gives you two and half months. Get out there and start snapping!

Here's to a terrific Tortoisefriends Calendar 2012.

Sally and the Calendar Team

[pagan queen]

I have loads of pictures but when I read the rules I just have no idea how to do it so just wont bother. Maybe that's what everyone feels

[Lisa McIntyre]

The rules are pretty straight forward but have to be set out in full (experience talking here LOL). Large files (highest res setting on your camera), landscape and one pic per email (so it doesnt crash sally's computer). There are hints/tips so you know the sort of pictures that are likely to be picked but apart from that those mentioned above are the main rules.

[Kirkie]

Hi Lisa,

Nooooo. This has to happen, I love the calendar. I'll have a rummage through my photos. My personal favourite this year is of my box turtles mating. No ones gonna want that hanging on their wall though.

[ClareandCo]

Originally Posted by Kirkie

Hi Lisa,

Nooooo. This has to happen, I love the calendar. I'll have a rummage through my photos. My personal favourite this year is of my box turtles mating. No ones gonna want that hanging on their wall though.

Mr Box Turtle probably will!

[Alan1]

Originally Posted by Lisa McIntyre

So, one final plea

That's the first time it's been posted on here this year I'm pretty sure and last year it wasn't posted at all because I was asking about it and thought it must have been done away with

Would it not be better sending one email with several thumbnail links to the full size one rather than 10 emails with one photo on each? EDIT> No, forget that bit, it would depend where it was hosted and if you were a member etc

[EquestrianBabe]

Will try and see what I can get done up.

[TortBabe]

Oh goody Courtney You take the best pictures

[EquestrianBabe]

Thanks Its the size issue that would get me ...

[TortBabe]

I bet you will figure it out