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wanderduffy

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Hello, just wondering what the rules/etiquette are for taking photos when you log a cache?

I had a couple of photos deleted the other day because they showed the container so I'm assuming that was a no-no. 

I'd being doing photos to show the container rather than location, though, so now unsure what's the proper form. 

Any guidance appreciated. 

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3 minutes ago, wanderduffy said:

Hello, just wondering what the rules/etiquette are for taking photos when you log a cache?

I had a couple of photos deleted the other day because they showed the container so I'm assuming that was a no-no. 

I'd being doing photos to show the container rather than location, though, so now unsure what's the proper form. 

Any guidance appreciated. 

The main rule is not to post spoilers. As the Help Center page Log a geocache says, "But don’t spoil the fun for other cachers by revealing the hide in your log or photo!"

 

What that means will vary from cache to cache. For some, a photo of the container can be a spoiler. For others, a photo of the location can be a spoiler.

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1 hour ago, wanderduffy said:

Hello, just wondering what the rules/etiquette are for taking photos when you log a cache?

I had a couple of photos deleted the other day because they showed the container so I'm assuming that was a no-no. 

I'd being doing photos to show the container rather than location, though, so now unsure what's the proper form. 

Any guidance appreciated. 

 

We never liked either, so we'd be sending a mail too.  :)   If either seems like a spoiler to the CO, you'd get a mail, or they'd do it themselves.

Checked in your gallery and some I'd consider outright spoilers.  If I was visiting the area, I'd recognize what I'm looking for.

We've used ammo cans mostly, and "advertising" that not a great idea (theft).  Our locations would have shown where the cache was too.

Isn't there any good things to photograph while out  (besides the cache itself) ?   

This hobby used to be all about cool/unique locations,  or awesome views.  That not so there ?  

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For me, log photos should complement the story you're telling in your log. While there's probably not too much of a concern over a photo including the container if it's just a standard type like a Sistema or a Bison tube, especially if the cache page says what the container is, I have to wonder what part of the story a photo showing just the container lying on the ground is trying to tell.

 

It probably goes without saying, but photos shouldn't reveal the cache's hiding place and, in the case of a multi or mystery, shouldn't reveal anything about the locality of GZ either. And if the cache is a novelty container that's meant as a surprise for the finder, don't reveal that either.

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4 hours ago, wanderduffy said:

Hello, just wondering what the rules/etiquette are for taking photos when you log a cache?

I had a couple of photos deleted the other day because they showed the container so I'm assuming that was a no-no. 

I'd being doing photos to show the container rather than location, though, so now unsure what's the proper form. 

Any guidance appreciated. 


Take pictures of something cool in the area.  Especially, the happy cachers posing at some scenery near the cache spot.

 

I almost never take pictures of a cache container.  If it’s along a trail that’s all ammo boxes, I might post a close-up picture of visiting TBs on the inside of the lid (box not in its hiding spot).  Otherwise, I may step away from the hiding spot and take TB pics with the log page showing where I signed it.

 

As mentioned, photos should usually not reveal how the container’s placed nor what it looks like.  I may take pictures that are spoilers, but don’t post them (sometimes the photos are condition info for the cache owner).

 

 

Edited by kunarion
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20 hours ago, wanderduffy said:

I'd being doing photos to show the container rather than location

 

As others have said, some CO's consider the container photos to be just as much of a spoiler as location photos. In fact, in a few of our hides, a photo of the container IS a giveaway; we've deleted those photos with a note to the poster.  And in the case of a mystery or a multi, where the posted coordinates are not the  final, and somework on the cacher's part is needed to get to the final, location photos are spoilers as well.  A closeup of your hand with the logsheet, a trinket or trackable (that doesn't show the tracking code!) will do if you need to post a photo.  Maybe some pretty flowers or an animal spied on the trail along the way at some point in the day....

 

I enjoy looking at photos others have posted on their cache logs, so please, keep posting photos!  Just avoid anything that gives away the container, or the exact location.

 

 

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I will take pictures of containers or hides that I find really unique or interesting and post them onto my geocaching instagram.  I acknowledge the CO, but never include the name or ID # of the cache.  For me, this allows me to share my more memorable finds with fellow cachers without risking creating a spoiler on the cache page.  I will admit, though, if we have been truly stuck trying to locate one, we have looked for pictures that show either the area or the container to make sure we are on the right track before accepting the DNF (insert gasp of horror here) or posting a NM when the problem is with the hunter and not the cache.

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1 hour ago, RobinsonClan56 said:

I will take pictures of containers or hides that I find really unique or interesting and post them onto my geocaching instagram.  I acknowledge the CO, but never include the name or ID # of the cache.  For me, this allows me to share my more memorable finds with fellow cachers without risking creating a spoiler on the cache page.  I will admit, though, if we have been truly stuck trying to locate one, we have looked for pictures that show either the area or the container to make sure we are on the right track before accepting the DNF (insert gasp of horror here) or posting a NM when the problem is with the hunter and not the cache.

 

Even though you're not naming the cache, I think the issue is that if you do three caches on a Saturday and post pictures on Instagram, you've essentially named the caches.

 

I suggest you think about what it means to "share a find with a fellow cacher", and whether that's a good thing to do with a picture.

 

You say that you're not doing it to provide spoilers; just to share cool details, but you admit that you seek out photos to get hints. You say it's to "make sure you're on the right track", but ...really?  What does that even mean? Aren't you looking for a photo to tell you where it is?  And, where are you looking; in the cache's gallery, or on Instagram?

 

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22 hours ago, TeamRabbitRun said:

Even though you're not naming the cache, I think the issue is that if you do three caches on a Saturday and post pictures on Instagram, you've essentially named the caches.

It would be really difficult to look at a picture on my instagram and then go through my finds to figure out which one it is.  But if someone has that much free time...

22 hours ago, TeamRabbitRun said:

I suggest you think about what it means to "share a find with a fellow cacher", and whether that's a good thing to do with a picture.

I'm not understanding your implication here.  I meant what I said - there are a handful of geocachers that I am connected with on IG.  We all post pictures of finds that we really enjoy.  What about that is a bad idea?

22 hours ago, TeamRabbitRun said:

You say that you're not doing it to provide spoilers; just to share cool details, but you admit that you seek out photos to get hints. You say it's to "make sure you're on the right track", but ...really?  What does that even mean? Aren't you looking for a photo to tell you where it is?  And, where are you looking; in the cache's gallery, or on Instagram?

It means what it says - if I am looking for what I think is a lock-n-lock by a fallen log and have spent a long time looking with no success, I will see if maybe it isn't actually by the fallen log.  Or if it is a film canister and I need to check smaller hiding spots.  If the CO allows the pictures to remain in the cache's gallery, it becomes free to use.  I use them as a last resort before giving up.  I know others that go straight to pictures and hints to speed up the process.  To each his own.

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