Observation Tip: Improving Photographs

Including a photograph (or audio recording) with your iNaturalist observation is key. Without it, the observation will not become "research grade" and eligible for use in many scientific studies!

Here are some quick tips to help improve your photographs so that you and other iNaturalist users can better identify the organisms you find:

1. Get closer. The more of your subject that fills the frame, the better detail your picture will have. Use macro lenses or shooting modes (often signified by a small flower icon on digital cameras) for small subjects, get close to a plant or fungi, or zoom in on wildlife. Make sure to use common sense when deciding whether or not to approach an animal. If you have any doubts, don’t approach it.
2. Take multiple photos. Take more than one photo to capture different views and parts of your subject. Sometimes small details necessary for making an identification are not visible from a single angle. Try taking pictures of leaves, bark, stems, flowers, and other plant parts, or photograph an animal or fungi from multiple angles, such as above, to the side, and underneath.
3. Take photos that are in focus. While blurry photos can be a fun challenge for making an identification, it is far easier to identify an organism when the photos are in focus and show the organism in crisp detail.
4. Add something for scale. In many cases, providing a size reference will help confirm an identification. Size references are especially useful for tracks, since many tracks can look similar in photos and it can be challenging to judge size based on the track alone. A size reference uses any object that most people know the approximate size of, such as a coin, glove, ruler, or hiking pole. You can also describe size in the comments section if necessary.

Thanks to the staff at Vermont Center for Ecostudies for putting together this more detailed article on improving photographs, accessible here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/vermont-atlas-of-life/journal/30529-tech-tip-tuesday-improving-photographs

You can also check out this short video on how to take better photographs for iNaturalist: https://vimeo.com/167341998

Publicado el 28 de marzo de 2020 por slamonde