Taking a picture

[+Cachesaurous]

Hello friends I just want to make sure I'm doing the proper things I wish to take a picture of the cash or prove that I was there through picture however I don't want to provide a spoiler or somehow ruin it for another person. What is the etiquette for proper thing to do for this.  Thank you in advance for your time.

[+kunarion]

40 minutes ago, Caitandjay23 said:

Hello friends I just want to make sure I'm doing the proper things I wish to take a picture of the cash or prove that I was there through picture however I don't want to provide a spoiler or somehow ruin it for another person. What is the etiquette for proper thing to do for this.  Thank you in advance for your time.

 

A picture isn't required to prove that you were there. The requirement was part of some non-container caches, but not today, with rare exceptions.  The exceptions have the info on their page. The requirement remains in the text of most of those caches anyway, and with the recently added text that it isn't required. Yeah, it now says both on the page.

For a traditional cache with a log, sign the log. I take a “selfie” photo of the signed log at times. If I take a picture of the container, I place it at some distance from the hiding spot. Photos of the general area are OK.

If I can't find some Micro In The Woods, I look at selfies of someone holding it.  Big spoiler.  Without the photo, I'd never find those things.  But if the CO wants everyone to see the hide style or container, he should be the one to post the spoiler.

If it's a puzzle cache or Multi, shut off “Location Services” for the shots on a smartphone, or switch to Airplane Mode, so there are no spoiler coordinates saved in the photo's EXIF.  You may need to walk some distance before setting Airplane mode, or else the "last known coordinates" might still be there.  Remember there are people like me who use every leetle clue they can to find the cache.

 

 

Edited February 10, 2018 by kunarion

[+cerberus1]

from Geocaching 101, which the basic of this hobby...   At its simplest level, geocaching requires these 8 steps:

1. Register for a free Basic Membership.
2. Visit the "Hide & Seek a Cache" page.
3. Enter your postal code and click "search."
4. Choose any geocache from the list and click on its name.
5. Enter the coordinates of the geocache into your GPS Device.
6. Use your GPS device to assist you in finding the hidden geocache.
7. Sign the logbook and return the geocache to its original location.
8. Share your geocaching stories and photos online.

Many add pics to their online log, but signing the cache log is proof you were there....

I don't like spoilers, and I consider a pic of the container at it's location  as one most times.  I'd also consider a pic of a unique container (a bird box for example) as a spoiler as well.

 

[+kunarion]

Here's one way to post a cache photo without it being a spoiler.  It's the soaking wet crumpled mess of what was once a Nano bison tube log sheet.  I also posted a photo of it unrolled and signed.  Flatten it, dry it for a couple of minutes, and with a Sharpie, carefully paint initials onto the fibers.  That's one way to do it.

 

What I will not do is "take a photo to show I was there" in lieu of signing a log, in order to claim a Find.  I hate getting Found It logs like "I couldn't sign because [excuse here]", on my caches.  So I won't do that.  Your mileage may vary.

Edited February 10, 2018 by kunarion

[+Cachesaurous]

Those have been some great points thank you! 

I think I better understand this now. 

The sharpie is a good idea.  

[+Cachesaurous]

What is the pen of choice? 

Pencil, ink, gell, marker? 

[+cerberus1]

10 minutes ago, Caitandjay23 said:

What is the pen of choice? 

Pencil, ink, gell, marker? 

I carry a G2 gel, a fine line sharpie, a space pen, and a pencil most times.  Sharpies write on most.   I use a g2 for really dried out "recycled" paper logs, and use a pencil on Rite in Rain more than a space pen these days.

[+Cachesaurous]

41 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

I carry a G2 gel, a fine line sharpie, a space pen, and a pencil most times.  Sharpies write on most.   I use a g2 for really dried out "recycled" paper logs, and use a pencil on Rite in Rain more than a space pen these days.

Thank you! thats going into my bag now !!

[+Cachesaurous]

Thank you all for the help 

I wanted to ensure I was giving all that is proper to the cache.

cheers

[+AnnaMoritz]

For wet and messy logs I have pens (a uni ball power tank and a permanent marker) that also write on wet paper, sometimes I press a dry paper on the mess before I write. In difficult cases I build my initials with rows of single points if normal writing would tear the paper.

For wet rite in the rain paper a soft, for example 2B pencil works best for me.

Never had to use it, but I also have a safety pin to punch my name on the log if nothing else works.

I found myself less than 5 times out of over 4000 without a working pen. Then I used green leaves or charcoal from a nearby campfire or a branch or a small brick to write.

Never underestimate what others can identify and detect on a picture and can use it for finding the cache or for skipping the riddle or walk. There a many stories about such cases. Nice for you if you manage to find for an unsolvable riddle or skip a 30 mi hike because of a spoiler photo, but not nice for the owner.

Now it is possible to send a photo only to the cache owner via message center and askifor log permission if you don't have a pen. There you can send also a photo that includes the spot where you found the cache and no one else sees the spoiler. I would think that for example every full nano log looks the same, also every black nano looks the same, so a photo of them on the cache page might give away a hint for others while not proving it is this very cache.

 

[+L0ne.R]

4 hours ago, kunarion said:

Here's one way to post a cache photo without it being a spoiler.  It's the soaking wet crumpled mess of what was once a Nano bison tube log sheet.  I also posted a photo of it unrolled and signed.  Flatten it, dry it for a couple of minutes, and with a Sharpie, carefully paint initials onto the fibers.  That's one way to do it.

 

What I will not do is "take a photo to show I was there" in lieu of signing a log, in order to claim a Find.  I hate getting Found It logs like "I couldn't sign because [excuse here]", on my caches.  So I won't do that.  Your mileage may vary.

Just to understand why...

Why sign a wadded up ball of almost pulp when no one but yourself cares. Isn't it a lesson in futility? And why is it better than taking a photo? Based on the condition I suspect that the owner will never be back to visit that cache (maybe if it goes missing and no one will leave another bison). I highly doubt s/he cares to check that spitball against the online logs. And I doubt s/he'd ask to see a photo--has anyone ever been contacted by an owner for photo evidence, especially for a micro? And when the cache condition is bad?

Knowing that there's an excellent chance that no one cares that you signed the log vs photographing the log, why do either? Both being futile efforts, why is one better than the other?

Cute photo by the way. If I had to pick between the 2 futile efforts, I pick photo. At least you can post the photo to the online log it's informative and  entertaining. 

Edited February 10, 2018 by L0ne.R

[+kunarion]

8 hours ago, L0ne.R said:

Cute photo by the way. If I had to pick between the 2 futile efforts, I pick photo. At least you can post the photo to the online log it's informative and  entertaining. 

 

Thanks!  That picture was taken on the hood of my car.  I think it turned out pretty cool.

I might post a photo to show the condition.  I wish the last guy had been more clear, it's obviously been like that for a while.  I may choose to not even hunt a cache where nobody cares.

If the log is in fact just a spitball and nobody cares, then it must not matter if I don't log a "Found It", even if I post a photo of the spitball.  If I don't feel like hanging out at the place, and the cache is unmaintained and gross and I didn't sign a log, I might make a DNF, even an NM, and leave.  I get to not care, too.

 

 

Edited February 11, 2018 by kunarion