Adding digital photographs

Our bishop would like a digital photograph of each family/person to be added to their record. I am a new ward clerk and don't have the slightest idea how to do this. Supposedly you can add your own picture to your own record. I don't know if this is true. Can somebody list the steps involved in doing this if it is even possible.'
Thanks
JM

jmower wrote:Our bishop would like a digital photograph of each family/person to be added to their record. I am a new ward clerk and don't have the slightest idea how to do this. Supposedly you can add your own picture to your own record. I don't know if this is true. Can somebody list the steps involved in doing this if it is even possible.

This is done using the Directory on LDS.org. Members can upload their own photo, or a clerk can do it for them. There can be a photo for a household, and a separate one for each individual, and privacy settings can control who can see each photo.

You'll find the complete help system on RKATS at Directory. For your particular question, you'll want to focus on Editing Your Profile and How to Update Your LDS.org Directory Photo.

jmower wrote:Our bishop would like a digital photograph of each family/person to be added to their record.

The best that can be done is add the photo to the directory. However, the member could remove/change their photo at any time. Also, the policy requires "All individuals in the photo have given their consent to its posting." I think it likely that for various reasons you'll get resistance from some members to posting photos on the directory.

MLS has no ability to deal with photos.

You may end up having to keep a private directory of people and their photos - at least for those who don't want their photos posted.

russellhltn wrote:I think it likely that for various reasons you'll get resistance from some members to posting photos on the directory.
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You may end up having to keep a private directory of people and their photos - at least for those who don't want their photos posted.

For those who initially offer resistance about posting their photos, we explain that the "Private - Leadership Only" privacy option ensures that only ward and stake leaders (and a very small set of those leaders at that -- bishopric/stake presidency, executive secretary, and clerks) can see the photo. Once that is understood, it's very rare for members to oppose posting their photo.

Of course, there are some people who are so inactive that they won't even contribute a photo or have their picture taken. For those people, you won't have a photo regardless of what technique you use.

But a separate directory is a huge pain to maintain, so if you can convince people to use the "Private - Leadership Only" option, then your maintenance headaches will go down, and you'll have all the great benefits of the bishopric and stake presidency being able to see photos on Leader and Clerk Resources and the Directory.

I find no print option to show ONLY households without family/individual photos - we are also requested to encourage getting a more complete photo directory in our Ward/Stake - and a list of only those would assist. So far creating the list manually seems to be the only method.

Also, is there no directory print option to print individual photos in addition to a family photo? Again, that would assist in listing individuals without a current photo. I understand that those of legal age are listed in their own households and thus need no parental consent to post a photo and that minors listed as individuals under their parents' household require parental consent. Thus it seems advantageous to get consent for a family photo first and at that time inquire as to whether consent for minors can be given. The Ward Directory print options are the closest I can find to generating a list of families without family photos. But there does not appear to be an individual equivalent - does someone know if there is an individual photo directory print option in the works?

Strictly speaking, I am wondering if members do not manage their own photos and clerks are requested to assist/manage them - should a clerk be using the permission to use photographs form? That would also beg the question of a consent folder/tag for households such that an image copy of the signed form can be added as a feature?

jaocon wrote:should a clerk be using the permission to use photographs form?

I'd think that would be overkill. That form is for submitted histories - which in turn could at some point in the future be part of a media release or other broad public distribution - meaning copyright issues.

The photo in the directory is for limited use and can be removed by the user at any time.

It can be removed/managed but if not the photo could be there who knows for how long ... and if a clerk is requested to obtain photos and since voluntary/informed consent is required for such photos wouldn't it seem to make sense that such consent is tracked? perhaps just a checkbox feature to indicate that such consent was given? Also photos are historical and don't they necessitate consent because one's image is a copyright issue?
I understand that Ward Directories are not for very wide distribution - but they could be distributed as widely as the Stake according to my understanding of the Ward Directory> Household Visibility features. If the directory is to be added in the annual Stake history then you would say the consent form would be necessary?

It wouldn't hurt to have a form to track consent, but the form you indicated wasn't designed for directory photos and goes much further than necessary.

So a Ward/Stake can develop their own consent form - basically something that has the head of household indicate sign that they give voluntary and informed consent that the photo(s) is/are for the Ward Directory, etc.? Along these lines, if the Stake annual history includes directories - can consent from any other form be used to transfer consent to the previous form indicated?

jaocon wrote:So a Ward/Stake can develop their own consent form - basically something that has the head of household indicate sign that they give voluntary and informed consent that the photo(s) is/are for the Ward Directory, etc.? Along these lines, if the Stake annual history includes directories - can consent from any other form be used to transfer consent to the previous form indicated?

You can create a form, but I'm not sure what all the details would be. Currently the church has no requirement for a written consent form, just that "you have their informed, voluntary consent to add their photos to the directory". It appears to me this can be as simple as "can I take your photo for the directory?"

If you want to make it a written form, fine. But I'd advise against putting a lot of legal language into it - otherwise members are less likely to cooperate. But your state/country might have specific details that need to be followed.