Picture This - Pictocaching

[+Iowa Tom]

I would like to know how many of you have made a “pictocache” or at least an approximation to it?

 

My first attempt at it can be found here.

 

A screen capture of the first page of images is pasted below. The original images are much clearer than this screen capture.

 

 

Obviously the red-orange cards were taken down after the image was taken. Now the pictocacher must follow the patterns in the trees by looking primarily for the trees near where the orange card was. It’s definitely not an easy cache to do but that's why I made it! I wanted to make something that was a challenge but very fun for all, especially for kids (and for the kids among us).

 

The possibilities utilizing some sort of pictocache technique is endless. To me it’s an extraordinary means of using creativity in making a cache sequence. For visually oriented people it's a blast! I believe it is important to take the pictures carefully. I used a tripod and set my digital camera for aperture priority to get the maximum depth of field in each shot.

 

It helped to do it in the wintertime when snow was on the ground and when the ground cover was depleted. Some have tried it in the summer and were successful. You should see what a spot along my Cherry Bark cache trail looks like during the bluebell season. Neat! What a contrast there is between winter and midspring. I retook the sequence during the flower season but have not taken the time yet to make a new sequence of pictures just for it. Someday I may do one in 3D as well and will include spy-kids 3D glasses for anyone that doesn't mind looking goofy wearing em. Stereo (3D) photography is a passion of mine.

 

Since I made my Cherry Bark Pictocache I’ve used images in several of my other caches but only the Cherry Bark Pictocache leads people along a certain single path. I’m looking forward to making more! Please include links to any other caches of this type that you know of. Thanks!

 

Merry Christmas

 

-it

Edited December 20, 2005 by Iowa Tom

[+sept1c_tank]

I've found an urban cache using that idea. It was really cool.

 

(We have lots of bluebells in Indiana, too.)

Edited December 20, 2005 by sept1c_tank

[+Isonzo Karst]

Very nice, a lot of work in that set up. Sounds fun to do as well.

[+Kit Fox]

I call them photogrammetry caches.

Here is mine GCP9GQ

 

Here are two that I found.

GC383A

GCHGQF

Edited December 20, 2005 by Kit Fox

[+Iowa Tom]

Now that I have read some replies about this topic I decided that it would be great to list whatever pictocache-type caches that you know of. I have enjoyed seeing some posted here already.

 

I'm going to edit my first post to ask for this there as well.

 

Merry Christmas,

 

-it

[Tahosa and Sons]

When I had the opportunity to take Stunod and Carleen caching back in Oct. Stunod mentioned the concept of a picture cache and told me since I know this

hill like the back of my hand why not make a photo cache. So I came up with this cache known as Images I And eventually there will be several more Images done out here. Its nice to put down the GPS and do some serious searching and analyzing.

[+carleenp]

When I had the opportunity to take Stunod and Carleen caching back in Oct. Stunod mentioned the concept of a picture cache and told me since I know this

hill like the back of my hand why not make a photo cache. So I came up with this cache known as Images I And eventually there will be several more Images done out here. Its nice to put down the GPS and do some serious searching and analyzing.

Looks like a good cache! Now we need to come back out there and find it!

[+Isonzo Karst]

Are the image points stages of a multi? do you provide coords to the reviewer?

Edited December 20, 2005 by Isonzo Karst

[Tahosa and Sons]

Are the image points stages of a multi? do you provide coords to the reviewer?

All you need to do is give them the Main Coordinates and the final location of the cache. The stages are just images that we all see as we walk the trail. There is nothing there except what you see.

[+Iowa Tom]

Nice Images cache Tahosa and Sons! Gotta love it!!

 

Somehow I can almost feel the creativity in such works as that one.

 

-it

[+res2100]

Never knew these types of caches using pictures had a name, but I have 2 different ones where the cache description only contains pictures:

 

GO Caching with Bouncy Bunny Follow the pictures (clues in the pictures) to the cache hiding spot.

 

No Trespassing Coords are about 50-100 meters off and you have to find this sign.

 

And not sure if this counts: Bouncy Bunny and her new Friends

 

It was fun placing these ones.

[+briansnat]

I have two. The Big Picture is a "traditional' one where you have to stand at the spot where the 4 photos were taken and the cache is nearby.

 

Then and Now is a slightly different version where I used antique postcards of a town going back as far as 100 years and the searcher must find the spot where each one was taken and gather clues found at that spot for the final cache. Its fun because you can see what the spot you are standing on looked like 50, 75 and 100 years ago. Some photos are very different, while in others, the scene is surprisingly similar. I'm thinking of making this a series.

[+VegasCacheHounds]

Never knew these types of caches using pictures had a name, but I have 2 different ones where the cache description only contains pictures:

 

GO Caching with Bouncy Bunny Follow the pictures (clues in the pictures) to the cache hiding spot.

 

No Trespassing Coords are about 50-100 meters off and you have to find this sign.

 

And not sure if this counts: Bouncy Bunny and her new Friends

 

It was fun placing these ones.

Too funny! I like the last one, very creative

[+wimseyguy]

it's not my cache, but I was part of the original fellowship to find it.

The coords for Nine For Mortal Men get you in the general vicinity, and then you must use the pics to find the true hidey hole.

The high terrain rating is due to the fact that if you make a misstep, it will be 40-60' down before you make another step, and quite likely several months as well.

This is the third in a four cache series based on the LOTR and IMO the best of the four. Click on nearby caches to see the other three.

[+bthomas]

Here's mine in San Francisco, GCGH5J

[+AtoZ]

yes in a number of differant way.

cheers

[+StarBrand]

Sounds like a neat idea!! - bit harder out on the plains but I will se what I can come up with.

[+the hermit crabs]

"A THOUSAND WORDS" is one near us that has been on our to-do list forever; I don't know why we haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

A simpler (but fun) one that we have found was "Picture Puzzler".

 

(edit: I just looked at the logs for "Picture Puzzler" and I see that the OP has already found it )

Edited December 20, 2005 by the hermit crabs

[+Iowa Tom]

A simpler (but fun) one that we have found was "Picture Puzzler".

 

(edit: I just looked at the logs for "Picture Puzzler" and I see that the OP has already found it  )

Wow! I looked at the name Hermit Crabs and thought that looks familar and sure enough! Picture puzzler is real close to one of my own best caches! I remember you guys wrote ahead and asked if there were any good caches that you could hit here where I live in NE Iowa. You were coming to a wedding as I recall. Back in Oct 04 you came by and stopped by a couple of mine as well as several others.

 

Small world.

 

Merry Christmas,

 

-it

[+cheech gang]

What category would this one of mine be?

 

GCQJTH

[+The Leprechauns]

How do pictocaches utilize GPS coordinates? I've never found one.

[+CO Admin]

When I had the opportunity to take Stunod and Carleen caching back in Oct. Stunod mentioned the concept of a picture cache and told me since I know this

hill like the back of my hand why not make a photo cache. So I came up with this cache known as Images I And eventually there will be several more Images done out here. Its nice to put down the GPS and do some serious searching and analyzing.

Boy, Im working too hard. I listed that cache and didnt even remember it at all. Still a cool cache. sort of a Photo-offset.

[+sept1c_tank]

How do pictocaches utilize GPS coordinates?  I've never found one.

The one I found was listed as a mystery cache. You needed the coordinates to get you near to the first picture. Then you used the clues and photos to discover a route that led you to a hidden cache with a logbook. So I guess it was a sort of puzzle, offset multi-cache. It took about an hour and was not only a challenge, but very entertaining.

 

Get the Picture?

[+Iowa Tom]

What category would this one of mine be?

 

GCQJTH

Wonderful images! If pictocache is a cache that depends upon pictures then this one really fits the bill, or is it Tom.

 

I see that you said something is missing. That makes me wonder if you used photo editing software to "take something out." Did you? For Christmas I asked for Photoshop CS2. Until a few days ago I had no idea that I could get it for less than half retail price. The educational discount is enormous. It's still a lot of moola. Actually moo-la is more of a Wisconsinan term. Here in Iowa we should say it’s still a lot of oink-a. Other than using it for school I want to use it to produce some unique imagery to use for various puzzles that people have to solve to determine a coord. Just another reason to bring on carpel tunnel.

 

Merry Christmas

 

-it

Edited December 21, 2005 by Iowa Tom

[+The Leprechauns]

How do pictocaches utilize GPS coordinates?  I've never found one.

The one I found was listed as a mystery cache. You needed the coordinates to get you near to the first picture. Then you used the clues and photos to discover a route that led you to a hidden cache with a logbook. So I guess it was a sort of puzzle, offset multi-cache. It took about an hour and was not only a challenge, but very entertaining.

 

Get the Picture?

That would work well as a puzzle cache, provided that the coordinates were in the middle of a trail at some indeterminate point.

[+Ed & Julie]

This one is listed as a Letterbox Hybrid:

Fork in the road ! ! !

[+Contryguy]

There are five that I have done all located in different parts of Nebraska

Pict-O-Cache

Albion pict-o-cache

1000 Words

Hastings Pict-O-Cache

Columbus Pictocache

 

There was also this one which is a cache with a little different twist becasue it is also a crossword puzzle

Kearney Geo-Crossword Puzzle

Edited December 21, 2005 by Contryguy

[+Iowa Tom]

In my Tombstones Rock! mystery cache I give geocachers an opportunity to learn about multi-leg routes. [One thing I try to do with geocaching is to teach people how to use their GPS units in new ways.] I do my best to explain how to set one up, at least for a Magellan like I use. The route is designed to lead the explorer through eight different cemeteries with stones. When they enter a cemetery and follow the line of longitude, which is the important leg in each case, they look and look until they find and match up a set of stones like what’s in any one of eight pictures I took, all looking east, one in each graveyard. Once they get their feet planted right where I was at the time I got the shot, they get a latitude which was unknown by them up until that moment. The longitudes along with the latitudes that they determine are all averaged together (with one other coord) to obtain a coord which tells them where the actual cache is. I give them a very little help with the latitude to account for the inevitable error, including rounding the wrong way!

 

Finding the pattern of stones takes a bit getting used to because, in the image, they do not appear in true perspective unless they are viewed at an appropriate eye-to-image distance. The more telephoto the shot, the farther you need to hold the picture in front of your nose. Also, the more the image is reduced when printing, the closer you need to hold it to your eyes. That distance is easy to calculate when using 35mm but not so easy with digital. I used the same telephoto setting each time to reduce the stones visible in one image. Once you find one scene it’s much easier to find more. Only one person was dedicated enough to do the work involved so far. He almost took off work however, once he saw it come up.

 

I am posting one of the pictures below.

 

 

One really special surprise happened when I was working on the pictures. I discovered a stone in one of them that had the name of my childhood hero on it! Up to that time I never knew where he was laid to rest.

 

Merry Christmas

 

-it

Edited December 21, 2005 by Iowa Tom