FAQ
Is everything with Pick a Picture being offered free of charge?
Yes. Pick a Picture is a simple implementation of an idea that is meant to be shared widely.
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.
- Here is an example of what a link to the Wikimedia Commons page of an image looks like: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GinkgoLeaves.jpg To find this, sometimes you'll need to click on a button that says "More Details." For example, you'll need to do this when you're looking at an image you found as the result of a search. Clicking on "More Details" will take you to the Wikimedia Commons page for that image. Then, the link that you need will be displayed at the top of your web browser (in what's called the address bar, which displays the link of the page that you are currently on).
Every image has information near the upper left hand corner of the image. The top line of this information is a link for sharing the image with others. These links will take you to a page that provides the attribution for these images. So, you don't need to worry about providing attribution if all you want to do is share the link with someone.
Every image has a link for sharing. For images that need attribution, you will find the attribution for them below the link for sharing.
All images can be freely reused and shared. To download an image, you can right click on any of the images and select "Download." When using or sharing downloaded images, copy and paste the attribution that you will find near the near the upper left hand corner of each image under the link for sharing. Include this attribution when using or sharing a downloaded image.
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. One place to look for pictures is Wikimedia Commons, a free media repository. 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.
One very unfortunate thing that is currently true about using Miro is that not all of the pictures will always be showing. As you zoom in and out and navigate around the board, some of the pictures will disappear. Zooming in and out can help them to reappear.
This is a known bug for the Miro team. They are working on fixing it. In the meantime, here are their suggestions:
- Close all unused tabs with Miro boards in your browser;
- Open your browser settings and disable hardware acceleration (for convenience, please see third-party instruction: how to enable or disable hardware acceleration in a browser for a walkthrough on how to do this);
- Refresh the active tab with the Miro board in your browser;
- Make sure you are using Chrome version 1.8614.0 or higher.
- Some users also reported that the issue appeared less in the Firefox browser, so you may try that as well.
Why can't I paste an image if I'm using a mobile device (phone, iPad/tablet)?
Miro does not support being able to paste on mobile devices at this point. You can browse through the pictures on mobile devices. But, if you want to copy and paste them to a new location on the board (in order to select them and look at all the ones you've selected at once), you'll need to do that on a computer. You can't do that on a mobile device.
What do I need in order to run a Pick a Picture session?
Ask Leeann for a board that you can use
Miro lets users make an unlimited number of boards. With these boards, visitors without Miro accounts can have access to edit these boards. So, all Leeann has to do is give you a link to a board that she gives to no one else, and then you'll have your very own board. To contact Leeann, email her at info@pickapicture.org
Fill out the Instructions email with your information and send it to your participants
Click here to go the Instructions email page.
Facilitation suggestion
Note that participants can choose to just share about the images they've selected without having others in the group respond. (Or, they can choose to have everyone participate in talking about the image they've shared and what they've said about it.) To make it easier for the sharer to choose to not have the group respond, one suggestion is to end each participant's sharing time by asking them, "Would you like any reflections?" (If they say no, then you move on to the next person whose turn it is to share.) You, as the facilitator, can be the one to ask this each time. Or, you can designate someone to do so.
The rest of the information you need has been provided on this website
The basics of what you need to know in order to run a Pick a Picture session has been provided on this website. If you want more help, email Leeann at info@pickapicture.org.