Central Asian WikiCon 2025/Submissions/Commons Photographers User Group: Building a Global Community of Free Culture Photographers: Difference between revisions

The Commons Photographers User Group is an international community of photography enthusiasts dedicated to contributing freely licensed images to Wikimedia Commons. The group focuses on visually documenting the world and making images accessible for educational and knowledge-sharing purposes.

This session will provide an in-depth introduction to the Commons Photographers User Group, its mission, ongoing initiatives, and how it supports members in developing their technical photography and post-processing skills. Attendees will gain insight into past projects such as the **Post-Photography Processing Workshop-1** and collaborations like the **Women’s Month Datathon on Commons** (in partnership with CIS A2K: [link](https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/CIS-A2K/Events/Women%27s_Month_Datathon_on_Commons)).

Participants will also have the opportunity to share their interests and technical skill gaps, allowing the user group to plan future skill-building workshops tailored to the community’s needs. Photography plays a crucial role in Wikimedia projects, including **Wiki Loves Monuments, Wiki Loves Earth, and GLAM collaborations**, making this discussion highly relevant for contributors who want to enhance their impact on Wikimedia Commons.

• Opportunities for new collaborations and skill-sharing workshops.
• Increased participation in global photography competitions such as Wiki Loves Monuments and Wiki Loves Earth.

• Strengthen the photography community within Wikimedia and encourage more participation from Central Asian contributors.
• Support skill development by understanding what technical aspects contributors want to learn.
• Increase the quality and quantity of freely licensed photographs available for Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.
• Encourage collaborations between photographers, Wikimedia communities, and GLAM institutions.