Moderation queue

The moderation queue is available at Admin → Photos. You can also open any pending photo directly from the queue and take action from the photo detail page. Both require the admin, moderator, or superuser role.

In the queue, find the photo and click Approve. The photo will immediately appear in the public feed and the photographer will receive an in-app notification. You can also approve a photo directly from the photo detail page — click the ✓ Approve button in the moderation banner.

Click Rejecton any photo in the queue. You'll be asked to provide an optional reason that will be sent to the photographer. Good reasons help photographers improve their submissions and reduce repeat rejections. Examples:

• "Image appears to be heavily blurred or out of focus"
• "Duplicate of an existing photo already on the platform"
• "Photo does not appear to be aviation-related"

Rejections are visible on the photographer's uploads page, and they can edit and resubmit the photo.

When reviewing a photo, consider:

• Relevance — Is it aviation-themed? SpotterSpace focuses on aircraft photography.
• Quality — Is the image clear enough to identify the aircraft? Acceptable quality varies by context; use judgment.
• Originality— Is it the uploader's own work? Don't re-upload photos by other photographers without permission.
• Content policy — Does it contain harmful, offensive, or prohibited content?
• Location accuracy — Does the tagged location match where the photo was taken?

At the top of the Admin Photos page use the status filter dropdown to switch between Pending, Approved, and Rejected views. This is useful when auditing past decisions or reviewing photos that were previously rejected.