How does this work?

We do not store photos. We add context to existing resources on the web by linking to them.

We link to stable, open sources: Flickr; Wikimedia Commons; and Geograph.

Images are Creative Commons licenced which means that you remain the copyright holder and grant others the right to display your image. We attribute them to the copyright holder.

We display multiple photos of each plaque. We like close-ups as well as long-shots that set the scene.

The closest shot is used as the main image so that people can read the words.

Sometimes people remove their pictures from the original site...please don't, they are a valuable resource for all.

Help, I really don't understand!

If this sounds too complicated, then have a chat with us via email. We are generally rather nice and want to help. You can
email your photo
to us stating that you are happy for us to publish it as open data on your behalf and that you grant anyone in the world the right to re-use the image.

We are volunteers, so please try not to swamp us with requests...three or four is fine.

It is free, fairly easy to use, and your image will [probably] live forever as part of the awesome Wikipedia platform. When you are done, paste the url of the Wikimedia page in here and Open Plaques will link to the photo.

You can also tag it when asked for other information, or at the bottom of the Summary with
which will add a link back to Open Plaques.

Do not upload photos of Pennsylvania historical markers as the copyright states that you may not reproduce an image and it will be removed from Wikimedia Commons

we use the API, so check you haven't ticked the 'hidden from search' setting. (On Flickr, go to your profile by clicking your username in top right hand corner, do you have "Hide your stuff from public searches" set to "no"?)