Optimal photo selection

A method of optimizing photo selection by a server using a data store of photographer information including, for plural human photographers, identification of the photographer, wherein the photographers have respective mobile devices having a photo communication program which can obtain and report a current location of the mobile device, wherein the identification of the photographer correlates to the photo communication program on the photographer's mobile device, the method comprising steps performed with respect to a plurality of the photographers at a combination of overlapping, concurrent and separate time periods,

• the server creating a plurality of jobs each comprising a shot list comprising information of a plurality of requests for photos to be taken including, for each request, a reference image, a textual description of at least one object required to be included in the photo, and a quality score conveying whether the reference image prominently has the required object;
• the server obtaining a current location of the mobile devices of the photographers;
• the server assigning jobs to the photographers based upon, at least, proximity of the respective current locations of the mobile devices and a real world location where the photos requested in the shot lists are to be taken;
• the server causing the assigned jobs to be transmitted to the mobile devices of the respectively assigned photographers;
• the server receiving photos from the mobile devices of the photographers, taken by the respective photographers in response to the respective job, each received photo including identification of one of the requests of the shot list to which the photo responds and a quality score conveying whether the photo prominently has the required object which is in the request;
• and
• the server comparing the quality scores of the received photos with the quality scores of the reference images, and if the received photo has a higher quality score than the corresponding reference image, making the received photo the reference image in the shot list.

An apparatus comprising a non-volatile machine-readable medium storing a program having instructions which when executed by a processor will cause the processor to optimize photo selection, the instructions of the program for:

• obtaining, from a remote server, a job comprising a shot list comprising information of a plurality of requests for photos to be taken including, for each request, a reference image and a textual description of at least one object required to be included in the photo, the job further comprising a real world location where the photos in the shot list are to be taken;
• receiving a selection from the photographer of one of the requests;
• displaying the reference image and the textual description of the selected request;
• obtaining a current location of the mobile device from the mobile device;
• verifying that the current location is the real world location;
• monitoring a real time stream of photos received into the mobile device as taken by the photographer at the real world location;
• synchronously with receipt of each photo into the mobile device, automatically assigning a quality score of whether the photo prominently has the required object which is in the selected request;
• synchronously with assigning the scores, causing the photos from the stream to be displayed on the mobile device with their respective quality scores for viewing by the photographer;
• the photo communication program receiving a selection of one of the scored photos by the photographer;
• and
• modifying the display of the scored photos to emphasize the selected photo.