FAQ

Can I contribute an image to Pick a Picture?

• Yes. We are in the process of coming up with a way to have images that are contributed to Pick a Picture be entered into a contest and voted on. The idea is to have the winning images be added to the Pick a Picture digital image collection.
• The Pick a Picture collection was curated to bring about meaningful reflection, sharing, and connection during Pick a Picture sessions. Click here for some properties of Pick a Picture images that give a sense for the kinds of pictures that we've found to work well.
• Contributing images
  • Contributing a photo that you took yourself - The method for contributing an image is to first add the image to the Wikimedia Commons media file repository. Click here to be walked through how to contribute an image to Wikimedia Commons. Then, email the link of the Wikimedia Commons page for the image to Leeann at info@pickapicture.org.
  • Contributing an image that you found on Wikimedia Commons - Email the link of the Wikimedia Commons page for the image to Leeann at info@pickapicture.org.

What you need to do to use these images outside of Pick a Picture

• Images that can be freely reused and shared
  • Creative Commons and Public Domain
    • For these images, you will find the attribution for them near the upper left hand corner of the image. Copy and paste this attribution along with the image when using the image or sharing the image with others.
  • Source unknown
    • If there is nothing near the upper left hand corner of an image and the image's filename doesn't begin with "shutterstock_" or "iStock-", then the source of that image is unknown.
• Images for which you need to purchase a license
  • Shutterstock
    • If the image's filename begins with "shutterstock_", then you need to go to shutterstock.com and purchase a license for the image. To find the image on their website, copy the number that's in the filename into the search box that you'll find at the top of Shutterstock's webpages.
  • iStock by Getty Images
    • If the image's filename begins with "iStock-", then you need to go to istockphoto.com and purchase a license for the image. To find the image on their website, copy the number that's in the filename into the search box that you'll find at the top of iStock's webpages.

How to choose images to add to a Pick a Picture image collection

I'm hoping I'll inspire others to make their own Pick a Picture collections, be they digital ones or physical ones. I've been asked about what I look for in selecting the pictures. Here are some properties that images that I have added to my Pick a Picture collection might have:

• tend to have no text
• has elements that can be seen differently at different times or by different people
• something you could look at for a long time
• has children engaged in doing something where you can imagine yourself as the child
• has people in it that are from more diverse backgrounds than are represented in the collection.
• has a mood or feeling that could go with it
• makes you smile
• are abstract, but not too abstract
• evokes a strong image
• has motion, light, or interesting facial expressions
• can give others a sense of how you experienced something

How long is a Pick a Picture session?

• As short as 15 minutes, and as long as a couple of hours.
• The length of the session depends on the following factors:
  • number of people involved
  • number of rounds
  • time allocated for sharing
  • whether or not time is allocated for engaging in creative processes
• Example: Two hours was a generous amount of time for a group of four people to do two rounds. Everyone knew each other, and having two hours provided time for there to be a large amount of interaction.