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Online Helps and Hints

Photographs
Event Calendar
Membership Forms

What does that mean? Previously, if you needed to obtain other signatures besides your own to register a llama, you would be required to print the submission form for the ILR and send in photographs and the correct fees with the signed document. You were not given the opportunity to upload photographs, as we had decided to keep all parts of the registration process together. However, after almost a year of online registrations, we feel comfortable in moving to the next step in full computerization of the registration process. That step is to allow the submission of photographs for all registration applications that are initiated on the web site .

How it works - When you fill out the online registration form (this does not include the PDF download), the data is stored on the ILR web server and the application is assigned a Registration Application Number (RAN). When you upload the photographs, they are saved under the RAN. If your RAN is #980, your photographs would be saved as 980l.jpg and 980r.jpg.

When you print your online registration form (whether just for your own records or to obtain additional signatures), the RAN prints in the upper right hand corner. If you upload your photographs and then send in a paper copy of the ILR Application for Registration/Listing, the ILR operator can locate your photographs by using the RAN.

WARNING - You cannot upload photographs of an unregistered or unlisted llama without a RAN. Do Not upload photographs using another llama's registration number or RAN. Doing so will cause delays in the current registration process and overwrite the correct photographs with the new ones as well.

Photographs

Now that online registration and uploading of digital photographs is gaining in popularity, photographic technique is more important than ever. The specifications for photographs read as follows:

2 are required (left side, right side), 4 recommended (left, right, front, back)
must be color
3.5"x 5"to 4"x 6" in size
full lama, close up
no other animals in photograph
no Polaroid, instant, or photocopied photographs
lama's name, owner name and owner code must be printed on back of each photograph

Additional Digital Requirements for uploading on the ILR website

jpg format only
8-of-10 or 9-of-12 quality setting
2.5" x 3.5" image size at 150ppi (anything less will not be accepted)
color can be either RGB or CMYK
digital photographs MUST be uploaded from the ILR web site. Photographs attached to email will not be accepted unless there is prior approval.

When completing registration using digital photographs, you must be more careful in photographing and preparing your images than with a dye based photograph produced from film. An average frame of 35mm film will contain the equivalent of approximately 22 megapixels of information (estimate of Kodak Gold ISO 100 film). The average digital file will try to produce the same quality using less than 200 kilobytes. That is 1/10 th the amount of information! The image that will show on the ILR web site is not of great concern, except that the photograph is small. That means that you need to compose your photograph tightly around the llama. Here at the Registry we really do like to see your farms and fields, but not when we are trying to determine what the identifying features are of the llama out there in the north forty.

Being that your computer's monitor displays photographs at about 75 pixels/inch, a low resolution photograph looks pretty good. But when hard copy prints are made, the rules change. Higher resolution is needed to make your llama look as good on paper as it does in real life. If you want a real life test of this fact, go to any image on the web, right click and save the image on your computer. Then enlarge it to approximately 8” x 10” and print it.

A few easy rules for photographing llamas:

1. Get up close and fill the viewfinder and photograph with the llama.

2. Photograph with ample light on the animal. (I am a former professional photographer and I will be the first to tell you not to take most photographs with light coming over your shoulder. But when you are photographing llamas for physical characteristics, that is where you want the light to be.)

3. Do not photograph into the sun. We receive a lot of photographs which exhibit what we call 'flare'. It is a degradation of the image due to direct light coming into a camera lens and bouncing around between the elements.

4. Move the llama to a clean and simple (if not solid) background. Your photographs are intended to show others what your llamas look like. We do not need to see your truck, trailer, four-wheelers, dogs, cats, or your John Deere. Send us those in a separate photograph and we will be jealous.

A few easy rules for digital upload:

1. Start ahead by creating the correct sized Jpeg photographic image. That means 2.5x3.5 inches in size and at 150 pixels per inch. If the photograph is saved correctly, it will give you a file aprox. 620kb in size.

2. Do all cropping necessary on the original file just before you write the final Jpeg for submission.

3. Only alter and save your photograph once using the Jpeg format. If you need to open and alter your photograph more than once, save all intermediate versions in TIFF format. (I will save you the boring compression lesson. But if you want, send me an email and I will ramble.)

Event Calendar (or What in the Heck are You Doing?)

We encourage all ILR members to add to our Event Calendar. It is quick, painless and can promote your show, sale or event. The only thing we ask is that you limit submissions to events. There are other venues for advertising llamas and services.

Please note that your submission is not immediately readable on the web site. Each submission is reviewed and approved by the ILR office. We make an attempt to review each submission early on the next business day (Mountain Time).

www.lamaregistry.com/rsearch.php

Membership Forms (Join Now)

Don't forget that all llama owners can become members of the ILR. Paid membership entitles you to unlimited access for online research from the ILR Database, reduced registration and transfer fees, and other member privileges. You can send in your membership application by USPS, or online.