The Photo Trade {by nectar & light}

NEW GUIDELINES:

As previously mentioned, we are going to be establishing some new rules for the group over the course of the next few months. We will be trying some different approaches to find what will ultimately work best for The Photo Trade – this will be an organic process as we look at the issues at hand – quality control and follow-through – as well as continuing to build a group of dedicated, creative and inspired photographers.

Firstly, this month we will be limiting the trade to the first 20 photographers who sign up. To create more accountability, you will now be sending to the same person you are receiving from. HOWEVER, if you have yet to send photographs from ANY of the last trades that you signed up for, you are NOT permitted to participate this month. Please spend this month fulfilling your previous commitment to your partner so that you will be free to sign up for future trades. Sign up at this email this month info@thephototrade.com - you will receive a verification email that you have been accepted to participate this cycle. DO NOT sign-up if you have yet to fulfill previous trades – we have ways of verifying this so please save us all the time – thank you. This will be a new standing rule: you are not permitted to sign up for a new trades until all of your previous trades have been fulfilled.

DO NOT SIGN-UP UNTIL THE NEW THEME IS ANNOUNCED.

Additionally, there are now quality standards for The Photo Trade. Your photos MUST be at least 5x7 {or 5x5 squares} – they can be larger and if you send more than one photo, the additional prints may be smaller; but the primary photo must adhere to these size requirements. The idea behind this trade is exchanging works of art – keep this in mind not only when you shoot, but also when you print. Due to numerous complaints about the print quality of photographs, you MUST have your work professional printed. Again, this is about trading art – not random photographs that you may have otherwise discarded. You do not have to go to a lab to have your images printed – Walgreen’s or Target prints will do. Our main concern is the over-use of low quality home printers – the easiest way to avoid this is saying that across the board: have your images professionally printed - if you do not have time to do this - do not sign up. We encourage you to push the envelope a bit – you are welcome to print any extras on watercolor, or other non-traditional papers at home and the like – however, your primary image will be professionally printed. Furthermore, take care in how you send your photographs – a scribbled note on a torn piece of paper stuffed in an envelope with your photographs is unacceptable. I cannot reiterate enough that you are sending each other art – please treat it as such.

Lastly, thank you to so many of you who have been already doing all of the aforementioned – it is your passion, attention to detail and thoughtfulness for your partners that make me want to keep this going every month.

These new guidelines may seem a bit harsh, but I was never concerned with the size of this group – I am much more concerned with those participating putting everything they have into sending a piece of themselves – a reflection of their creative genius into the post each month. If we are asking too much of you, you are welcome to excuse yourself from the group and we wish you well. However, for those of you up to the challenge – let’s play…

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PLEASE READ!! AGAIN - LAST TIME I WILL STATE THIS - IF WE DON'T RECEIVE YOUR MAILING ADDRESS WITH YOUR SIGN-UP REQUEST, YOU WILL NOT BE LISTED TO PARTICIPATE! {so please be ever so kind and send your addresses}

I would like to start by thanking each and every one of you who has signed up to be a part of this exchange. The response has been so wonderful and it makes me exceedingly happy that everyone is having such a good time of it! Due to the rapid growth of the group, some guidelines have been set in order to streamline the whole process:

~The PhotoExchange is now The Photo Trade and it even has it's own home at www.thephototrade.com;

~ I have enlisted some help from Stana {aka milk & sugar} - so if you see her responding to your emails or posts on the Flickr group - all is right with the world;

~ Because of the enormous time it takes to gather names and match partners from email, the Flickr group and Flickr mail, we will now only be excepting sign-ups through the website; additionally, we are unable to provide contact information on your partner {again due to time constraints}. However, we have created a participant roster that you can check in on once you receive your partner's name - you are not required to include your own information to this roster, but it will make it a more personal experience for everyone if you do;

~ As we have yet to build a database {we are not that big yet}, it would be most helpful for you to include your full name and address each month that you join The Trade {even if you have participated before}; if we do not receive a mailing address with your request, you will not be included in that month's swap. Unfortunately we do not have the time to reply to every request that is not properly addressed - so be sure to include it;

~ I have created a side banner for anyone who would like to put a link to The Trade on their site - if you would like it, please email me at jenifer@thephototrade.com

~ I am no longer asking that you hold your own photos from the Flickr group. We all have such busy lives and it takes some of us longer than others to scan or reshoot the photos and post them. So please feel free to post the images you are sending as well as what you have received;

~ And on that note, please realize that this is an international affair - it does take some time to receive packages from the other side of the world - be patient my friends and I am sure you will rewarded! And do not stress if you photo goes out a week late - you are having fun - remember? ;)

~ Lastly, we are unable to police non-participants. Please understand that you enter The Trade at your own risk of giving and not receiving. We have a wonderful group that is dedicated to this project, but in all likelihood, there will be people who forget, get too busy or packages that get lost in the mail. If you do not receive anything after a month of the shipping deadline, please email stana@thephototrade.com and she will pass on your partner's information to you so that you may contact them if you wish.

Thank you so much - these new guidelines will allow this group to grow and flourish - we look forward to building so many wonderful friendships through this project!

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Common sense applies! While I personally see beauty in nude work - not everyone does - so please refrain from sending anything ANYONE MIGHT consider inappropriate.

Additionally, if you at any point are found to have inappropriate content in your stream or favorites, you will be promtly removed from the group without warning.

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NEW RULES:

PLEASE NOTE: Due to some people just dropping any photos into this group, members are now limited to 6 subissions a month - additionally, each submission will be reviewed before being accepted to the group to ensure it's content covers the topics of The Photo Trade - if you have already submitted a photo that does not belong, it will be removed. To ensure your photos are approved or not removed by mistake, tag each submission with "the photo trade". Additionally, be sure to note either in the description area or the tags what month/theme the photo is for and whether it is your shot or your partner's. If we have made a mistake in deleting something that belongs in this group, please send me a Flickr mail and I will get it reposted if it belongs. Thank you.