Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 1 Oct 2013 at 10:47:12 (UTC)
Original – Lesser Butterfly-orchid (Platanthera bifolia), in natural habitat (alvar) in Käesalu, Northwestern Estonia. Species belongs to the category III of protected species in the country.
Oppose Disagree. Think the existing FP has higher ev for the article. The sunset lighting might be artistic, but the image is underexposed and lacks detail and clarity compared to the current FP. -- Colin°Talk11:18, 23 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 3 Oct 2013 at 14:19:54 (UTC)
Original – View Alcatraz Island
Reason
High EV "Alcatraz Island is located in the San Francisco Bay, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. Often referred to as "The Rock", the photo was taken at the Americas Cup Pier, in the background is Sausalito & Marin County. If you look closely tourist's can be seen walking up to the prison, from the ferry boat as a dark cloud lingers over the San Francisco bay.
Fixed the dot WPPilot 03:36, 26 September 2013 (UTC)
Oh, I thought the "dot" meant was the large, faint fuzzy thing in the sky at the left (just above the seagull). What is that? Is it actually a cloud? 86.171.43.177 (talk) 03:44, 27 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose This is a useful image, but it's unsharp (especially when viewed at full resolution), the colours look a bit off and the fog detracts from the image's composition IMO. Nick-D (talk) 00:22, 30 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
This is awesome and if stable, has my support. edit: for the record, I'm ok with the extra black on the right side, but if I'm not around to comment for any future adjustments (requested crops), I'll probably be ok with that as well. – Kerαunoςcopia◁galaxies05:17, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Support. I want to argue that the fingerprint is distracting, and it is, in a way, but this is less a picture for biological purposes than for amazement purposes. Drmies (talk) 02:32, 28 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Neutral The picture is well lit, there is a good level of contrast with the green leafy background and that cockroach (sounds a bit creepy). But a few things come to my mind when I'll say its a Featured Picture, is it ordinary or extraordinary? the former of-course, a run-of-the-mill picture, one you see every other day. So neutral. Sohambanerjee199809:40, 3 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 3 Oct 2013 at 15:26:29 (UTC)
Original – Charles I with M. de St Antoine, a Flemish oil painting on canvas by Anthony van Dyck which depicts Charles I of England on horseback, accompanied by his riding master, Pierre Antoine Bourdon, Seigneur de St Antoine.
Reason
High resolution, good quality scan, notable painting
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 3 Oct 2013 at 23:16:57 (UTC)
Original – Landscape with quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), Cachilaya, Bolivia, Province La Paz, Lake Titicaca seen in background.
Reason
Good EV and quality. A renomination of this nomination, which failed because of instability of the image in the Quinoa article.
Quoting the original rationale by MKwek: "The image composition is perfect: a landscape full with colourful quinoa plants, with the beautiful Lake Titicaca at the background. It creates the appreciation of the Bolivian farmers' work in meeting the world demand on quinoa."
There are some lighting or texture effects on the floor that I can't make sense of but they don't bother me. They don't distract from the subject. --Pine✉07:13, 27 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Support as nominator the pictrues are introduced as two options, but I think they both have a place, side by side, in the FP gallery. --Tomer T (talk) 23:38, 23 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Comment I won't oppose because I think this is a cool topic, but this is probably a daily/weekend event and someone with the intention of taking an FP image of the activity can probably go out there and get superior images. – Kerαunoςcopia◁galaxies05:21, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Comment image 2 can be cropped to get rid of the distracting flying pellet. If that's done I would support these as a pair. I would oppose image 2 if it was nominated separately. --Pine✉06:20, 26 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I don't think that ALT1 is an improvement I'm afraid, as it doesn't show much of obvious interest. This is a useful image and the technical standards of the photo are excellent, but the composition is not of FP standard I'm afraid. Nick-D (talk) 03:37, 28 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
The sea wall is pretty much unavoidable unless you were to take a photograph from a helicopter hovering over the ocean, which I doubt is going to be very feasible. That being said, the actual impact of the sea wall could be cut back by taking a photograph from a boat and then stitching a panorama of the town's coastline. A lot of the panorama images were done like that. It can turn out quite nice — Crisco 1492 (talk) 02:59, 28 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 5 Oct 2013 at 06:19:31 (UTC)
Original – A diagram of the internal anatomy of the deep-sea limpet Bathyacmaea secunda
Reason
SVG image is of more than adequate quality and complexity, is freely licensed, is the only such image Wikipedia is ever likely to have of this obscure deep-sea limpet
Comment Looks very good, but I think it needs some orientation for this strange creature. Since there are "left" organs, it should theoretically have a front and back? Mattximus (talk) 21:44, 25 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Agreed, and I will take a shot at making this clearer. Would you settle for a "head" to help orientate you? The animal has no tail, per se, and it's digestive system ends at its neck but it certainly does have a front and a back and is shown in three-quarter view here. I will create a new bracket that should clear things up. KDS4444Talk18:10, 26 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Support: this splendid image looks like the best we're ever going to get about this species. It is based on the figures from the original article in the "Journal of Molluscan Studies". JoJan (talk) 15:34, 26 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Comment I applaud the creator for being bold enough to attempt this extremely challenging task, but I do have a few serious comments: First off I am not sure it is a good idea for someone who is not directly familiar with the anatomy of this species (or the anatomy of true limpets in general) to attempt a daring 3-D reconstruction like this from scratch, based only on straightforward "overhead" 2D drawings in the original paper; this illustration is almost guaranteed to be at least somewhat misleading, despite the many hours than have gone into the careful creation of this figure. Also, this 3-D reconstruction is purely diagrammatic, unlike the illustrations in the original paper, which were completely naturalistic. And as a result, this diagram looks considerably more weird and other-worldly than it should look if it was an accurate portrait of the anatomy of the species. If we decide to accept it as being an OK reconstruction, which to my mind is a big jump in the dark, then yes, of course the head or rather the snout should be labelled. I also think one of the tentacles should be labeled, and the label could perhaps say "without eyes", as that is a distinctive feature of the species. But I have many questions: why is the cerebral commissure shown as narrowing so much in the middle, when that is not the case in the illustrations in the original paper? And should the position of the shell in life be indicated? What is labelled "foot muscles" are I believe the shell muscles, a completely different thing, and why do they have rounded ends like bullets (I am pretty sure that is incorrect)? Why is there a grey mark extending out from the back of the animal near the lower edge? It must be at least be stated in the description that is is a diagrammatic view of the creature's anatomy as shown from a viewpoint that is neither lateral nor anterior but intermediate between the two, otherwise people will have no idea what they are looking at. The diagram is partly see-through or cut-away, and partly not. To me it is very confusing in terms of trying to understand the anatomy. Where is the foot? What is the grey blobby stuff at the bottom where the foot should be? To be honest I would have preferred it if the editor had simply redrawn the original illustrations from the paper. Sorry to be rather negative, but I feel I should be honest in expressing how I feel about this, despite it being a very brave attempt to make a synthesis from the available information. Invertzoo (talk) 19:47, 26 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Response I understand accept the above criticism <insert knife, twist, withdraw... Ouch>. Perhaps the image requires more of a preface: like many illustrators of anatomy attempting to show distinctions between organs and systems, I have used color here as a visual aid just as much as I have used lines, gradients, and textures. I did this both to decrease ambiguity with regard to where one part/ organ leaves off and another begins as well as to capture the eye of the viewer without deceiving with regard to placement or nomenclature. The featured picture of the internal anatomy of a spider, for example, applies this same color technique, and to great effect, though it makes no real attempt at a 3D rendering. What I have tried to do here is combine the technical known facts about the creature's anatomy as given in an academic journal and recreate its appearance in 3D using color as an illustrative tool, though I will admit that descriptions such as "grey blobby stuff" are hard not to take rather personally. Criticisms with regard to the style of the cerebral commissure I can take as a request to limit my artistic license there, and can be fairly easily changed; those with regard to the colors or shading used or the "blobs" I have drawn are not as helpful to me. The animal is a soft-bodied mollusc with almost no actual color inside it, and a "faithful" rendering in that respect would have been both bland and unintelligible. Here, using color, I have placed the heart exactly where the heart should be; I have drawn the torsion of the visceral ganglion with the correct direction of twist in the commissure which is located correctly on the animal's right side just above and behind the pleural ganglia; I have faithfully shown where the intestine enters and leaves the pericardium, and have shown the correct placement and arrangement of the nephridial openings and the anus to the right side of and above the head; the lateral wall of of the foot is continuous with the shell muscles (which it appears I must relabel), so I have not drawn a separate foot; I have not tried to indicate things such as variations in the epithelium as this level of detail would be beyond the scope of a gross anatomical illustration. The image is already very complicated— if I had attempted to include a translucent outline of the pedal sole, for example, this might have added very little in terms of interesting or unique information but would have required yet another arrow and explanation— however, if others feel the image must be considered incomplete without it, they need only have said so. And if there are elements that seem superfluous and could be removed, I would welcome those thoughts as well. I have been pondering these options myself for more than three months now, and after more than a hundred hours of development and adjustment in Adobe Illustrator I eventually came to the conclusion that this version had a tolerable balance of what was most important, most necessary, and most interesting. And most correct, as best I could interpolate it, taking artistic license only where doing so added to the image's visual appeal without making it insincere.
Having said all that, if it is confusing then it is confusing and I would rather withdraw my nomination of it for candidacy rather than have a completed work of mine be considered unuseful. I welcome additional input on that front from other editors— I have stared at it so long that I am certain I can no longer see it with fresh eyes. KDS4444Talk13:43, 27 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Follow-up comment I apologize sincerely that I hurt your feelings KDS444; I understand that you worked extremely hard on this image for a very long time, and I certainly have no problem at all with the false color. I do believe that the image is quite useful, but I am concerned it is potentially a bit misleading in a few ways, and therefore I personally feel it should not get Featured status. I am also a little bit concerned that making a 3-D construction from the original 2-D drawings in the paper may perhaps represent too much of a "synthesis". Others can of course feel free to disagree with me, and I am not certain I am right on all the points I have raised. Thanks for all your hard work. Invertzoo (talk) 20:59, 27 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I agree completely with this suggestion. That would be really terrific. In my experience most malacologists are willing to do something like that. The primary author of the original 2006 paper is Takenori Sasaki, and his email is sasaki{at}um.u-tokyo.ac.jp . If KDS4444 (or anyone else) would like some help with contacting Sasaki, I am more than willing to assist. I have nearly 40 publications myself (I am a semi-professional malacologist and therefore part of the field) but it is not necessary to be in the field in order to contact an author like this. Invertzoo (talk) 13:29, 4 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Nothing wrong with a fish-eye shot: it works here, in a slightly psychedelic way. It could have been fishier, as far as I'm concerned. And the depth of field is nice too. No, I like this photo--and would support it if it were centered. Sorry. Drmies (talk) 01:47, 28 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Frontispiece: They saw a small, brown ... pointy-eared person ... step quietly into the Ring
Weland's Sword: Then he made a sword
Young Men at the Manor: 'At this she cried that I was a Norman thief'
Young Men at the Manor: Said he, 'I have it all from the child here'
Young Men at the Manor: 'Sir Richard, will it please you enter your Great Hall?'
The Knights of the Joyous Venture: 'And we two tumbled aboard the Dane'
The Knights of the Joyous Venture: Thorkild had given back before his Devil, till the bowmen on the ship could shoot it all full of arrows
The Knights of the Joyous Venture: 'So we called no more'
Old Men at Pevensey: 'A' God's Name write her free, before she deafens me!'
Old Men at Pevensey: He drew his dagger on Jehan, who threw him down the stairway
A Centurion of the Thirtieth: 'You put the bullet into that loop'
On the Great Wall: 'And that is the Wall!'
The Winged Hats: 'Hail, Caesar!'
The Winged Hats: 'We dealt with them thoroughly through a long day'
The Winged Hats: 'The Wall must be won at a price'
The Winged Hats: Where they had suffered most, there they charged in most hotly
Hal o' the Draft: 'I reckon you'll find her middlin' heavy,' he says
'Dymchurch Flit': 'I know what sort o' man you be,' old Hobden grunted, groping for the potatoes
The Treasure and the Law: Doors shut, candles lit
The Treasure and the Law: 'They drove me across the drawbridge'
Reason
I've been trying for more completeness. So I did all 20 original illustrations. They're scanned at 800dpi, so might look a little weird at full resolution - one doesn't normally zoom in on ink that much - but they're high-quality and I've put a lot of work into them - as in, all of September. It's reasonably consistent - I had to tweak the crop dimensions in a few cases because the images themselves aren't entirely consistent nor rectangular, but, insofar as I could, I kept things the same size.
Support, solid set. The blacks are a little fuzzy because of the high DPI, but considering we can get a two meter poster out of these with good quality, rather than just a full page or so, I think that's acceptable. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 07:15, 26 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah. Ink looks a little weird at 800 dpi. The original size is... well, quite easily calculated, actually. 3332/800 by 5140/800, so 4.2" by 6.4", less borders, so not huge. Adam Cuerden(talk)07:18, 26 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Support - I pointed out some weird coloring on the borders that Adam fixed, so it's only fair that I follow through and support this here now that everything is all fixed up. Also, while I'm here, I feel the need to point out that the guy in slide 9 looks a lot like He-Man to me... Sven ManguardWha?23:19, 28 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Note: On every map without any indication of the direction north is at the upper side of the map. This is cartography standard. Here the upper side is north, so a compass indication is needless. NNW (talk) 08:36, 27 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Comment. Beautiful, very informative and well-presented. It looks like it was made in a vector format though - if so, would an SVG not be more appropriate than this raster? A vector version would also be much more suitable for translation. I'd strongly support an SVG, though if it can't be found I won't oppose this. —Vanderdecken∴ ∫ξφ12:25, 28 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Comment Presumably, this well done user-generated map is meant to represent the city in 2013? If so, can the title be changed to add "2013" to reflect that? Just looking at the documentation does not make that intent clear, and the links could change over-time (but an addition to the title would be clearer or even "2013" somewhere on the map itself). Alanscottwalker (talk) 12:29, 28 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Support I too wondered which way was north. I can see that cartography standard has the top as north, but I have never been taught that. I work in a school system, and I don't think we teach it here (in the middle of nowhere). This map is high enough quality to pass with or without showing which way was north. -- ТимофейЛееСуда. 15:05, 3 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Support as nominator --WPPilot 22:50, 26 September 2013 (UTC)
Oppose. It's difficult to get a good picture with so much verticality and the design of the boat is such that if it's not above the water there isn't much to see, as we see here. And that building on the right is a bit distracting as well. Sorry. Drmies (talk) 01:36, 28 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
The boat has nothing other then the rudder and centerboards as it is a catamaran - a boat with two small hulls. That building is the Bay Bridge.WPPilot 01:49, 28 September 2013 (UTC)
Oppose. Chromatic aberration on the (blown) highlights (crew helmets), not sharp particularly at the top of the sail, not as informative as it could be. —Vanderdecken∴ ∫ξφ12:11, 28 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I also think it is to keep birds off the figures. I thought about trying to remove the shadow of the netting from the clock face, but realized it requires significantly more editing skill than I actually have. Should I work in the shadows on the sides of the face?-Godot13 (talk) 19:58, 28 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I am strongly opposed to any alteration of the content of supposedly factual photographs, even removal of shadows. In my opinion such doctored photographs have no place in Wikipedia, let alone as featured pictures. 81.159.107.100 (talk) 02:31, 29 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I agree with 81 about the removing of shadows in this case. Now, as to what amount of editing is allowed, you'll find me decidedly anti-"no Photoshop ever" — Crisco 1492 (talk) 05:50, 29 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
ALT.1ALT.2
I'm putting up two alternatives with different lighting from different times of the day. These images have been cropped, and the perspective has been corrected, but nothing has been done to shadows-Godot13 (talk) 23:32, 30 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Support original alt 1 has focus problems and the original is larger than alt 2. The original is good enough IMO. --Pine✉06:24, 1 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
All of Evan's featured stuff to date was jpg. The Wiki software doesn't render PNGs properly, so they appear to be softer than they actually are. The video games project prefers PNG for infoboxes because they don't need a background — Crisco 1492 (talk) 13:39, 28 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Support JPG Alt. Never mind the rendering issues, we shouldn't use PNGs for photographs simply so that a thumbnail can have some transparency applied. -- Colin°Talk18:30, 28 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Neutral I'm not going to oppose this, but I will say that I find the reflection kind of distracting. The Wiimote reflection is fine, but the rest of that side panel also has some weird reflection going on where the source isn't apparent. Sven ManguardWha?05:36, 2 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Comment It is a fantastic photo, of course. But why such a huge file crippled with strong JPG compression? It looks great scaled down but I don't see what benefit there is to uploading such a highly compressed large version? I suspect a smaller version with the same filesize would look better. Perhaps one of our image restoring experts can advise. Colin°Talk11:38, 28 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 8 Oct 2013 at 19:46:52 (UTC)
Original – Road Maker (Aríìhiriš) Hidatsa Chief. Painted from life by Karl Bodmer, ca. 1840.ALT – On a white background.
;Reason:High EV. Engraving shows traditional clothing of a Hidatsa Indian chief including buffalo robe, beaded leggings with green horse hair, beaded moccasins, tomahawk with scalp, and eagle feather. There are some notable trade items including peace medal and hat, likely obtained by trade with french traders or U.S explores/surveyors. Also shows full body war paint. Painted by Karl Bodmer, a notable German painter who traveled west and painted American Indians there from life. Images of Hidatsa (Minatarre) people are relatively rare when compared to other tribes like Sioux, Blackfoot, Crow, etc.
I like it, but you saved it interlaced, which might be a problem? Also, one tip: Darken the text a bit more than the rest of the image - text tends to fade into the background more easily, particularly at lower sizes. Adam Cuerden(talk)17:43, 30 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 9 Oct 2013 at 05:48:18 (UTC)
Original – A 15th-century linen tapestry showing two scenes from Der Busant, a 12-century German poem said to have influenced Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
Reason
High quality scan of an interesting tapestry, showing scenes from a notable poem. (Actually, this image impressed me enough to have me write the article with a couple German speakers). Last nomination didn't quite receive the attention it should have.
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 9 Oct 2013 at 06:12:47 (UTC)
Original – High resolution panoramic view of Bryce Canyon Amphitheater photographed from the Sunrise Point. It is the largest amphitheater in the park, measuring 12 miles (19 km) long, 3 miles (4.8 km) wide and 800 feet (240 m) deep.
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 10 Oct 2013 at 00:01:53 (UTC)
The Taking of Lungtungpen is a story by Rudyard Kipling in which three soldiers manage to take a city by swimming across a river (stripping naked to do so), and then engaging in a fight on the other side, still naked. It's eight pages long, and still my edition of Soldier Tales gives two illustrations to it, because, let's face it, naked people are funny. It's written in Kipling's phonetic (but apparently rather accurate) Irish English, hence the spellings in the captions.
1. '"Shtrip, bhoys," sez I. "Shtrip to the buff, an' shwim in where glory waits!"'
2. 'There was a melly av a sumpshus kind for a whoile.'
Reason
These are illustrations to one of Kipling's more bizarre tales of British soldiers. The Swantype engraving process is a little grainy, but if the originals even exist, I'd be somewhat surprised, much more so if they're at all publicly accessible. This is from the first edition of Soldier Tales (1896).
Scanned at 800dpi, so, as usual, the ink might look a smidgen odd. Since we have articles for most of the tales in Soldier Tales, I'm going to nominate them in smaller, easier to review batches (that don't make me disappear from FPC for three weeks)
Although I do think it's tastefully done, we don't get a lot of male nudity here; if this is a problem to anyone, I have no problem with putting these behind a {{hat}} tag.
Support I'm AGF-ing on the image being as saturated as it appears; it's certainly not unreasonable saturation for a watercolour, and that there's not bits cropped out. As those are the only things that could cause me to vote against this image, I would love to see this pass. Also, you know she's generally considered the first computer programmer? She worked out programs before computers able to run them existed.Adam Cuerden(talk)07:28, 30 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
She wasn't the first though that would have been Charles Babbage. After that depending on how you define working on a program and various dates she was either second, fourth or nowhere.Geni (talk) 13:26, 30 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Not exactly. Babbage didn't design algorithms for his computers, he saw them as basic mathematical aids. She was the one credited for spotting the potential. Adam Cuerden(talk)17:42, 30 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
The earliest known program was the one Babbage presented at Turin. If Babbage didn't design algorithms there would have been no reason for him to go beyond the difference engine.Geni (talk) 06:45, 1 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose -- Questionable notability, not encyclopedic since it is a conceptual device, not something available. It may be a good picture, but the subject probably shouldn't even have a Wikipedia page, let alone be a featured picture IMHO. -- Dougie WII (talk) 04:42, 10 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 10 Oct 2013 at 11:06:31 (UTC)
Original – Landsort Lighthouse (view from east), Öja island (Landsort), Stockholm archipelago's most southern point. During the Cold War and World War II was Landsort a military base for the Swedish coastal artillery.
Reason
Good lighting, good composition, high quality and EV, FP in Commons
hmm yes in fact looking at the darkening on the upper left edge and the bottem left courner I can't help wondering if the original canvas was damaged in some way.Geni (talk) 15:14, 30 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Support I can't believe that The National Gallery would screw up the crop so badly as the presumption that the crop was screwed up would imply. It's probably one of those things where, if seen in its original context, it would make more sense (or that it was cropped with a saw at some point for some reason). Adam Cuerden(talk)22:29, 30 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I don't know, may be if people like Adam Cuerden and Crisco 1492, who are very good at restoration, could help us on this :).Nikhil (talk) 16:21, 3 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
It is not acceptable to add fake parts to a painting. Well ... maybe if it is certain that the picture was originally bigger, and the exact original dimensions are known, and it is certain that there was nothing in that part other than continuation of the same flat green colour, and the picture is accompanied by some big disclaimers explaining the reconstruction. Even then I'm not sure... 86.160.84.127 (talk) 19:46, 3 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I guess it would be equally unacceptable to crop the other edges tighter as well? It just looks a little off with there so much blank space above and to the right of the horse. -- ТимофейЛееСуда. 21:18, 3 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I'd certainly not add the extra white space, because the main image in a painting article is generally supposed to represent the painting as it is today. Adding the extra space on the other side, even if historically true, feels like WP:OR and misrepresentative of the work. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 22:57, 3 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
The original painting visible in the National Gallery does in fact have a bit more space to the left of the tail. The current crop has chopped off a centimeter or so of hairs that were present in the original, but even the original framed painting appears to have a bit covered by the frame. Stigmatella aurantiaca (talk) 02:24, 4 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
That would be a bit more reasonable (and, looking more closely at the Beeb, seems to be supported by modern sources). A bare centimetre or two? — Crisco 1492 (talk) 02:30, 4 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
About 1 centimeter or maybe a bit more. To get this estimate, I took the Wiki image, rendered it transparent, and using Gimp, overlaid, rotated, and scaled to match the Beeb image as closely as possible. At the zoom level that I was using for this exercise, 2–3 pixels of excess cropping on the left edge corresponded to 1–1.5 cm. The excess cropping appears to have been necessitated by the original image being tilted by about a centimeter or so. Including all of the tail would have brought in some of the upper left hand frame. Stigmatella aurantiaca (talk) 03:23, 4 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Using a 28-70mm lens at 28mm created some perspective tilt, which was corrected. As you mentioned, the image is true to life.-Godot13 (talk) 19:59, 3 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Weak Oppose -- As per Geni it is difficult to figure out exactly what the picture's subject is. It also seems to be taken at a slight angle. This is an extremely notable place and eminently replaceable. No offense to the photographer, but I think Wikipedia can do better. -- Dougie WII (talk) 04:00, 12 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I'd go maybe 100px in each direction, actually, as a lop off the top would end up looking quite disconcerting. But that would make this image too small. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 03:14, 5 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose I like how clear her face is, but the pose (angle of torso and right arm) is strange. It makes the left side of her torso appear elongated. – Kerαunoςcopia◁galaxies04:53, 5 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. Not an intriguing photo, and not FP quality. The subject is most definitely the boat, which is very interesting in itself, but as the photo is portrait layout we do not get the detail work of the boat. I would venture to say a good 80% of this photo is wasted space. -- ТимофейЛееСуда. 22:09, 7 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose The subject, as I think should be house boat, not the Backwaters of Alappuzha as caption says. Hopefully please change the caption. The image is of good composition but as above stated, most of the pic focuses on water surface, not on the subject. You might also have photoshopped out the waste materials in the water. So, oppose. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Benison P Baby (talk • contribs) 06:10, 13 October 2013
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 14 Oct 2013 at 06:23:05 (UTC)
Original – Beautiful spiral galaxy M94 (Messier 94) lies a mere 15 million light-years distant in the northern constellation of the hunting dogs, Canes Venatici. A popular target for astronomers, the brighter inner part of the face-on galaxy is about 30,000 light-years across. Traditionally, deep images have been interpreted as showing M94's inner spiral region surrounded by a faint, broad ring of stars. But a new multi-wavelength investigation has revealed previously undetected spiral arms sweeping across the outskirts of the galaxy's disk, an outer disk actively engaged in star formation. At optical wavelengths, M94's outer spiral arms are followed in this remarkable discovery image, processed to enhance the outer disk structure. Background galaxies are visible through the faint outer arms, while the three spiky foreground stars are in our own Milky Way galaxy.
Comment Is 1200x1200px really the biggest image available for this one? Also, the source has no indication of this being CC-licensed. This can't pass until the copyright status is cleared up. Adam Cuerden(talk)17:20, 4 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
On his cosmotography.com website, R Jay GaBany has clearly indicated that his copyrighted images should not be "reproduce[d] or distribute[d] without permission." I have emailed him for permission so as not to see this image deleted from Commons, but meanwhile, I Oppose.Stigmatella aurantiaca (talk) 11:53, 5 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
R. Jay GaBany sent an email back to me thanking us for noting this violation of his copyright. The damage having already been done, he has agreed to a Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Unported License for this image. I forwarded his reply to OTRS and struck out my oppose. This image of Messier 94, despite being slightly undersized, nevertheless appears to be the most attractive to be seen on the internet (YMMV, of course!), so I am voting Support as a thank you to GaBany. Stigmatella aurantiaca (talk) 04:01, 6 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose Very soft and per Crisco 1492. Also, comment, I was under the impression star spikes were considered undesirable, and here they seem to be quite blatant. – Kerαunoςcopia◁galaxies04:50, 5 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Depending on the construction of the telescope and exposure conditions, the spikes are unavoidable, due to optical diffraction around the supports. You can't fault an image for showing them around the brightest stars. This image was taken by a remote-controlled observatory owned by the Internet Telescope Partnership, and for an amateur shot, is extremely good. Stigmatella aurantiaca (talk) 09:02, 5 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 14 Oct 2013 at 07:25:53 (UTC)
Original – Photograph shows an Armenian woman and her children, Makarid (on her back) and Nuvart (standing next to her). In 1899, after the murder of her husband in the aftermath of the Armenian Massacres of 1894-1896, the family walked from their home in the Geghi region to Kharpert (Harput), eastern Anatolia (Turkey) seeking help from missionaries.
Oppose - As usual Centpacrr has done a good job with the major blemishes. However, there is still quite a bit of scratching and other distortions, which means this is not near the FP level yet (look at the mother's face, for instance; the whole of her chin is scratched, and her eyes are lost to the scratches). There seems to be some motion blur as well, though with children of that age I'm not surprised. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 09:58, 5 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I can have Centpacrr (talk·contribs) check the issues out. It really is up to him if he really wants to fix the minute details. Looks like a meticulous and tough job on his part. With that said, I thought the motion for the photograph fit the background and theme. They're refugees on the go searching for shelter in the end of the day. Anyhow, we'll see if more fixes will be made. If not, that's no problem with me. The photograph is still outstanding and very dramatic. Proudbolsahye (talk) 10:13, 5 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Comment I like this photo, but since it's such a prominent part of it, I'd like to see the species of flower the butterfly is on included in the caption/photo description. If that was added I'd be a definite support. -- Dougie WII (talk) 09:11, 12 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Comment - Awesome image, but copyright is unclear. If PWB was a joint British-American group, how do we know "Frink" was an American? — Crisco 1492 (talk) 00:55, 6 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
The unit was semi-military, so it may have been shared between governments (it was, after all, a joint operation). Far as I can tell, Crown Copyright only goes for actual employees of the UK Gov. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 04:25, 8 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Since it is in the U.S. collection, I have to assume that it was an American who took the photo. And even if it were a civilian working for the U.S. government who took the photo, it would still be in the public domain as an image taken by a U.S. government employee. Rreagan007 (talk) 20:08, 8 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
It is impossible to be 100% certain of the copyright status of most works. Under the Library of Congress description page for this photo it says "Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication." That's good enough for me. Rreagan007 (talk) 18:25, 9 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
It's also quite possible to be "beyond a reasonable doubt" for most works, which is what I was aiming at. You raise a good point about the LOC's designation, although I note that they are sometimes incorrect. I won't oppose, but I'm not going to support. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 22:50, 9 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 27 Oct 2013 at 14:41:53 (UTC)
Original – A ring-necked Parakeet perched on a tree during winter-2013 in Kolkata, India
Reason
Wikipedia is one of the few places in the entire internet universe which provides Neutral point of view and information without bias. Sometime back during projects I used to come to Wikipedia looking for stuff that would enrich them and was pretty selfish by not giving it back. So I am here but thats not the point. During that time during those boring hours of doing homework the colourfully and bright pictures that accompanied the article were my only source of respite. Thats where a Featured Picture plays its most significant role of improving the visual appeal of an article and at the same moment is of encyclopaedic valued enough to identify the topic and or object in commentary. According to me thats the most important unmentioned criteria of a FP which this picture has and this nomination is to earn the nod of the community who share the same thought as mine. For the formality this picture according to the criterion's as follows -
this image is free of the drawbacks listed in the mentioned criteria.
High resolution, 2,592 × 1,944 pixels is sufficient enough if my understanding of the criteria is correct.
being the owner and photographer my opinion on this criteria will be biased nonetheless even if not consciously so I leave it for the community to decide.
this picture was captured and release under CC BY-SA 3.0 so its definitely a free image
EV - this also for the community to decide.
verifiable, I think so.
I am new to uploading files in commons so description-wise I have tried my best and have also provided geographical location.
No digital manipulation. It was extremely hard for me to reject the temptation to edit this in Adobe Photoshop CS6 but for the pictures originalities sake I refrained from doing it. If asked corrections will be made.
Phew! I finally did it! Even if the image fails the process I will not be one-bit/byte sad as clicking this one gave me immense happiness one that anyone would not get even after getting all the wealth in this universe so no regrets. --Sohambanerjee199814:41, 17 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose as nominator and withdrawing nomination. - As per the above comments. I deeply regret my actions which were out of my naivety and foolishness I am withdrawing the candidate if possible. Sohambanerjee199816:10, 17 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 18 Oct 2013 at 06:23:58 (UTC)
Original – A variety of corals photographed while snorkelling in shallow water on Flynn Reef, part of the Great Barrier Reef near Cairns
Reason
I'm a bit hesitant to nominate this, because underwater pics are technically difficult, but I think this one came out really well, and it is emblematic of the colour and diversity of reef corals. I just noticed how much external use this is getting, so I thought maybe it would be of value as an FP as well.
Support. I actually really like this one; a fantastic composition, and I'm all for more portrait FPs. It's not technically perfect, but it does the job and has lots of character. J Milburn (talk) 09:46, 13 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 18 Oct 2013 at 21:10:05 (UTC)
Original – Wah-ro-née-sah (The Surrounder), an Otoe chief. Probably painted at Fort Leavenworth in 1832, by George Catlin. Described by Catlin as “quite an old man; his shirt made of the skin of a grizzly bear, with the claws on”
Reason
The painting shows a veteran Otoe warrior and chief. The painting gives an important look at traditional clothing such as the hair style, wampum earrings, pipe, and most of all a beaded grizzly bear skin robe. The Otoe tribe, which fused with the related Missouria tribe remain relatively unknown to the general public and any images of them in traditional attire are valuable sources of history. The portrait is painted by well known artist of American Indians George Catlin. Catlin's work is seen as highly valuable due to its depictions of American Indians at a time when most contact between Europeans and Indians of the North American west was with fur traders.
Support THIS is the detail work that I personally find to be the most important characteristic of a featured picture. I can read the numbers on the hull marking the depth of water. Great job. -- ТимофейЛееСуда. 15:12, 9 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Comment There's a lot of empty foreground and the tower part of the building is hiding part of some kind of antenna-looking object on the tip of the bow. – Kerαunoςcopia◁galaxies05:51, 10 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose The composition is a bit cluttered, and that's not a great angle for understanding what the ship looks like - something like this angle is superior (though the lighting and technical standards of this photo are superior). Nick-D (talk) 01:47, 12 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Support I think it is a good encyclopedic picture of the thing that it depicts, beautiful in itself, rather than an interesting photographic study. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Amandajm (talk • contribs) 06:31, 19 October 2013}
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 20 Oct 2013 at 15:25:44 (UTC)
Original
Caption
The majestic spiral galaxy NGC 4414 was imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope as part of the HST Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale. In 1999, the Hubble Heritage Team revisited NGC 4414 and completed its portrait by observing the other half with the same filters as were used in 1995. The end result is a stunning full-color look at the entire dusty spiral galaxy. The new Hubble picture shows that the central regions of this galaxy, as is typical of most spirals, contain primarily older, yellow and red stars. The outer spiral arms are considerably bluer due to ongoing formation of young, blue stars, the brightest of which can be seen individually at the high resolution provided by the Hubble camera. The arms are also very rich in clouds of interstellar dust, seen as dark patches and streaks silhouetted against the starlight.
Oppose the only thing that is in focus in this photo is the odd design on his shirt. I know its an action shot from over 20 years ago, but just not featured picture quality. -- ТимофейЛееСуда. 16:02, 12 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose I'm not sure what the benefits of using black and white for a modern photograph of this site are, and the composition is sub-optimal as not all of the wall is shown. Nick-D (talk) 01:45, 12 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 22 Oct 2013 at 02:24:16 (UTC)
Original – Wrestlers, an 1899 painting by Thomas Eakins, now held in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Executed in oil on canvas, it depicts two nearly naked men engaged in a wrestling match.
Reason
Really high quality, good resolution, notable painting
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 22 Oct 2013 at 20:08:01 (UTC)
Original – Avocado fruit growing on an avocado tree
Reason
I've liked this image for a long time. It's been stable in the article for ages, it has good resolution and quality, and I think a pleasing composition.
Support - I think that in terms of the subject matter (a rather dull brown fruit growing on a tree) the image conveys a great deal of valuable information with clarity. The details of the fruit, on inspection, are clear. The background blurs out. The third fruit is fine. Amandajm (talk) 04:45, 18 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Comment - Hard to catch a wild croc sunning on a cloudy day... — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ufos8mycow00 (talk • contribs) 03:09, 14 October 2013
Support interesting photo. It has focus issues on portions of the creature, but underwater photography is harder to do so that gets a pass from me. The photo made me want to read the article. --Pine✉05:57, 15 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 23 Oct 2013 at 06:01:28 (UTC)
Original – Cyclone Phailin over the Bay of Bengal on 11 October 2013. At the time the image was taken, Phailin was a violent Category 4 equivalent tropical cyclone with 1-min winds peaking at 250 km/h (155 mph) and a central pressure of 940 millibars.
I must admit, I do too. I'm not sure if it is possible, but I would have shifted much further to the right, so that the foreground statue was positioned to the left of the tower. Ðiliff«»(Talk)09:38, 16 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Shifting to the left may also have produced a better result. I agree that this composition is a bit off, which is a shame as it seems to be a dramatic site. Nick-D (talk) 10:20, 17 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Very nice composition and expression, good restoration, high EV. Nice portrait of the aging Pierre-Auguste Renoir, used on the article on the "Later years" section. FP and VI in Commons.
Support The hair on his cheek appears to me to be just that, a whisker on his cheek. A loose hair from his beard was lying on his lapel. I notice that it was removed, in the clean-up of dust on the image. I don't know that that type of "cosmetic improvement" is legitimate. It is the sign that no-one had brushed his coat. Amandajm (talk) 04:38, 18 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
A lot of the old photographs that go through here are digitally restored, at least a little flyspecking. For instance, I would have likely tried to deal with some of the dust on the left-hand side and bottom right, as well as that lone hair (it's pointing the wrong way for a natural hair, in my opinion). However, the people who do digital restorations generally don't touch paintings. That is because the paintings often get their EV (encyclopedic value) from being a digital reproduction of a single physical artifact (as they may be the subject of their own article), whereas photographs tend to get EV out of their representation of the subject of the photograph. This could also be tied to the nature of photographs generally being easier to reproduce and (a probably unrelated factor) fewer photographs being considered notable as physical artifacts to the point of having articles. The only FP of a notable photograph (i.e. a photograph with its own article) I can think of is Situation Room (which was not digitally edited by Wikipedians, at all), whereas there are dozens of FPs of notable paintings. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 05:07, 18 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Agree about the quality of the picture. Weak support. There are, as I said, some small bits which could use touching up, but I think this would be fine for pretty much any usage of the photograph. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 11:10, 20 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I agree. While this is a fine picture, I don't really agree that the lighting is "good" as given in the blurb, and in fact to me the lighting seems the weakest aspect. 86.151.119.149 (talk) 02:24, 14 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Support - I wouldn't describe the lighting as ideal, but I think the photo is quite well-balanced considering its subject is in the shade. Even though the background is brighter, there are no blown-out highlights, and the subject itself falls comfortably in the midtones. Tokugawapants (talk) 04:51, 16 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 23 Oct 2013 at 10:03:10 (UTC)
Original – The Epirus water frog is a species of amphibian found in Albania and Greece.
Reason
A stunning photograph that's been stable in the article for a few years. The bar's pretty high for amphibian photography, but I think this one is worthy; the photographer, Benny Trapp, has plenty of other great pictures worth looking at. Sadly, the article's underdeveloped, but I'll see what I can do about a partial expansion.
Support - This photo is of a high technical standard. This photo is of high resolution. This photo might be among Wikipedia's best work. This photo has a free license. Currently being the only photo in its associated article, it adds significant encyclopedic value to that article. This photo is verifiable. This photo has a minimal file description, but a descriptive, informative, and complete one. As far as I can tell, this photo avoids inappropriate digital manipulation. Tokugawapants (talk) 04:40, 16 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Comment. It's such a shame that that vertical blade of grass is so inconveniently positioned – all the more so since it is almost exactly the same colour as the animal's stripe. If I wasn't so opposed to doctoring pictures I might even suggest that someone should airbrush it out. 02:36, 17 October 2013 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.160.86.177 (talk)
The only one comparable to this pic is Cary Grant's, however, Grant's suit is black, which makes a lot of difference. In this pic, Muhammad Ali clothes are white and it is difficult to see with that background. Simple. --Երևանցիtalk23:17, 16 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
No, I have never heard that phrase. Is this like an interrogation? Why do you feel the need to confront anyone who doesn't think like you? I clearly stated why I oppose. --Երևանցիtalk23:30, 16 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Strongly Oppose- This is a terrible reproduction! The picture is worryingly dull. It is as if we were seeing it though a grey filter. It is to do with the scan. The picture itself is in good condition. It isn't dulled by dirt or by layers of varnish (like many older paintings). So why are the colours all so muted? Vincent van Gogh didn't paint in muted colours; he used paint straight from the tube, mixed with a bit of white or black, or ochre. The blues should all be pure blue, not grey blue. The bed should stand out as glaringly orange-yellow. The other yellow-green colours are bright and acidic. The colours should be more like this: [1] adjusted and uploaded smaller. In this pic, you can see clearly that he has used two different types of blue. Amandajm (talk) 05:06, 18 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
This one's close, but seems to have turned heavily against it at the end. When a potential problem gets spotted half-way through a nomination, and noone addresses it, I don't think we can just promote on a barely-scraped-by vote count. Adam Cuerden(talk)15:48, 23 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Purely on the topic of angle and perspective, I think that the shape you see in the picture is probably a faithful depiction of the shape it actually is. I think that the other picture you link to is looking in the other direction, while the picture here is looking towards one of the pointy glass ends depicted in this, which seem to be a notable feature of the building. 86.160.218.185 (talk) 00:39, 21 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose This photo does not meet the FPC minimum resolution criterion (1500 pixels in width and height). The white balance is also poor. Some of the artificial lighting is neutral but the representation of the lighting from outdoors is far too cool. A more natural-looking result probably would have been achieved if daylight (or equivalent) white balance setting had been used or if the photo were made warmer in post-processing. Tokugawapants (talk) 06:07, 22 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose - The subject's face is underexposed. His forehead and nose are too bright compared to his eyes. Perhaps if the lighting conditions had been different or if the photo were edited to have the shadows lifted and highlights recovered, it would have a better chance of succeeding. Tokugawapants (talk) 04:36, 16 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose excellent colors and pose of the subject, but the focus problems are too great to say this is FP quality. --Pine✉05:50, 15 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Comment -- By focus issues, are you speaking of the depth of field? I'll admit, it is a touch shallow on some parts of the body; but the reasoning behind shooting on the "wide open" side, was to pull the subject out of the clutter of its background. Mattstone911 (talk
Comment -- I don't believe there is a focus problem or issue in this photo. I think that the focus point is correct and the desire for a shallow depth of field is appropriate, but this lens seems to be soft wide open and the sensor of the D90 doesn't yield great detail at ISO 1000. Tokugawapants (talk) 04:31, 16 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose -- Color saturation is odd in a way that is characteristic of high ISO sensitivities (hight at least for this camera). Subject is not sharp and the photo is lacking fine detail, and this shortfall seems to be a result of the combination of high ISO noise reduction and the characteristics of the lens used. If the subject were truly rare and photography were remarkably difficult, the encyclopedic value would carry difficult weight, but there are other photos of this snake on the same page that, in my opinion, are technically superior and reveal more detail. Tokugawapants (talk) 04:54, 16 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 25 Oct 2013 at 13:20:26 (UTC)
Original – Bacchus and Ariadne, an oil painting completed by Titian between 1520 and 1523. Now located in National Gallery, London, this painting measures 176.5 × 191 cm (69.5 × 75.2 in).
Comment can't this image be improved? I think it can easily be improved. For instance, the scratches in the middle right edge. How about the grayish lines across the bottom? --Երևանցիtalk23:41, 16 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Damage to a notable painting only adds to the EV of a scan. If the original painting has that damage, then the scan should as well. Otherwise it would misrepresent the painting (and if an article is about the painting, that is a big issue). — Crisco 1492 (talk) 03:16, 17 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Also, those grey lines are part of the canvas. Are you seriously saying that you think removing them would remain representational of the painting? — Crisco 1492 (talk) 03:22, 17 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Um, I think that you've misunderstood the FP criteria: images are judged (largely) on how accurately they represent their subject, and not whether they're pretty or not. In this instance, the image should be judged on how good a reproduction it is of the painting. Nick-D (talk) 03:33, 17 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose I don't mind the borders and all. But the glare on the right side of the painting tarnishes the image in that part of photograph. The man carrying the basket on the right side of the painting is completely covered in the glare. I can barely make out his face. Proudbolsahye (talk) 04:11, 17 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Support certainly an interesting painting. The damages are not noticeable to the point of detracting from its EV. MatGTAM (talk) 4:00, 18 October 2013 (UTC)
Support
The painting is one of the most famous works by the artist Titian.
For the information of Երևանցի, paintings that are 500 years old have nearly always suffered damage or deterioration. This one has suffered considerable damage from having been rolled up and left that way for some years, about 450 years ago. That does not detract from its fame.
The glare down the right is light reflecting off the edges of the crazing (crackles in the paint). The reason that they are parallel probably has to do with the damage of rolling it up. Glare of this type is almost inevitable when a very large canvas is photographed. I doubt if you will find a better photo of this image anywhere.
The edges. The canvas was removed from its frame at the time of the photograph. This is a rare event. It makes it possible to see the whole image without the shadows caused by the large frame overhanging the picture.
The scratches and border ought not be touched. They are integral to the picture itself.
If anyone decides to deal with the reflected light, then it needs to be done pixel by pixel, and the resultant image needs to be uploaded separately as a "digitally restored" image. NOTE: if anyone is so bold as to claim themselves as the "restorer" of this renowned masterpiece, the Department of Conservation at the National Gallery will stick bristle brushes up both your nostrils.
All things considered, it is an excellent reproduction of a very famous work and one of landmark importance. It has its own article and an interesting history. I am glad to see it among the nominationsAmandajm (talk) 04:23, 18 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 4 Nov 2013 at 02:47:14 (UTC)
Original – Raven 42 by James Dietz, which illustrates a skirmish between a group of insurgents in southern Baghdad and several platoons and companies represented in the U.S. National Guard.
Reason
Painting serving as an example of James Dietz's work. High resolution. I'm no particular expert on technical quality, so I'll leave that to the rest of you, but to my amateur eye, I see no blatant flaws in the scan. Work is provided under a free license by the U.S. National Guard.
There seems to be some confusion of just who owns the rights to this image and how and why the US National Guard has released it and the need to OTRS this file to verify the art is being properly licensed. The artist still retains the original copyright as the artist unless this was a work for hire. Also, the painting depicts the squadron Raven 42 but is not the title of the work. The title of the painting is "The Battle of Salman Pak".
I am not prepared to support the image itself as a feature image. As most of us will surely not be familiar with the artist, how can the average editor decide if this is a good example to use? They do all appear to be quite busy in their style, but I would question why this image is even on Commons. Is it merely because it was on Flickr? Is there a release disclaimer or ownership statement to refer to?--Mark Miller (talk) 03:22, 25 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I also note that on the article James Dietz there is another image that does appear to be a copyright violation for speedy deletion unless the original uploader (a volunteer at the library) can demonstrate that tis is within their right to release to CC license. Artwork must be looked at closely and I don't think either images have been vetted for use on Wikipedia accurately.--Mark Miller (talk) 03:48, 25 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
According to the National Guard website where this artwork is hosted, the title of the work seems to be Raven 42. Where are you finding this other title? The issue with copyright is understandable. The painting appears to be a part of something called The National Guard Heritage Series. There is a statement here that says the following:
If you are a member of the general public, you can order Heritage Prints, Presidential Prints, or State Mission Prints by email. The prints are free, but there is a limit on how many you can order.
The title I refer to is from this: [3] The Kentucky National Guard blog. The caption for this painting there, reads: "The Battle of Salman Pak, a National Guard Heritage painting by James Dietz, is now on display at the Maj. Gen. Richard L. Frymire Emergency Operations Center at Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort."--Mark Miller (talk) 18:41, 25 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
FWIW, there is a fairly clear statement of release here:
All of the following images are cleared for public release and may be re-used without permission.
I've sent a message to the contact e-mail on the gallery page, but it sounds like the creators of these works are not the copyright owners based on a statement like this one. I, JethroBTdrop me a line15:18, 25 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Jethro...that is NOT what that page you linked to says. In fact it is NOT the paintings that has that disclaimer at all but this page [4] for National Guard photos. Free does not mean free of copyright, it just means you can order a free copy.--Mark Miller (talk) 18:27, 25 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
(edit conflict) I noticed that after I posted and edit conflicted with you when I tried to update that information. It is the main "Home' page for the site and the disclaimer is strictly for photographic images from that page (the one you were able to now link...I couldn't figure it out).--Mark Miller (talk) 18:44, 25 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I just got off the phone with Mr. Deitz's publisher. According to him, none of the works they represent are of a free license. This painting was created before they represented the artist and have asked for an e-mail be sent to them in this regard to forward to Mr. Deitz in order to determine if this was a "Work for hire". Remember that simply being commissioned does not create conditions for WFH. It must be a written declaration from both parties that agree to the arrangement. Thanks Jethro.--Mark Miller (talk) 18:56, 25 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
No, thank you for taking the time to contact the publisher. I haven't gotten a response from the National Guard folks. Perhaps it would be better to withdraw this nomination until this gets sorted out? I, JethroBTdrop me a line19:41, 25 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I'll leave that up to you, but perhaps now that we have a direct line to the artist the information will come quickly and if it is indeed correctly uploaded by the Copyright holder then there is no reason for the hold. Lets give it a day and see what happens. I am sending the e-mail now and will e-mail you a copy.--Mark Miller (talk) 19:46, 25 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 26 Oct 2013 at 07:12:25 (UTC)
Original – Photograph shows an Armenian woman and her children, Makarid (on her back) and Nuvart (standing next to her). In 1899, after the murder of her husband in the aftermath of the Armenian Massacres of 1894-1896, the family walked from their home in the Geghi region to Kharpert (Harput), eastern Anatolia (Turkey) seeking help from missionaries.
Reason
Very good EV. They are refugees from the Hamidian massacres. The photograph is from the 19th century and is very rare and valuable. I am renominating it because it has gone through a series of touch ups that have significantly improved the quality of the photograph from its last version.
Support We cannot judge more then 100-years old photo by today's techical quality standards. And the photo is valuable and illustrative. --Вых Пыхманн (talk) 18:22, 16 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose per Crisco: the restoration process has excessively smoothed this image. For instance, the details of the woman's face and dress lack contrast (especially when compared to earlier versions of the image), and this has reduced the quality of the photo. I also question the EV here: this appears to be a staged shot (note the wall hanging in the background, and the technology of the time would have made shooting in the field difficult) with the subjects striking as miserable a pose as possible. While the actual situation for these refugees was doubtlessly awful, given its setting this seems to have been an image composed to create an emotional response, and needs to be presented as such rather than as a documentary picture. Nick-D (talk) 03:28, 17 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose I too have concerns about the restoration. There are some strange patches on the clothes (e.g. a little below the young girl's hand). --99of9 (talk) 03:49, 17 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Strong support. Those "strange patches on the clothes (e.g. a little below the young girl's hand) (as per user 99of9) actually are the hand retouching of the original glass negative (see [5]) of 1899, (as hand retouching of negative at left–bottom part), and definitely shouldn't be edited out at restoration. In general, quite powerful photograph for the 19th century photo. --Victor•talk02:41, 18 October 2013 (UTC).[reply]
Ok, I see that they were also present in the original unrestored upload. I will strike my oppose for now and have a think about it. But you can't seriously support *because* of those?? The photo is not used in any article related to hand retouching of photos, and nor is this even described on the image page. --99of9 (talk) 03:24, 18 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose This restoration completely undermines the restoration process, either by over-smoothing or (it appears) adding grain. This isn't a request to change great-grandma's portrait into a glamour shot. I'm not a fan of the work done on this one. – Kerαunoςcopia◁galaxies03:52, 17 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose: This is a case where the so-called restoration of the image has done nothing to "restore" quality, and has in fact greatly diminished it. The original state of the battered, thumb-printed and inscribed photo is a beautiful and moving image, and a rare and valuable historic record. This present state is a travesty.
Comment: This thread is a perfect example of the main "flaw" in the "Featured Picture" process. In every case here but one, the "oppose" votes ignore the "substance" of the image as a whole by nit picking elements of "style" that are only "visible" when only a tiny fraction of it is displayed. Why not judge the image as a whole which is the way it was intended to be viewed by its creator. By in large the so-called "flaws" in the original do not, in my view, in any way detract from its value and impact but are instead an integral part of the image. Nobody would suggest digitally repairing the surface cracks in the Mona Lisa would they? So why alter anything other than the most serious issues in this image?
I only undertook to do this particular "restoration" as an example of why, in images of this type, they are actually largely unnecessary. I therefore agree with the position of Amandajm above that "the unaltered state of the photo (with its original touchings made at the time of production)" is the best. This is why I never nominate any images (or anything else) for such WP "merit badges" as it only brings out the nit pickers who, after they insist on unnecessary restoration, ignore the actual image itself in favor of criticizing it for being "too altered" or "not altered enough". Why not just appreciate the original image for what it is and what it depicts? I would therefore support the unaltered image for this merit badge and not my "restoration" which was largely unnecessary but which I nevertheless undertook to make a point. Centpacrr (talk) 12:15, 18 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I'm really struggling to follow what you're saying. Did you deliberately restore this badly so that we as a community would come to recognise the virtues of the unrestored version? Why not just restore it well? J Milburn (talk) 19:55, 18 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
What Centpacrr (talk·contribs) is saying here is that judging photographs on the basis of restoration ultimately demeans the very 'essence' of the photograph and one could argue the entire purpose of FP nominations as well. In this instance, I personally had to go back to graphics lab because some users complained about scratches. Fair enough. But when the scratches were removed, and when I now renominated the photograph, others are now complaining that the photograph was best in its original state which contained all those scratches. Having the luxury of zooming into this photograph and complaining about little flaws, whether fixed or unfixed, that are almost impossible to tell from a zoomed out position is much less important than what the essence of the photograph actually entails. I would much rather we sit here and judge the final product of the photograph rather than what it once was or what it should be. Finding the appropriate balance for this, as Centpacrr already mentioned, is practically impossible since restorations are always a subject of debate in itself. Anyhow, I believe that uploading the original as an ALT option would be a better idea. I would like to hear additional input on this proposal. Proudbolsahye (talk) 20:11, 18 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
No, J Milburn, I didn't "deliberately restore it badly." I used considerable care to restore it as a whole image which is what was requested. However the inevitable result of that process when done "correctly" is going to be to alter and "soften" the image's original detail in order to remove the scratches and other so-called "defects". All digital restorations are always going to be a compromise between the authenticity of the original, unretouched image, and a highly subjective "perfect" altered version of which each critic is going to have a different "mind's eye" expectation. In other words, no matter how "good" a job that I or any other editor does in "restoring" a particular image, there will always be others who will find it somehow deficient because it doesn't meet their own subjective view of "perfection" or even "acceptability".
The point that I am making is that the image should best be judged on how well it represents what it is intended to illustrate "as a whole", not by highly subjective nit picking the many miniscule digital alterations that can only be seen when tiny portions are inspected a great magnification without regard to the rest of the image. That is not the way the image is looked at (i.e. in tiny pieces) by viewers as an illustration to enhance the understanding of an entry on WP. This is instead a case of missing the forest for the trees, or of how a blind man judges an elephant by only touching its tail. What is important is the whole forest, the whole elephant, or in this case the whole image and what it depicts. To that end I think either version (the original or the restoration) does that. Whether or not an image gets a subjectively awarded arbitrary merit badge is really immaterial in my view as being so designated does not make an image any more valuable, nor does not being "promoted" make it any less so. Centpacrr (talk) 20:26, 18 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Just a note: Centpacrr's edits were good (as they usually are). It's just that the further clean-up by another editor damaged what was there. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 11:27, 20 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose I agree that this 'restoration' isn't up to par. Whilst there are a few schools of thought as to what constitutes a good approach to restoration, my view (for what it's worth) is that the scratches and other blemishes should be completely and invisibly removed using cloning and healing tools and nothing more. It might take an hour or so of pecking away before you start to get diminishing returns. Unfortunately Centpacrr's first upload has also had some gamma/curves adjustment, so his tiresome efforts are for naught. Anybody else who wishes to contribute will have to start from scratch, and that would be my recommendation.
Whilst this image could stand a slight curves adjustment to help differentiate the lighter tones (there's a lot of data bunched-up there in the histogram) it should only be done once, and only after uploading the restored image. Performing multiple, successive gamma adjustments effectively chews the tonal range of an image into little lumps (particularly with 8-bit grayscale), and introduces many metamers or flat spots. The practical upshot being that you lose detail, which is what we have here. And I may as well add that I'd have only cropped it as far as the original photograph's edge. nagualdesign (talk) 03:27, 19 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
JBarta edit
I've uploaded a cleaned up version of the original for any who may be interested. The first upload is the cropped original. The second is just cleanup (a LOT of it). The third upload is a brightness adjust. You're welcome to do with it as you wish. – JBarta (talk) 20:38, 19 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Comment Regardless of how good the scratch and dust removal might be, (which in some circumstances might render the image more usuable) I see no justification in removing the inscription from the top and lightening the image. Why has it been lightened? the slightly mauvish colour and the depth of tonality is integral to the image itself. As I have said already, I would fully support the untouched image, as an excellent historical document, and a moving image in itself. The cleanup reduces both the authenticity and the accuracy. Amandajm (talk) 23:25, 19 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I concur with Amandajm that the digital file of the unretouched original scan of this historic image is the best and most authentic choice for use on WP. Centpacrr (talk) 23:38, 19 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Amandajm, while I disagree with most of what you said, I'll address the lightening comment. I was torn on this myself... I could go either way on it. The unlightened (and cleaned up) version is available in the history if most find that preferable. A simple revert would bring it to the top. – JBarta (talk) 23:58, 19 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
I've taken JBarta's carefully restored version and tried to re-do the lightening with a bit more subtlety. Feel free to revert. I'd support either version for FP nomination (JB's restoration or my lightened edit). Nice work, JB. nagualdesign (talk) 00:42, 20 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Originally I thought the straight on view is best as that's how it seemed visitors would approach it, but seeing the slightly angled view below, I've withdrawn my support. Mattximus (talk) 18:08, 18 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose Straight-on view combined with this view in shadow means it is hard to see any depth. File:Jerusalem-2013-Temple Mount-Dome of Yusuf 01.jpg is much better and I'd support that at FP and replacement in the article. I would encourage you, however, to export as sRGB jpg rather than AdobeRGB, as the former is more suitable for the web and the latter only suitable for sending to a print shop. Colin°Talk11:53, 18 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Support but can't help but wish these featured bird pictures could be paired to show the variation, usually male/female but in this case breeding/non-breeding plumage. Much higher EV that way. Mattximus (talk) 18:42, 17 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Support Could do with some noise reduction, selective sharpening and CA reduced. But it is 40MP so if reduced 50% it is still 10MP and looks much better, so unfair to be too picky at 100%. -- Colin°Talk11:45, 18 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose for limited EV (image does not illustrate profession, or any reason of notability) and non-NPOV (official promotional staged photo). --ELEKHHT06:09, 20 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Comment There is technical skill required to capture a great portrait. Unfortunately this camera had dust spots (including one over the jacket and a few on the background) and hot pixels. --99of9 (talk) 10:07, 27 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose The building is distorted. May be a combination of the 12mm ultra-wide and the wrong lens profile being chosen in Lightroom/CameraRaw (A Samsung 18-55 f3.5-5.6 OIS?). Colin°Talk11:37, 18 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Comment The very slight curve noticeable on the upper cornice doesn't worry me. I just want the image to be perfectly straight. Other than that, it is very pretty. Amandajm (talk) 06:38, 19 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 29 Oct 2013 at 05:47:19 (UTC)
Original – The Dome of the Chain (Arabic: قبة السلسلة, Qubbat al-Silsila) (pictured in front of the Dome of the Rock) was constructed during the Umayyad Caliphate (c. 685 AD) and served as a model for the building of the Dome of the Rock (c. 691 AD).
Support. It is a very clear picture with a great deal of useful information in it. I have corrected the caption here and at the original location. A "facade" is something that is set up like a person's face i.e. it has the outward distinguishing characteristics of the building. Neither of these buildings have proper facades. Amandajm (talk) 06:49, 19 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Comment. The composition is not great in terms of featuring the intended subject, or even making clear what the intended subject is (which I'm assuming is the small building in the foreground, not the large gold-domed building). To illustrate the foreground structure I would much prefer an angle such as this. There also seems to be a whole significant feature that is not even visible from the angle in this candidate picture, being edge on. 86.171.42.64 (talk) 12:50, 19 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
While the angle of the image you suggest may be slightly better (for illustrating the object of the article), it is less visually compelling (not to mention mid-restoration as none of the outer tile-work is visible). Thanks-Godot13 (talk) 15:41, 19 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
The picture I linked to was purely to illustrate how a better angle or viewpoint could give a better illustration of the subject. As you say, the tiles are missing, but that isn't relevant to the point I was trying to make. 86.171.42.64 (talk) 17:03, 19 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Question Would withdrawing and renominating this image as part of a set of two or three where the others focus on 1) the interior of the Dome of the Chain and 2) the tile work be an option?-Godot13 (talk) 04:06, 27 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose You can't really get a good sense of the anatomy of the bee in this photograph. Front legs are missing, blurry mouth. From an encyclopaedic perspective this is not up to par. Mattximus (talk) 23:08, 29 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Strong oppose I agree with Mattximus - it's very difficult to discern which is bee and which is flower. It's nearly impossible to make the distinction clear when the background is almost the same color as the focal point. -- mcshadyplTC03:26, 30 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Info -- It is a beautiful winter sunday (February 2, 2013) and people walks along the promenade which borders the beach. Some weeks before Garrett ManNamara surfed the highest wave ever, near the lighthouse at left. Alvesgaspar (talk) 19:41, 20 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Voting period is over. Please don't add any new votes. Voting period ends on 30 Oct 2013 at 19:56:50 (UTC)
Original – “I have this day been painting a portrait of the head chief of the [Blood tribe] … he is a good-looking and dignified Indian, about fifty years of age, and superbly dressed; whilst sitting for his picture he has been surrounded by his own braves and warriors and also gazed at by his enemies, the Crows and the Knisteneaux, Assinneboins and Ojibbeways; a number of distinguished personages of each of which tribes have laid all day around the sides of my room; reciting to each other the battles they have fought, and pointing to the scalp-locks, worn as proofs of their victories, and attached to the seams of their shirts and leggings." - George Catlin, 1832
Reason
High EV for a number of reasons. A historically and culturally important painting it shows traditional Blackfoot clothing/apparel such as the beaded buckskin shirt, hair roach, eagle feather, face paint, and beaded pipe. The painting shows a real Blood Indian chief (Bloods are one of three united tribes that make up the Blackfoot Confederacy) painted from life by George Catlin. George Catlin is famous for his from-life paintings of western American Indian tribes at a time before the settlement of the west and before Indians were confined to reservations. The Painting of Buffalo Bull's Back Fat is Catlin's most famous painting and widely considered to be his finest work.
Support. Its caption needs to take into account the type of art form that it represents. It is a botanical study and a coloured lithograph. It is a fine example of coloured lithography in which a number of engraved stones have been used to print the colours (as against a "hand coloured" lithograph, which is only printed in black.)..... I have just looked at the description page, and discovered that the book and artist are named as a "source" but not as a description. The description treats the illustration as if it was not an illustration, but as if it actually is a collection of orchids i.e. the orchids are listed as they probably were in the book. But what this is is an artwork, remarkable and excellent for being a good depiction of the subject and a good piece of artistry and craftsmanship. Amandajm (talk) 11:33, 22 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Question - Is this being nominated for EV for being an illustration as an illustration (say, in the Kunstformen der Natur article) or for representing the different orchid species? In the former case, this would have fairly low EV as there are more than 20 images in that gallery. In the latter case, photographs would be more accurate and thus more encyclopedic. I agree this is a stunning illustration, but I don't see the EV. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 14:53, 22 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Comment - I did not upload this picture, but I did nominate it because it is a fine illustration of the Orchid family and is the info box picture for the main page Orchidaceae, the largest or second largest family of flowering plants in the world (that's still under debate) so it is certainly a notable subject. Scientific lithographs like this have a rich history and are still used to illustrate species, some of which have never been photographed. I believe this illustration is an acceptable encyclopedic reference to the Orchid family. Personally, I am not that interested in editing articles focusing on lithographs, but other editors could certainly use it in articles on that subject. Dougie WII (talk) 04:18, 23 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
My issue is simple: this is clearly not a natural formation. The ranges of all these species may not even overlap. In that case, how does it give EV to the orchidae article? — Crisco 1492 (talk) 08:15, 23 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
It was never meant to be a natural scene, it's meant to depict a wide variety of Orchids that live in vastly different areas, some in South America, some in Asia, some in Africa, etc. Since the main article it is used in covers the entire Orchid family, members of which live on every continent except Antarctica, it is of encyclopedic value to that subject. -- Dougie WII (talk) 20:07, 23 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
A collage of photographs (like in ethnic group articles) or a single photograph changed at regular intervals (like at Frog) would likely have more EV. Though this is not intended as a natural scene, it could be misread as being a natural scene. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 21:50, 23 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
With millions of people using Wikipedia, I think there will always be someone who misinterprets a picture or part of the text of an article -- that is unavoidable. I believe this is clear enough for the average person to understand the nature of the image and gain encyclopedic value from it. If you so strongly disagree, then vote against it. -- Dougie WII (talk) 23:17, 23 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]
The caption needs to state state simply and clearly that this is a botanical artwork representing species of orchids from around the world. Dougie WII's comment that 19th century lithographs like this are still used to illustrate species, some of which have never been photographed, is a very pertinent comment on the nature and importance of botanical art.
The picture is significant for two reasons, what it is and what it so excellently represents. If anybody misses the "from around the world" bit, then it's their problem. Floral arrangements, any floral arrangement, (a bridal bouquet, for example, or a Dutch flower painting of the 17th century [6]), normally contains species from many different countries. This image is arranged much like a large bouquet. There is no suggestion whatsoever that they are all growing together.
Comment, I agree with the above. The reason why the reflection is distracting is because of the tonality. The pale face against a pale background is less arresting than the pinker face, with the whites oof the eyes showing against the dark background of the piano lid. If the lower face was altogether darker and less pink, and the upper background was sufficiently dark to throw the face into clear contrast, then the reflection wouldn't distract. Amandajm (talk) 10:09, 31 October 2013 (UTC)[reply]