Getting a Great Photo

Photos are a vital part of iNaturalist. Observations can be identified and verified by others when high quality photos are used. But it can be challenging to get clear images when the organism won't hold still or the weather doesn't cooperate. In this post we're sharing some tips and resources to help you take (or tweak) photos for more positive identifications.

1) Center the organism in your frame, remove obstructions, get up close to small organisms, and use a tripod or brace the camera to hold it still while you shoot to prevent blurring. Snap a photo when you first spot an animal (like a butterfly) then carefully move closer and take more. That way you have at least one photo in case it moves away.

2) Take several shots from multiple angles (these should be submitted in the same iNaturalist observation) to improve the chances of a clear shot and capturing useful features for identification. For example, Northern ribbon snakes have a white half-moon spot near the eye, which helps distinguish them from garter snakes, so a side view of the head is helpful. https://inaturalist.ca/observations?taxon_id=734700

2) Consider cropping or other basic tweaks to improve the clarity of your image. No fancy software is required, and this will help viewers see what you're seeing in the image with enough detail to identify it: https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/366480 offers some how-to for these techniques.

3) Check out iNaturalist photo guides at https://www.inaturalist.org/guides/2465 for searchable photo guides that offer specific tips based on what you found. For example, you could review the General Guide for Photographing Plants, or find more details for ferns, orchids, etc. This is helpful because some organisms are best ID'ed when experts can view a particular part.

4) Read an overview of your camera/phone's settings to learn how and when to use flash, macro lens, or other features.

Publicado el 16 de noviembre de 2020 a las 05:27 PM por ecospark