Usage

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This template is placed at the top of an article's talk page to request that someone take a photograph for an article or add an image (from another source) to an article.

It is a residual indicator, not a general-purpose "no image present" indicator (for that, use {{improve images}}). Editors placing this template on a talk page should provide information about what images or photographs are wanted, using more media or request specific related templates (click to see the list).

Typical usage (all parameters are optional, most can be repeated):

{{Image requested | <topic subcategory> |of= <subject> |in= <country, region or city> }}

Free=yes block is for articles where there is a non-free image present. Without it, someone may see "This article needs an image" and say "It already has an image", and maybe even remove the template. Some editors may also consider the complete absence of an image to be a more pressing concern than the need to replace a non-free one (or vice versa), and may want to sort requests that way.

Examples

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Usage examples of Template:Image requested, with sample output
Description Template Example
Basic table with no additional parameters {{Image requested}}
With "in" specified {{Image requested|in=the United States}}
With subject category parameter {{Image requested|of=consumer electronics}}
With subject category parameter and multiple "in" specified {{Image requested|of=rivers and waterfalls|in=France|in2=Germany}}
With subject category, in parameter and additional information parameter {{Image requested|architecture|in=England|of=the main entrance}}
With "|free=yes" parameter {{Image requested|free=yes}}
With "|small=yes" parameter {{Image requested|small=yes}}

Categorize your request

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Although it is possible to add just the template {{image requested}} to a talk page it is strongly advised that you add at least one category parameter. If you don't categorize your request, it will be placed in Category:Wikipedia requested photographs, and may not receive attention from subject / regional photographers, and it is more likely to be deleted by other editors.

For example, if a picture of a specific car is required then the following should be added to the talk page: {{image requested|cars}} — this will then be added to Category:Wikipedia requested images of cars.

Picture of places are sorted by location, for example {{image requested|in=Norway}}

Adding more than one subject to the list of parameters will bring it to the attention of more people. If, for example, the subject is found in a location (or predominantly is in one country) then you can add more additional categories like so: {{image requested|computer equipment|in=Russia}}

For requests of people, reason for notoriety (i.e. occupation) and where they are know (born, lived, died, worked) is recommend. For example: {{image requested||American football people|people of Pennsylvania}}

If you are requiring a specific image of the article subject, it is possible to add detailed text. For example, in the talk page of a specific building: {{image requested|architecture|in=London|of=main entrance hall}}

For a full list of categories in use, go to Category:Wikipedia requested photographs. When selecting a category, please click down to the most relevant sub-category, and select the most appropriate to the topic of the article requiring a photograph.

Adding more than one subject category in the template is recommended.

Explain your request

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If the subject matter isn't perfectly obvious (such as an article about a physical object), please explain your request on the talk page. It is very helpful to give photographers your ideas, particularly for abstract ideas, such as legal and philosophical concepts.

If you have a specific idea for another image, then use the | parameter to name the specific picture that you would like. This is particularly helpful if there are already images in the article.

Unexplained and uncategorized templates may be deleted by any editor.

Parameters

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The template employs several optional data field parameters as described hereafter.

{{Image requested
|1=
|2=
|3=
|of=
|in=
|in2=
|in3=
|in4=
|in5=
|in6=
|in7=
|in8=
|in9=
|in10=
|in11=
|in12=
|in13=
|in14=
|in15=
|in16=
|in17=
|in18=
|in19=
|in20=
|category=
|free=
|collapsed=
|small=
}}

Parameters legend

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  • |1= – may be passed to indicate an appropriate topic subcategory. The positional parameter alternatively may be unnamed (e.g., instead of "|1=xxx", the string "|xxx" would have the same results as "|1=xxx").
Up to three positional parameters (e.g., 1=, 2=, 3=) may be used to specify appropriate subcategories. For example, use {{image requested|1=sportspeople|2=musicians}} or {{image requested|sportspeople|musicians}} to add the page to Category:Wikipedia requested photographs of sportspeople and Category:Wikipedia requested photographs of musicians.
  • |of= – may be passed to indicate what the subject of the photograph should be.
  • |in= – specifies where the photograph may best be taken, and adds the article to the appropriate location subcategory, e.g. {{image requested|in=Wisconsin}} adds the article to Category:Wikipedia requested photographs in Wisconsin. If there is also a "Wikipedians" category for the location (in that example, if Category:Wikipedians in Wisconsin also exists), it displays a link suggesting that those users may be able to help.
Additional in2=, in3=, ... up to in20= parameters may be used to specify up to twenty location categories (such as for roads that cross multiple counties or celebrities and others who may frequent multiple locations).
  • |collapsed= – may be set to collapsed=yes to close up the template message box.
If more than six locations are specified (e.g., in=, in2=, in3=, in4=, in5=, in6=, in7= ... are used), the template message box will collapse automatically without using the collapsed= parameter. Specifying collapsed=no will keep the template message box expanded, no matter how many in= parameters are specified (i.e. no matter how many locations are specified).
  • |small= – toggles the message box from standard size to small, if small=yes.
  • |category= – suppresses the automatic categorization if category=no.
  • |free= – if free=yes, the substituted text will explicitly request a freely-licensed photograph.

Notes

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  • If no category or location parameters are present, this template adds the article to Category:Wikipedia requested photographs.
  • To avoid needlessly cluttering up talk pages, it is usually appropriate to remove any unused parameters from the template. A common initial configuration for the template includes the following basic parameters:
{{image requested| |of=|in=|in2=|in3=}}

Variants from using this template

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As a variant, some talk page WikiProject banners can also list an article as needing a photograph. However, where the talk page banners do not highlight a need for a photograph in an article or where photographs for the article are requested in more than three locations, this template may be placed on the talk (discussion) page of the article, instead.

Another variant is to find existing photographs that might meet the needs.

Redirects

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Redirects to this template are considered "copies". Some of the more natural phrases that redirect here include {{Image needed}}; {{Picture requested}}, {{Photo requested}} and {{Photograph requested}}; and {{Requested image}}, {{Requested picture}}, {{Requested photo}} and {{Requested photograph}}.

See also

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Media request templates

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The following templates may be used on article talk pages to request the addition of particular types of media files. See the individual templates for usage notes. Specific templates are indented under the more general templates, and wherever possible, the most specific template should be used.

Audio

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TemplateData

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This is the TemplateData for this template used by TemplateWizard, VisualEditor and other tools. See a monthly parameter usage report for Template:Image requested in articles based on its TemplateData.

TemplateData for Image requested

Informs readers that an image would improve the article

Template parameters

This template prefers block formatting of parameters.

ParameterDescriptionTypeStatus
Country or regionin

Location x where "Wikipedians in x" might be able to help provide the image

Example
United States
Lineoptional
Subjectof

What the subject of the requested image should be

Example
The missile
Lineoptional