Hello,
FA database will be soon full of rubbish images. The quality of images uploaded to Flightaware is constantly going down, with people uploading very or extremely low quality images, often with no identifiable planes, just guessing model and registration, or with very poor photography. For example people uploading tons of absolutely bad images of very far flying planes or their smoke trails, people adding images badly taken with mobile phones, totally dark, moved, duplicates, rotated etc…
I do believe it should be introduced a kind of moderation to screen and remove images that do not qualify for the aims of FA’s aviation picture gallery, included when too poor.
All other aviation database websites are already operating this screening process, although for some of then it is insanely picky and is very difficult to get images accepted. FA should consider this is just an hobby for most of the photographers, with a lot of dedication for spotting, selecting and processing images, so do not expect professional-like images. A similar issue recently happened to Panoramio, thereafter the website/database was shut down also due to the huge amount of images submitted, with lots of very poor/unuseful.
Another think that should be improved is the “Staff Picks” selection, many times poor images are selected, including from some with very poor quality or very poor photography technique. This doesn’t looks nice for FA reputation.
Pictures in my gallery are not always very good, I know, but I always met the basic rules for FA’s aviation picture gallery. I’ll have nothing against if some image of mine is removed because objectively considered too poor upon a screening.
You have amassed a significant collection of great aircraft photos. I don’t see any other responses to this suggestion, but it seems a good idea. I suspect the issue is one of resources versus potential benefits. If FlightAware could organize a group of volunteers, photos could go to a holding area and they could at least pass a quick review of photos before posting them live. It would eliminate most of the concerns you expressed.
I am amazed how some people upload many of the same image on Flight Aware! PICK JUST A COUPLE! Also there are all those high altitude pictures of aircraft from a photographer I call “High Altitude Harry!” A couple may be interesting but sometimes it is a whole page full! No complaints though. I go each day to Flight Aware to look at the current articles and photos. I do love it!
It might also be helpful to know which viewers rated a photo and their criteria for the rating awarded. After all, the best criticisms are often the most difficult to hear.
Another vote here! There needs to be a system to weed trough those pictures, not just one FA employee, manually.
I know that they consider those pics their property, but IMO at least let the original uploader can delete bad pics.
Maybe based on the votes received, “lock in” just the good ones?
Following this ongoing conversation, and considering the constant lowering of the quality of images uploaded to the FA gallery, multiple images of potential planes an so on…often even selected between the “Staff Picks” selection, I’d propose:
allowing each author to remove images from his own gallery/rather than have to send an email to request it to the FA service.
stopping the “Staff Picks” selection - people dedicating time to select images for that selection (is it useful?) could instead dedicate their time to grossly screen old and recently uploaded images (but definitively not tooooo rigorously as in other similar websites). The general quality of images recently uploaded will be definitively improved and the “Staff Picks” selection not anymore needed. The very top images will still be selected for the newsletter and so on.
What’s the FA photographers and staff’s opinion in regard?
-Bart
