How to get your images in the PurplePort Front Page Image (FPI) Collection

Front page images (FPIs) are images added to the Front Page Image Collection, which are displayed to visitors on the logged-out PurplePort homepage to show how fabulously talented and creative the PurplePort community is (so they must be the most breathtaking, beautiful, and inspiring on PurplePort).

PurplePort Staff and members of the FPI Selection Team are responsible for managing and choosing FPIs. The FPI Selection Team (aka "elves") are a group of around 100 PurplePort members (including models, MUAs and photographers) who volunteer their time to help with FPIs. They have varying backgrounds, image styles, and preferences, ensuring a wide selection of FPIs. 

Anyone with an excellent eye for stunning images and an interest in helping with FPIs can apply to join the FPI Selection Team. Click here to find out how to join the FPI Selection Team.

Below is some guidance for how you could get an FPI.

What are the criteria for FPIs?

There is no particular criteria. Although we mostly don't add images marked as Adult, images selected for the FPI can be practically any style, shape, genre, gender, colour, etc.

We also don't just pick images from the latest uploaded images. Often, one of the team will browse a portfolio just as anyone else does, or follow a link to an image from someone's image collection. There is no rule that says we must pick new images or old images. It's whatever catches the eye for whoever saw it. It's one of the many benefits to having many people selecting images.

It doesn't matter whether you are a free member or have PurplePort VIP; your images are still eligible.

What can I do to get an FPI?

An FPI is an accolade to be proud of, and if you don't have an FPI, it's something to aim for! Getting an FPI isn't as difficult as it may seem, and because quite a few people add them, there is little, if any, chance of negative bias.

If you want an FPI or two, the best thing you can do is be more active on PurplePort and upload generally good-quality, well-lit, and well-processed images that have been cropped with an eye-catching thumbnail.

Create beautiful, good-quality images

If you aren't sure whether your images are up to the standard as existing images in the Front Page Image Collection, you can use either the Portfolio Review or Single image critique group to ask the PurplePort community for feedback on your images to see if there is anything you are missing to receive FPIs. To receive feedback on specific images, add these images to your group post so it's clear to everyone which images you are referring to.  

Just because you don't have an FPI doesn't mean your images are not good quality. It's possible that the FPI Selection hasn't seen your work yet (or perhaps it's not appropriate for the front page).

Be active on PurplePort

If your images are of the same standard as those in the Front Page Image (FPI) Collection, the best way to improve your chances of receiving an FPI is simple: be as active on PurplePort as possible so our FPI Selection Team can see your images!

The more exposure your portfolio gets, the more likely your images will be seen by our FPI Selection Team and added to the FPI process (or suggested by other members of PurplePort, which is a collection our FPI Selection Team also looks at). 

Being active involves anything that gets your portfolio viewed by other members, such as:

• Posting in the Groups and participating in discussions (e.g. Share a shoot, Portfolio Review, Single Image Critique, etc.)
• Following other PurplePort members
• Uploading images to your PurplePort portfolio
• Collecting images 
• Entering competitions on PurplePort
• Commenting on images 
• Loving images
• Creating or applying/attending Casting calls or Events

Select a good thumbnail crop

Thumbnails are used across PurplePort, including the front page. No matter how great an image is, if the thumbnail crop is a poor reflection of the image (e.g. headless crop), it's likely the image will get passed by because it won't look good on the front page.

Mark your images correctly

Adult images very rarely make it to the front page, whereas Suitable for Work (SFW) images are twice as likely to be added.

Things to avoid

• A big logo OR a small distracting logo. Either of these will put us off adding an image to the front page. We want the front page to essentially be a fabulous example of awesome images on the site, showing off how creative and talented PurplePort members can be. Having a large or distracting logo on an image will detract from this.
• Logos for competing sites. This is a definite no-no. Instead of simply taking your images from a different site, please remove the logo before uploading them to PurplePort.
• Images that are small. These images are rarely added to the front page. It's often very disappointing for us to see a great thumbnail only to see a small version of the image. PurplePort allows quite large images so please do take advantage of that.
• Adult images are rarely added to the front page.
• Images in private albums are never added to the FPI collection. If you add an FPI image to a private album, it will lose its FPI status.

FAQs

Do I need to shoot a particular style?

No. We'll add landscapes, colour, nude, clothed, sports, whatever. Just focus on creating really great images.

What kind of shots are most likely to make an FPI?

A Suitable for Work (SFW) image is twice as likely to be added to the FPI - other than the caveats above, it's pretty open.

Are images chosen from a particular place, such as recent images?

No, images are chosen from all over the site. All it takes is for a member of the FPI Selection Team to see one (which is why being active helps). The FPI Selection Team browse all sorts of places on PurplePort, such as popular images, random images, suggested FPIs and portfolios. There is no fixed place they use to choose images.

What should I do if I get an FPI?

Please go and shout about it on your social media! :-)

How do I suggest FPIs?

Anyone can suggest images for the front page. These images are added to the Images suggested for the Front Page Image Collection, which is separate from the Front Page Image Collection. You can suggest an image by viewing it and selecting Suggest this image for the Front Page from the grey cog (top right). 

Are there any images I can't add to the suggested FPI collection?

You can't suggest your own images or images you are tagged in. If an image has already been suggested for the front page (or it's been added to the FPI process), the Suggest this image for the Front Page won't show. 

Why has an image disappeared from the suggested FPI collection?

The image may have been added to the FPI process (which would remove it from the suggested FPI collection). If it's your image, you can use Image Manager to check whether it's been added to the FPI process (FPI queue) or become an FPI. 

Can I pay to have my image included in the FPI collection?

No, that would be silly.

If I don't have a VIP subscription, can my images still be included in the FPI collection?

Yes, of course. We want fabulous images, so we don't care if you don't support the site by buying a subscription.

Are "members only" images excluded from the FPI collection?

No, but they won't be included when a non-member views the collection.

Can I be on the team that selects images?

Yes, you most certainly can. Create a collection of around 20-30 images that are not currently selected for the FPI collection that you think should be, and then contact us by creating a support ticket here and sending us a link to the collection. We'll take a look at your collection and let you know if we think it's along the right lines.

I'm stuck and need help. What can I do? 

We're here to help. You can contact us anytime by creating a support ticket from our Help & Support page.