Closed Photos for site banner

Simon Hampel

Administrator
Staff member
20+ year member
Someone suggested that I swap the banner at the top of the page around every so often with a new photo from the gallery.

If you like this idea and have a photo in the gallery which you are happy for me to use for the site banner for a short period of time (I'll probably change monthly if we have enough photos), then please post a link to the photo in this thread.

Note that not all photos are suitable - due to the wide-but-thin nature of the banner - any photo where the subject takes up a large part of the image won't be suitable.

For example, here is the original photo used for the "Lion at Monarto" banner:

[photo=9827;522;2003_12_30_-_Monarto_Zoo_-_128_2886.jpg]Lion - Dec 2003[/photo]

... as you can see, I was able to crop it to fit the banner size while still retaining the interesting part of the photo.
 
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Maybe someone could make a Photshop'd logo for zoo beat every month?
 
Someone suggested that I swap the banner at the top of the page around every so often with a new photo from the gallery.

If you like this idea and have a photo in the gallery which you are happy for me to use for the site banner for a short period of time (I'll probably change monthly if we have enough photos), then please post a link to the photo in this thread.

Note that not all photos are suitable - due to the wide-but-thin nature of the banner - any photo where the subject takes up a large part of the image won't be suitable.

For example, here is the original photo used for the "Lion at Monarto" banner:

[photo=9827;522;2003_12_30_-_Monarto_Zoo_-_128_2886.jpg]Lion - Dec 2003[/photo]

... as you can see, I was able to crop it to fit the banner size while still retaining the interesting part of the photo.


has that picture seriously been there since December 2003?
 
no it hasnt its been here since the forum turned this colour (it used to be blue)i think 2006
 
I personally think it would bring more vibe and Ommpf! To the forum I reckon its a great idea,
 
This is just my opinion, but I feel that if the banner is going to change then it should be changed to an image of another "traditional" zoo animal (gorilla, orang, chimp, elephant, rhino, hippo, zebra, giraffe, lion, tiger, panda etc) despite the fact that there are many fantastic images of unusual animals, just because when regular people think of 'zoo', they think of the standard animals.

http://www.zoobeat.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/1589/ppuser/433 Ring Tail Lemur

http://www.zoobeat.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/1276/ppuser/433 Toucan (going against what I said about standard zoo animals)

http://www.zoobeat.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/1230/ppuser/433 Indian Rhino

http://www.zoobeat.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/2085/ppuser/433 Orang Utan

http://www.zoobeat.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/2082/ppuser/433 Asian Elephant

http://www.zoobeat.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/2086/ppuser/433 Chimpanzee
 
Here's some that could be of use.

To try and help people understand what I am looking for, I'll explain which photos I would consider and which I wouldn't:

No - image quality not high enough:
[thumb=2745;557;neophema_13_06_1984.JPG]Splendid Parakeets Chester Zoo 13 June 1984[/thumb]

No - photo subject not obvious enough:
[thumb=2759;557;wedgetailed_eagle_12_08_1976.JPG]Wedge-tailed Eagle Chester Zoo 12 August 1976[/thumb]

No - photo subject not obvious enough and too tall:
[thumb=2681;557;Seba_s_Short-tailed_Bat.JPG]Seba's Short-tailed Bat Chester Zoo 2 July 1997[/thumb]

No - image quality not high enough:
[thumb=2686;557;Cream-coloured_Giant_Squirrel.JPG]Malayan Giant Squirrel Chester Zoo 10 April 1981[/thumb]

No - image too small (needs to be at least 1024 pixels wide):
[thumb=914;557;CNV00036.JPG]Green Anaconda, Chester Zoo[/thumb]

... would appreciate more suggestions though!
 
This is just my opinion, but I feel that if the banner is going to change then it should be changed to an image of another "traditional" zoo animal (gorilla, orang, chimp, elephant, rhino, hippo, zebra, giraffe, lion, tiger, panda etc) despite the fact that there are many fantastic images of unusual animals, just because when regular people think of 'zoo', they think of the standard animals.

I don't think it necessarily needs to be of a widely recognised animal - even exotic or unusual animals are recognised as "not domestic". However, the animal does need to be clearly visible and not hidden or obscured.

I'm more concerned with image quality and size in relation to its function as a banner, than I am with finding the "ideal" animal.

A photo of a zoo feature rather than an animal is also acceptable - provided it is obviously a zoo and isn't going to cause legal issues (eg no signage etc).

Here's my thoughts on your photo suggestions:

No - subject too tall:
[thumb=1589;557;Lemur_3.JPG]Ring-Tail Lemurs at Chester Zoo[/thumb]

Maybe - height is just right, but quality is not ideal:
[thumb=1276;585;Toucan_2.JPG]Keel-Billed Toucan[/thumb]

No - height is okay, but image quality not high enough:
[thumb=1230;557;Indian_Rhino_1.JPG]Indian Rhino (Patna) at Chester Zoo[/thumb]

No - image quality not high enough and too tall:
[thumb=2085;557;Orang_21.JPG]Orang Utan at Chester Zoo[/thumb]

No - image quality is good, but too tall:
[thumb=2082;557;Elephant_53.JPG]Elephants at Chester Zoo[/thumb]

Yes - this is great:
[thumb=2086;557;Chimp_30.JPG]Chimpanzees at Chester Zoo[/thumb]
 
To further explain what I am looking for - I've put together a sample of the images I'll consider using from my own collection:

Banner Tests

Hopefully this will give you a bit more of an idea - please keep the suggestions coming!

It's easier for me if you can link to the photo page in the gallery (like CZJimmy did), rather than to the actual photo itself.
 
Curious as to what cat species that is in the 2nd pic?
 
Hey Sim, would it be possible to see my chimpanzee image in a banner test?

Out of the banner tests that you've done, I do like the panda, chimp and elephant ones.
 
Two from me:

Size is fine, but not sure the subject is interesting enough:
[thumb=10614;925;DSC_0597.JPG]Spotted Hyena in Leipzig[/thumb]

This one works well - I've added it to the banner test:
[thumb=10610;925;savanne3.jpg]Savannah in Leipzig[/thumb]
 
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