It happens that we sometimes don't have the pic of a pony in our database. That's why we're always looking for people who can help complete our database. Since a lot of ponies have been released over the years in different countries it's hard for us to obtain all of them and get some good pictures. That's why were always looking for image donors.
When makings photos, there are a few requirements that we're looking for that really help us out:
Backgrounds: Since our photos all have a solid white background we prefer our photos delivered with one. Other background colors may give a different color of shade to the ponies as well. The best option would be to place your pony in a lightbox but a sheet of solid white paper will work as well. We are able to adjust the pictures to make the backgrounds a solid white, so it doesn't have to be perfect.
Lightning: For those who use a lightbox, the light provided is usually perfect. Its what we use ourselves. If you don't have a lightbox available some natural lightning works best. So when it's a sunny day, go outside with a white sheet of paper and take some pictures. Pictures with good lighting also contain less grain and are easier to edit. Make sure that the light it always a white/natural color.
Position: One of our main goals of the database is to make it easy for visitors to identify their pony. As such a good composition is required. In all cases make sure that the head and symbols are clearly visible and not covered with hair. Usually a picture taken of the side of the pony is enough, you can take a look in our database to see the angles we prefer.
Condition: Perhaps its a bit obvious, but we would like pictures of the pony in the best condition possible. This means no huge stains, cut hair etc. Make sure the pony itself is clean and has styled hair. (so not your typical I-just-got-out-of-bed-look)
However faults such as pen markings or stained spots are allowed as we can remove these with the magic of Photoshop. Wooh! We also realize that some of the more exotic ponies such as the one from Argentina and South Africa are prone not to be in the best condition possible to begin with. Because these are more trickier to come across we also accept pictures of these with a less-than-ideal condition. We're also likely to accept images of restored/re-haired exotic ponies as long as the hair color and length matches that of the original release.
Below we've places some examples of good and bad pictures.
Examples
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Examples of good usable pictures |
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Examples of non-usable pictures |
Okay I took some pictures, now what?You can send your submission(s) to us by email at
submit@mlpmerch.com, please do include the name you want to be credited with in your email. You can also send us a direct message on
Facebook or
Twitter.