We’re running a poll on Tumblr and I’d like Bluesky input too! If the site gets a random button, should it pull up: a) a random species page or b) a single random photo. Or c) would it be worth waiting a little longer to get both? Newborn (still wet and goopy) capybara as photo tax.

A quick count of the master photo files for the repository: 850+ species and 45,000+ photos! It takes much longer to get files online than it does to take the photos, but I’m chugging away on the backend as quickly as I can!

This is a big part of why I founded the animal photo reference repository: because AI slop has made finding good, real references harder while promising using them doesn’t matter… I hope to see more efforts exist to curate and restore accurate references for all sorts of subjects and places.

The Repository has been taken over by skeletons! ...they've been very enthusiastic about allocating the xtra bone stash this Halloween. For one night only, step up, and visit a world in which cladistics aren’t enforced & taxonomy is non-euclidean! www.animal-photo-references.com/spoopy-scary...

This is amazing, and I'm begging everyone to check it out and enjoy the glee of skeletons where they don't belong XD

The Repository has been taken over by skeletons! ...they've been very enthusiastic about allocating the xtra bone stash this Halloween. For one night only, step up, and visit a world in which cladistics aren’t enforced & taxonomy is non-euclidean! www.animal-photo-references.com/spoopy-scary...

#WoTtober 10: torm. I'm knackered tonight, and also, I hate scales, so quick semi-realistic lizard kitty doodle it is. Mmm, dear viewer, you look tasty 😋 (Referenced from @animalphotorefs.bsky.social's photo of a leopard licking its chops.) #WoTSkies #TheWheelOfTime #art

thanks all who tuned in!! we made this guy in just an hour!! shoutout to @animalphotorefs.bsky.social for excellent reference photos!

I’m just having a moment over here about being put in the same skeet as Wikipedia. Aaaaaaaaaaaa thank you

New Species Added: Aplomado Falcons! www.animal-photo-references.com/aplomado-fal... These are the first species to be posted from the Birds of Prey trip funded by all of you amazing folk. All photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).

New Species Added: Aplomado Falcons! www.animal-photo-references.com/aplomado-fal... These are the first species to be posted from the Birds of Prey trip funded by all of you amazing folk. All photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).

Photo of the Day: milky eagle owl preview! Thank you to everyone who funded the Birds of Prey trip. I’m hard at work sorting photos, but wanted to share this favorite shot immediately. All photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).

I love tigers 🐅✏️ Beautiful ref photos from @animalphotorefs.bsky.social

The raptor photography trip ended up fully funded, and has begun! Very excited to share shots with you that are better than this teaser from my camera’s LCD screen.

GenAI has polluted image search results, especially for animal pics. It’s now basically impossible to find accurate art references. Enter this: a repository of open-access, AI-free images of wild & exotic taxa. Artists creating *without AI* have blanket permission for derivative/transformative use.

We are at $430 out of $500! Y’all rock. Even though it hasn’t quite met the funding goal, that’s enough for me to confidently commit to going! Tickets have been bought and a hotel room booked. I start driving towards the pointy birbs this Thursday.

Taxa Update: Asian Elephants The page for Asian Elephant has been broken out into three more specific pages: females & calves, bulls, and a standalone page for the Bornean elephant subspecies.

WHO? thin marker pen on sticky note great horned owl ref: www.animal-photo-references.com

Photo of the Day: a horned puffin in breeding colors All photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).

Funded now to $415/$500! I’m amazed by such generous support. Anything donated over the $500 goal will go towards the next photography trip for the site.

Photo of the Day: eepy Malayan Tiger. All photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).

$150/$500 funded!! Thanks so much everyone. Normally I sleep in my car on photo trips to cut costs, but I’ve been having a chronic health flare for a couple months and I just can’t camp rough right now - donations towards this mean I photograph birbs /and/ sleep in a real bed.

This is so sweet.

Do you like raptors? Do you want more photos of raptors in flight in the repository? If so: I'm trying to raise $500 to travel out to the World Center for Birds of Prey later this month to photograph their Fall Flights event. Please consider supporting to get more pointy birbs in the catalogue!

New Species Added: Harpy Eagles! www.animal-photo-references.com/harpy-eagles All photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).

I'm officially putting out a call for volunteers with professional/academic expertise to help ID wildlife photos. My preference is to work directly with individuals rather than crowdsource IDs via iNat, for a number of reasons. If this is you re: any specific species or taxa, please reach out!

New Taxa Added: Hornbills! www.animal-photo-references.com/hornbills Behold: southern ground hornbills, rhinoceros hornbills, and red-billed hornbills. All photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).

Such a happy looking tiger! (first reply notes one of the site’s Amur reference photos was used for it).

Request: ID help for photos of North American bees/wasps, specifically from the Pacific Northwest coast. I spent a lot of time this summer practicing macro photography on wild pollinators. Example images below & I have multiple photos for each animal. Please share with folk with relevant expertise!

I love the smell of consequences in the morning. Thank you, @dragoncon.org

These are incredible! Wow 😍

Okay I know I said last one was the last one but then @xalbcar.bsky.social attacked me so I had to sneak in one more revenge! #artfight Reference used from @animalphotorefs.bsky.social

A belief in a free and open internet and equitable access to knowledge is a huge part of why I’m so determined to keep the repository un-paywalled. People deserve access to images and information guaranteed to be free of AI slop without having to shell out for the privilege.

Toad studies 🐸 ref from @animalphotorefs.bsky.social #animalart #drawing

New species added: Reef Fish $10 tier Patreon supporters get to choose what new species are prioritized for upload, and they chose reef fish! There's three new species up as of today... ... Longhorn Cowfish, Lined Seahorses, and Diamond Watchman Gobies! Photos in subsequent skeets.

The repository site will always be open-access and free to use: with so much AI noise online now, I can’t put it behind a paywall. But: this project is not funded. It runs entirely on donations. Considering joining the Patreon to get sneak peeks of new photos & help decide what taxa go up next!

Important facts about the Animal Photo Reference Repository: 1. No AI infiltration. All photos are taken by me (and donated photos accepted in the future will be thoroughly vetted). 2. Independently run by a real human! 3. Not affiliated with Google, no google integration on the site. 1/2

New species added: Yellow Anacondas! www.animal-photo-references.com/yellow-anaco... All photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).

I would be so down to link out to sites dedicated to other AI-free references.

Photo of the Day: the flight of an aplomado falcon This bird is wearing jesses and a telemetry device. These and all photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).

If you need a smile today, I highly recommend checking out the Repository's art gallery! So many cute animals & sweet moments created using the site's reference images. All pieces featured there are submitted by the creators - if you've made something from these pics, DM me to have it added!

This project was started thanks to Tumblr, and that’s the place to find the most frequent updates about the site. (My kingdom for a schedule post option here…) My goal is to update Bluesky more regularly, but, come say hi on the blue hellsite if you’re one of us! www.tumblr.com/animalphotor...

Lavender and her pet displacer beast for @madeleinefjall.bsky.social! Big cat reference from @animalphotorefs.bsky.social #artfight

This trip resulted in 126 new species for the repository! I visited six facilities in four days, drove 1600 miles to do it, and rented two lenses that were crucial. This was only possibly because of the crowdfunding y’all provided. These new taxa are starting to appear on the site, stay tuned.

Photo of the Day: black-crowned night heron having a bite to eat This and all photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).

An important note: photos on the repository site are intentionally non-chronological and locations are unlisted. GenAI has exploded the frequency of “escaped dangerous animal” hoax videos. I can’t prevent these images from being used to generate those videos, but I can up the difficulty level.

Important facts 2/2: 4. Accurate IDs. Currently all photos are taken of animals in human care in North America, using their ID/records. Donated photos will be verified through ID signs or expert input. If there's ambiguity with a species ID, it will be noted publicly and/or the photo not posted.

This is so accurate to the tail wiggles!

New species added: Malayan Tapirs! www.animal-photo-references.com/malayan-tapirs All photos on the repository are free-to-use for artists creating derivative/transformative works (sans AI).