What is the photo mosaic all about?

This photo mosaic, arranged by the Antarctic Krill Conservation Project, offers everyone a chance to voice their concern that Antarctic Penguins have enough food to eat. Each picture represents an individual person’s support for penguin conservation.

Who will see the mosaic?

In late October 2010, the Antarctic Krill Conservation Project and its partners will present the mosaic to delegates from 25 countries who will be attending the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources in Hobart, Tasmania (Australia). We want to draw attention to the plight of Antarctic Penguins in the wake of industrialized fishing and climate change. If the Antarctic krill fishery continues to grow without accounting for the food needs of penguins, this could have disastrous consequences for their populations. We need to show the magnitude of support for penguin protection to these key decision makers to ensure that this doesn’t happen.

How many photos are needed?

The more, the better! The more photos there are, the more detailed the mosaic will be and the more impact it will have. The size of the individual photos will be reduced from time to time, to allow for more space for new photos to be added.

What format should my picture be?

Please make sure that your photo is at least 100 x 100 pixels in size and is no larger than 4 MB. Images can be in JPEG (.jpg and .jpeg), GIF (.gif), PNG (.png) and TIFF (.tif and .tiff) formats. If you scan a hard copy photo into your computer, please make sure you crop the image before uploading it to remove any white space around it.

What kind of picture can I add?

The final version of the penguin mosaic will be presented to government delegates. We need to make sure that they see how many people around the world support penguin conservation. So, please only add photos of yourself. Unfortunately photos of just penguins (no matter how amazing they look) will not be accepted. Sorry! But if you have a photo of yourself with penguins please submit it!

How long will it take for my picture to appear on the mosaic?

Photos are added at regular intervals, but may not appear immediately on the site. Please allow a day or so for your photo to appear.

My photo has not appeared on the mosaic, what has happened?

Your photo may not have appeared for several reasons. There may have been a technical issue with the image or the system may be slower than usual due to the number of images people are adding. If you image has not appeared after 2 days, please try and add it again. If your photo does still not then appear please let us know.

How can I find my picture in the mosaic?

All participants who submit a photo together with a valid e-mail address will automatically receive an e-mail containing a web link, which leads directly to their photo in the mosaic. This link will remain valid, even if the position of the photo changes from time to time.

You can also find your image using your unique photo ID, which was included in the confirmation email you received. With this ID you can go to the mosaic and search directly for your photo. If you want to find the photo of someone else unfortunately the only option is to zoom into the mosaic and search for their photo.

Why can’t the pictures be combined seamlessly?

We want to combine photos with different formats (vertical and horizontal formats), without having to cut the photos. For this reason the photos are adapted to a basic shape. Edges remain on the top and bottom as well as on the sides, through which the original penguin picture can be seen.

How are the positions of the photos in the penguin picture determined?

A computer program compares the color of each portrait photo with the penguin picture and automatically selects the position, which matches the best.

Why does the position of my picture change from time to time?

Each time new photos are added to the mosaic, the computer program determines the best position for all of the photos- selecting the position where the photo’s colors best match up with the colors of the penguin picture.

What happens to the mosaic after CCAMLR 2010

The Antarctic Krill Conservation Project and it partners will present the mosaic to delegates from 25 countries at the October 2010 meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources in Hobart, Tasmania. We will post updates on this website, so please check the site after this date and see the mosaic being physically presented.

The mosaic itself will remain on this website and you will still be able to view your photo after October 2010.

Thank you for your cooperation. We hope you find the Site helpful and convenient to use! Questions or comments regarding the Site, including any reports of non-functioning links, should be directed to action@krillcount.org.