What about rights? Do I give them up?

Not at all! This is not a rights-grab photo contest. Photographers control how their photos are used by opting in to specific uses for their photos. You will not find any blanket statements in our terms, which means photographers can be certain where and when their photos will be used. You also won't find any terminology like "in perpetuity" or "exclusive" which means we never own the rights to your photo -- you're simply lending us rights for specific uses, and submitting your photo does not preclude you from using it in any way you see fit in the future.

What about attribution? I want my credit!

We understand, and we agree. Everyone deserves proper recognition for their contribution. In publication, in promotion and on the website, your photo will always be credited to you. In addition, we provide a way for you to promote your website and your photography services on the job board. Our plan is to include all photographers names (and their websites) in the Capture My Chicago 2010 book.

Why can't I see my photo?

In order for your photo to be publicly viewable it needs to have the required fields filled out. The required fields on a photo that you have uploaded are as follows:

• Caption
• Category
• Place

You can edit a photo at any time by clicking on any one of the edit links on that photos page, or can batch edit all of your not-yet-public photos by going to the Batch Edit Page.

What's a pixel, and how do I know if I have enough of them?

A pixel is a unit of measurement. It's what computers use to measure image sizes. We don't require your photos have a certain number of pixels, but if you want your photo picked for publication, it needs to be high resolution. With that as the preface, it would be best if you would upload images of at least 2000 pixels on its longest side. To find out how many pixels your image has, open it in a photo editing, or photo viewing application. Most applications should have a straightforward menu system which should lead you to "image dimensions," "image size," or "get info." Once there, you should see the width and height of your image in pixels. Bigger (or more pixels) is always better, so just upload the largest available version of your photo. We will accept all photos (even really small ones), but a photo is more likely to end up published if it's bigger.

Do my photos have to be taken here?

Yes. This is a book about the Chicago area so photos should be from the Chicago area. It doesn't matter where you are from, but all photos should be taken from the Chicago area. When you submit a photo, we ask you where it was taken. It's an honor system, but we allow users to report a photo if it's not from the area. This "must be taken from here" policy is self-policing. We let the users' reports and votes weed out ones that shouldn't be in the book.

How much post-processing can I do to my photos?

This is an art project, so we're open to some amount of digital enhancement, but we'd prefer not to get into the "digital manipulation" realm. Don't turn your photo of a dog into a photo of a dog eating your uncle George. Don't spend 45 minutes in your photo editing application making an unrealistic scene. Don't make your photo look like a painting. Just don't mess with it too much. Use your own judgement but remember that other people have the ultimate call, and they're not going to vote for a photo that doesn't look like a photo. Cropping, toning, contrast, removal of dust spots are all examples of appropriate digital enhancement. Note: we do have a special category for HDR imagery if you're into that sort of thing.

Should I upload one photo multiple times and put them in different categories?

No, you shouldn't. Each photo can be entered in one category, and one category alone. Now if you've got a photo that's a little different and you want to put that in another category, that's fine, just don't upload the same photo more than once.

Should I embed a color profile?

We don't require it because most folks don't know what a color profile is. However, if you know what one is and you're looking to convert your image to a certain profile, we'd love to have it in SRGB. This isn't necessary if you don't know what a color profile is.

Will you edit my photo info?

We'd prefer not to, but we will be looking for grammar and spelling mistakes before publishing a photo. We're human, too. It happens to us just like it does you. Otherwise, we won't be changing the information about your photo. We'd ask that you pay special attention to the details in your captions. If your caption tells us your photo is of your cousin Sally, we pretty much have to believe you. So far as the details of your photo, if at all possible, the caption you give us will appear "as-is" if your photo is published. If your caption is too long, or redundant, or has parts that are not applicable to the photo, we may cut it down.

What about people photos and releases? Are famous people okay?

Photos of people in a public square are okay without any kind of release. Photos of family and friends are usually okay, but get their permission first. We probably can't publish models and famous people in the book without their consent, but go ahead and post photos if you have them. Let us worry about the rights and such. If our lawyers feel we need to get in touch with the famous person or model, we will get ahold of you and make arrangements.