Photography > Animals, Plants and Nature Category Streamlining

As part of the long term vision for deviantART a significant review of all of the categories on dA has been done over the last several months, this review is called Project Streamline. Some streamlining has already happened and now it is the turn of Photography > Animals, Plants and Nature (APN) Categories.


What has changed?

1. The Photography > APN > Astrophotography category has been locked and will be deleted AFTER the deviations in it have been transferred to the Photography > APN > Sky category.

2. The Photography > APN > Dogs & Cats category has been locked and will be deleted AFTER the deviations in it have been transferred to the Photography > APN > Domesticated Animals category.

3. The Photography > APN > Elements category has been locked and will be deleted AFTER the deviations in it have been transferred to the Photography > APN > Miscellaneous category.

4. The Photography > APN > Human & Nature category has been locked and will be deleted AFTER the deviations in it have been transferred to the Photography > APN > Miscellaneous category.

5. The Photography > APN > Underwater category has been renamed Aquatic Life. Note: this was originally Sea Life but after a suggestion from the community Aquatic Life is the right description for it. Thank you


How does this affect you and I?

All of the changes will be carried out automatically by the dA IT team, you do not need to do anything, except read and understand the new structure before uploading sumbissions.

Anyone that has been reporting miscats should please note the new descriptions before continuing to report deviations.


Will this new Structure suit everyone?

Hell no, of course it won't! However, it will suit the majority of deviants and benefit the dA community in the long term. The other option was to massively expand the number of categories down to individual categories for individual species and that honestly isn't what this Art site is about.

If, after all of the changes have been done, you find that you have large numbers of images that you like to be relocated into a more suitable category then please note me and I will help you move them. As a Gallery Diirector, I have access to a faster method of moving images and the one by one method of moving images is very slow.


The New Photography > Animals, Plants and Nature (APN) Category Structure and Descriptions for 2008 and beyond

* Birds - Photographs of live birds either in their natural habitat or captivity (ie. zoo or wildlife sanctuary) should be placed here. Photographs of extinct birds on display in museums also belong here.

* Domesticated Animals - Photographs of live animals that live with people as pets or livestock in houses or on farms. Images of captive wild animals should be placed in the Wild Animals category.

* Flowers & Plants - Studio or outdoor photographs featuring plants, trees, flowers, and so on. Pictures of mushrooms will go here as well, even though they are not plants.

* Geology - Photographs taken to illustrate naturally formed geological features. Landscape/waterscape images should not be placed here as they have their own categories.

* Insects & Arachnids - Photographs of live Insects, Arachnids, Gastropods, Molucuss, Butterflies and Dragonflies.

* Landscapes - Photographs of an expanse of natural scenery that can be seen in a single view. This category differs from a waterscape in that landscapes should feature solid ground for the most part.

* Aquatic Life - Photographs of all aspects of both fresh and salt water live subjects belong in this category. Images may include coral, shells, sea creatures or fish taken from above AND below water level. Waterscapes do not belong in this category as they have their own gallery.

* Miscellaneous - Photographs of Animals, Plants and Nature that fail to fit in the other categories.

* Reptiles & Amphibians - Photographs of animals that includes crocodiles, alligators, tuatara, lizards, snakes, amphibians, turtles, frogs & toads.

* Sky - Photographs of nature involving the sky or astronomical features as the most significant element. Images of fireworks are specifically excluded from this category.

* Waterscapes - Photographs of an expanse of natural scenery that can be seen in a single view. This category differs from a landscape in that waterscapes should feature water - flowing or standing - for the most part.

* Weather - Photographs focusing on capturing the weather at the particular point in time.

* Wild Animals - Photographs of live animals that do not typically live with people. This category would also include wild animals in captivity (i.e. in a zoo). Birds, Insects and Arachnids, Reptiles & Amphibians do not belong in this category as they have their own galleries.


If you have any serious concerns or problems with this revised structure please talk to me.


best regards
Kev Lewis
Gallery Director for
Animals, Plants and Nature