Registration Photos
The requirements for the photos on a registration.
Scope and authority
This Standard governs the photos on a registration. It is issued by The Reptile Club and applies to every species the Registry accepts. Pedigree Terms and Lineage Documentation governs how photos are amended after issue and which photos stay in place on transfer.
The photo's role
Photos are the only part of the permanent public record that shows the animal. Review checks them against this Standard so that a clear and original picture stands behind every registration. Review of a photo is not an examination of the animal and is not a check of a recorded trait. A recorded trait is the producer's determination.
Requirements
A photo submitted for a registration meets five requirements.
Original. The photo is a single picture of the animal. A collage or composite that joins two or more pictures into one image does not qualify. A registration carries several photos, and each holds one picture. The photo measures at least 720 pixels on its longest side and 480 pixels on its shortest. Landscape and portrait photos qualify, but the cover photo is landscape. A screenshot, a frame taken from video, or a thumbnail-sized copy loses the detail the record depends on and does not qualify. Ordinary editing is fine. Heavy filters or editing that plainly misrepresents the animal do not qualify. The Registry stores each photo at no more than 3240 pixels on its longest side. A larger original is reduced for the record rather than rejected.
Legible. Every photo is in focus and in adequate light, with the relevant features visible. Heavy grain from a dark room hides what the record is meant to show, and does not qualify. The photo is taken with nothing between the camera and the animal: a photo through enclosure glass or plastic does not qualify, and the animal is not hidden behind branches or plants. The animal's body crosses at least half of the frame. A long tail does not count toward it. A photo taken from so far away that the animal is a small part of the scene does not qualify. The cover photo shows the animal completely, except that the tail may extend beyond the frame.
Unmarked. A breeder's watermark or logo is permitted when it stays off the animal and does not distract from it. The photograph must extend to every edge of the submitted image. Added borders or padding, including letterboxing, do not qualify because they reduce the area available to show the animal. The photo carries no other text or graphics. The record carries the animal's name. The photo carries only the animal.
Distinct. Each photo shows the animal in its own way, such as a different side, pose, detail, or age. Near-duplicates of the same shot do not add to the record, and the reviewer may ask for a set without them.
Owned. The photo was taken by the submitter, or is used with the photographer's permission. A photo taken from another breeder's website or listing is not submitted without that breeder's permission. Copyright complaints concerning a photo on the Registry follow the process stated at reptileclub.com/dmca.
Taking the photo
This section is guidance rather than requirement. Take the animal out of its enclosure. Natural light or a bright window works better than a flash. Hold the phone steady and get close. A plain background shows the animal best. Upload the original photos from your camera roll, not screenshots of them. A careful phone photo passes review.
Review
When a photo does not meet this Standard, the registration is neither approved nor denied on that account. The reviewer asks for a replacement, and review continues once it arrives.
Replacing a photo during review
In HatchLog, open the animal, open the Registry's message, and choose Replace photos. On the website, sign in at reptileclub.com/account/collection with the account used in HatchLog and open the registration. Either way the new photo appears in the open review at once. HatchLog tells the reviewer itself. From the website, reply in the review thread afterwards so the reviewer knows the photo is in. The credit stays held through review and is spent only when the registration is approved. If the registration is not approved, the credit returns to the wallet.
If a registration is not approved
The reason is in the Registry's message on the animal, in HatchLog. The credit returns to the wallet. Fix what the message names, then register the animal again from its page in HatchLog or at reptileclub.com/register. Questions go to registry@reptileclub.com.
Revisions
The Club revises this Standard as the Registry's practice develops. Each revision states its date and what it changed.
August 2026. Clarified that a photograph must extend to every edge of the submitted image and that added borders, padding, or letterboxing do not qualify.
August 2026. Stated that heavy filters or editing that plainly misrepresents the animal do not qualify.
August 2026. Stated that the animal's body, not counting a long tail, crosses at least half of the frame, replacing the earlier fills-half wording.
August 2026. Stated that a photo through enclosure glass, an obstructed animal, or heavy grain from low light does not qualify. Guidance now says to take the animal out of the enclosure and to upload originals rather than screenshots.
August 2026. Added the Distinct requirement: each photo shows the animal in its own way, and near-duplicates may be trimmed at review.
August 2026. Stated that the animal fills at least half of the frame, and added guidance on taking the photo.
August 2026. Added the procedure for replacing a photo during review, and what to do when a registration is not approved.
August 2026. Stated that each photo is a single picture of the animal and that a collage of two or more pictures does not qualify.
August 2026. Clarified that the cover photo must show the animal completely, except that the tail may extend beyond the frame.
August 2026. Lowered the minimum to 720 pixels on the longest side and 480 pixels on the shortest, so a clear 720 by 480 photo qualifies.
August 2026. Added portrait photos for the supporting photo set while retaining a landscape cover, and stated the 1080-pixel minimum and 3240-pixel storage limit on the longest side.
Editorial enquiries and proposed corrections may be addressed to registry@reptileclub.com.
