Grant:Wikipedia Loves Photographs of Notable People and Notable Monuments

Grant: Wikipedia Loves Photographs of Notable People and Notable Monuments

Personal information

I am Geraldshields11, an EN Wikipedia editor since 2004, who has contributed photographs of notable monuments and notable people in Washington, DC; Shenyang, Liaoning, China; and Dandong, Liaoning, China. Also, I have taken photographs of the waterfront of Sinuiju, North Korea. About 4.45% of all of my Wiki Commons photographs are used on Wikipedia pages. I am a member of several Wiki Projects, such as Women's History and Taxation. I created the article about the Smithsonian Gardens. I am an employee of the US Department of the Treasury. I am not afraid of using my real name to give credence to my edits and I stand behind the edits.

(1) What is your name?

Gerald Shields

(2) What is your email address?

Geraldshields11 at yahoo dot com

(3) Do you currently reside in the United States? If not, please specify your country of residence.

Yes, the Washington, DC Metro area

(4) Are you requesting this grant on behalf of an organization or group? If so, please provide the name of the group.

No

Description of purpose

I am requesting funds to buy a Sony Alpha NEX5RK digital camera to photograph notable monuments and notable people at seminars and events. Currently, I use a simple camera, a Kodak DX4330, to take photographs. The results can be seen on the Wiki Commons under Geraldshields11 and the EN:Wikipedia article Sunye. I have worked with Ies to try to improve my current and future photographs. I started to photograph notable monuments during Wiki Loves Monuments 2012 competition. The origin of my quest to photograph notable people began with the article about Ri Sol-ju. See the article's talk page for the discussion. In addition, the need for quality photographs was confirmed during a discussion with Slowking4 at a Wikipedia Loves Libraries edit-a-thon. Slowking4 said there was a study that showed an increase in page views of an article when a photograph was attached to the article. I do not know the study's name, but I found several studies to support the conclusion. On EN: Wikipedia, the article on Photo psychology discusses this issue and On the Relationship Between Property Price, Time-on-Market, and Photo Depictions in a Multiple Listing Service discusses the economic benefits of having photographs on websites. Further more, other people suggest adding photographs to increase page views.

(5) What is the purpose for which the funding will be used?

The digital camera and the two lenses will allow me to take photographs outdoors of notable monuments and at seminars and events, from the audience in low-light conditions, of notable people. I need to improve my camera equipment to get the best possible photographs of notable people at seminars and events. Also, I travel frequently and will take photographs overseas.

(6) How does this purpose align with our mission?

This purpose aligns with the Wikipedia mission because this is an opportunity to provide visual encyclopedia information useable on mobile devices. As Slowking4 said to me, increased usage and increased page views are in the best interest of the Wikipedia community. The camera would be a great help in creating better visual encyclopedic content.

Grant Financials

(7) How much funding do you need?

USD $1,269.83 - Prices quoted from Best Buy.

(8) When will you need funding?

The sooner the better but there is no specific time.

(9) What specific costs will the funding cover?
 * Sony Alpha NEX5RK digital camera with lens - $749.99
 * TruCell spare battery (3 year warranty) - $27.99
 * SanDisk 16 GB memory card model:SDSDU-016G-all - $39.99
 * 1) Sony 55-210 mm zoom lens model:SEL55210 - $349.99
 * 2) Sony caring case model:LCSU20 - $29.99
 * 3) Total Maryland sales tax (6%) for all items listed above - $71.88

Request declined
Thank you for submitting this application. While it is an interested project, unfortunately I must decline it as we cannot issue grants for the purpose of purchasing equipment. While Wikimedia DC would be interested in purchasing a professional-grade camera and lending it out to interested volunteers, we do not have the budget for that at this time. Thank you again for your interest. James Hare 17:20, 1 December 2012 (EST)