Woophy.com

Creating a Photographic Database of the World!

by Teun van den Dries

What is Woophy?

stands for 'WOrld Of PHotographY', which is an internet platform for photos presenting the world from the photographer's point of view. Everyone can add his of her images to the database, and the collection is shaping into an outstanding mix of photographs, representing the cultural diversity of its members. Contrasts between professional and amateur photographers can be seen as well as the views on a place by both locals and tourists.

When you upload a picture into the Woophy collection, you are asked to provide the location where the image was taken. The location coordinates allow Woophy to place your picture on a map of the world. The map is the main basis for navigation through the database, allowing you to browse through the images: searching for specific members or specific places.

Adding basic keywords to your pictures helps describe the place or the subject. This also makes it possible for viewers to browse the collection using different types of thematic searches. You can for example look for a specific keyword like ‘church’ and get every picture labeled ‘church’ on Woophy, showing you pictures from all over the world from every photographers unique point of view.

The ultimate goal for the database will be to cover every inch of the world map, showing the world’s beauty and peculiarity from all different points of view. To be able to highlight the most beautiful and extraordinary pictures on Woophy, a digital ‘museum’ will be added to the website. This exposition can be expanded as the database grows and will be combined with several temporary exhibitions focusing on different themes (such as a photographer, a specific format or technique, a photographic theme etc.). This feature combined with the rating system for the pictures will allow the most interesting shots to float to the surface, even in a large database of pictures.

How can I participate?

With the basic (free) account on Woophy, you get the possibility to upload an unlimited amount of pictures to be placed on the map. These pictures (at a maximum size of 1280 by 1024 pixels) are placed on the servers and can be accessed through Woophy or external (for use in internet forums etc.) Naturally, you always retain all exclusive rights to the images that you took and uploaded. As a Woophy member, you can also enter the photo contests, rate pictures in the database (which functions as a filter to show the best pictures first and as a pre-selection for the photo contests) and participate in the conversations on Woophy’s forums.

A premiere (paid) account will be introduced in November, providing extra features specifically designed for professional and semi-professional photographers. These options will include:

• The possibility to store your photos on Woophy in their original size, creating a safe place to back up for your work
• Creating travelogues, routes on the map which show your journey with stories and pictures
• Digital storage to act as a photo dump and backup during travel
• Your own portfolio on the website (e.g. TPN.woophy.com)
• The possibility to promote and sell your work as stock photography or as prints:
  • The prints option will be rather basic, showing the option to order a print next to your picture.
  • The option to sell your work as stock will be implemented in a different way.
• The Woophy technology is being adapted for use for travel agencies
  • They will be able to offer their products on a spin off of the Woophy map on their own website
  • They can purchase pictures of the locations they need as stock from the pro-members

To help promote the pictures from your pro-account, they will be browsable as an extra category and will also be listed higher in the regular browsing windows of the map.

The Woophy database has been expanding steadily ever since it was launched in April of this year and we hope it will continue to expand even further, showing the world in all it's splendour, diversity and peculiarity.

If you have any comments regarding the TPN articles, please contact us at: editor@travelphotographers.net .