Geocache Art Expedition

[voltaire]

Hi Folks

I'm new to this site and relatively new to geocaching - looking

forward to the community here.

 

I am a photographer working on a landscape photo project and

I'd like to get your feedback and help on whether it can actually work.

 

The title of the project is "Perfect View" and as of now it entails

finding the historic trails of North American explorers, hiking portions

of those trails in search of spectucular vistas, and making 360 degree photos

at those locations.

I plan to log the GPS coordinates on this site and whereever makes

sense with the hopes of getting other geocachers to visit and make

their own photos. These photos, grouped by site, will then be placed in

an exhibition.

 

The idea is to see how different photographers interpret given locations.

I could go into more detail but I'm afraid I'll bore you.

 

I would really appreciate your feedback as to whether this would work -

are there geocachers out there interested in participating in something

like this?

 

Thanks,

voltaire

[+Sparky-Watts]

I've been into photography since I was about 7 years old, starting out with an old Kodak Brownie. I've worked freelance and professionally for different places over the years, and now just combine the hobby with geocaching when I can. I think it sounds like a neat idea and would be interested in participating!

[voltaire]

Hi Sparky-Watts

Thanks for responding - glad to hear you are interested.

What do you think is the best way to the most participation?

I'm concerned about getting enough people engaged, afterall

is seems like a lot to ask, getting someone to go to my

designated location, photograph it in high rez and submit

it for the exhibition. Do you have ideas for the best way to

proceed?

 

Thanks,

voltaire

[+bons]

"high rez" - web high resolutiuon or print high resolution? I've found this term tends to be misinterpreted more often than not. What resolution are you thinking of?

 

I'm willing to head out to the local spots as long as I know what you're expecting.

 

Personally, I think the simplest way would be to build the website with the locations and add the submissions as they come in. It becomes an evolving site but it may be interesting to see the differences between the seasons and get a feeling for all the things those early explorers had to deal with.

 

In fact, as I think about it, it would be neat to hit some of the local areas on the days that they were visited 200 years ago. I think I'm going to take some time off this summer.

[+cache_us_if_you_can]

I'd be interested in helping... lots of pioneer tails around here that we like to explore and poke around on (CA,OR & NV). Do you have any locations yet? Let me know and I'll see what I can do.

[voltaire]

Hi

Great to see some people interested in this.

Thanks for showing me the Lewis and Clark site - cool to see the

dates listed like that, and I really like the idea of being there on

the dates mentioned, though I don't think it's practical for what

I'm doing.

 

The trails I know of off-hand are the De Anza trail (running from

Mexico to the San Francisco Bay Area), the Oregon Trail (somebody

sent me an image of the trail), and the Lewis & Clark trail (that's

great one cause we're in the bicentennial of their exploration).

 

I want to make this a national effort, so I'm looking for trails in

the East, north and south. I'm going to do a cross country road trip this

summer (starting in mid June?) during which time I'll be seeking

out sites on these trails to photograph and send others to do the same.

 

If you are interested in this, you might also be interested in related

projects that my colleagues are working on. If so, go to http://www.c5corp.com.

My project, Perfect View, is part of the Landscape Initiatives. This really

is an ambitious undertaking that we think will produce some interesting results.

 

I'd like to creat an email list of those who are interested. Let me know if

you'd like to be kept informed of how things are progessing.

 

Thanks,

voltaire

[+bons]

The trail of the east is the Appalachian Trail.

From Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail wanders the ridges and valleys of the Appalachian mountain ranges for more than 2,174 miles.

 

http://www.fred.net/kathy/at.html

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/

 

In my youth, I visited the hut system in New Hampshire every summer. Some of the most amazing views I've ever seen are on top of those mountains.

[+cache_us_if_you_can]

Around here we have the PCT, Applegate-Lassen Trail, Nobels Emigrant Trail and a few other lesser know trails. We'd be more than happy to help with your project; from pictures to information about specific trails, just ask (my email is in my profile)

Edited February 5, 2004 by cache_us_if_you_can

[voltaire]

Hey!

Yeah, being from Pittsburgh, I know of the Appalachian Trail, though

I've not known it's originator/purpose.

 

This project may be taking a new turn. Yes, it's still in development.

My new idea is that rather than having geocachers go to sites I find

on historic trails, I would ask geocachers to provide me with coordinates

of sites they consider to be sublime (regardless of any association with

an historic trail). This still ties into past explorers and into the notion

of the sublime (an aspect I didn't mention before), and puts the onus on

me to find the your sites, rather than the other way around. This would

be like a national geocache hunt for the sublime.

What do you think?

 

voltaire

[+cache_us_if_you_can]

Cool idea... any kind of time frame on when you want the locations or when you plan on finding them? Also, what quality photographs are you looking for?

[voltaire]

Hi

My tentative plans are to begin travelling in June, working my way

across the country to Maine (I'm in San Jose) where I'll hopefully

be in time to celebrate my distant cousin's 90th birthday. Then I'll

geocache my way back to the west coast. This, I think, will be

by motorcycle.

 

So, I'll need maybe 20 sublime geocache site submissions?

Suggestions for getting participation are appreciated.

 

voltaire

[voltaire]

Hi Folks

Just an update: I'm on the road now for six days, right now hanging out at Java Joe's in Santa Fe, just before heading into Texas for my first sublime site sighting.

 

I couldn't help stopping in at Zion Nt'l Park and Monument Valley on the way - hope you can check these places out if you haven't.

Mostly the weather has been good, ranging from hot to very hot, but I have run into some thunderstorms here in New Mexico - the accompanying wind is havoc for me on my motorcycle.

 

That's it for now - I can't wait to see the Texas sites.

voltaire

[+bblhed]

I usualy take my palm pix camera attachment for my palm pilot with me caching and take a few snap shots with that if I see something interesting.

 

I like the way it tends to blend the colors and takes a color picture that I could only compair to in quality to the kodak disc camera. It will take a picture but unless you know what you are looking at the immage is not that great. also it has no flash thus leaveing me at the mercey of ambiant lighting. My intension is to draw the viewer to physicaly visit the place where the photo was taken to see the area for themselvs.

 

I am not trying to capture a pitulicar point in time or image so much as to draw the photo viewer in by showing how grand the view can be without giving away the total view, and show that beauty should be seen in person and not through the voieristic eye of anothers camera, but with your own eye. Also I tend to avoid any intentional immagery that may be seguestive of an emotional state, or statement.

 

With my images there is the emottional connection I feel in being able to recall the place and being there, perhaps even the people that were there with me. I try to keep the emotional content in my photos on a personal level so as not to confuse the viewer into trying to interpret my emotional state when I took the photo.

 

The above is for all you art school people that might try to see something deep in my snap shots. If the person is holding gloves across there hand in one of my pictures it is not to show power and restraint, it is because they were wearing gloves and took them off and held them for the photo. Get over it.

 

Basicly I take crummy snap shots for me like millions of other people do so I have something to remember it by. If you want to see them have at, I post them with most of my logs.

 

If you want to sell my snap shots or post them on another web site contact me first, they may suck, but I put them where I put them and if they travel I want to know where they are going. There is nothing worse than finding your stuff where you didn't expect to see it. I'm not going to say no, I just want to keep track.

[voltaire]

Just quick update:

 

I'm still here, in Maine, stuck cause I've been working on my bike. I've had to rebuild the top end(s) due to a bad part installation. I had intended to head out towards Michigan almost two weeks ago, but I ran into mechanical problems. Fortunately I was staying with my sister when the proverbial fan was splattered.

 

I'm hoping to get the bike running today, allowing me to leave tomorrow.

I've visited two sites up here in Maine. I highly recommend One For The

Loafers - strenuous summertime hike, but the view is a payoff.

 

I'm hoping the ride back to the west coast is a smooth, trouble-free one.

 

voltaire

[realmofmyst]

Sounds almost like you could make it a locationless cache,and we could sumit the photos,etc. I think it's neat and have hiked a few such trails in scouts. This would be a great way to see points 'farther up' the trail or same view different seasons.

[voltaire]

Not sure I follow your idea, realmofmyst, but I'm glad you appreciate what I'm doing.

I didn't realize how out-of-date I was in this forum. I'm now back home in San Jose - I

arrived two weeks ago. The trip across Canada and northern US was so much fun. Of

course there were boring times, too, like droning on I-90 at 80 mph for hours on end.

I had a great time in St. Louis, Wyoming, Montana, and more, though. I'm still logging

the caches I found along the way, 24 in all I believe.

 

voltaire

[rescue557]

I would really appreciate your feedback as to whether this would work - are there geocachers out there interested in participating in something like this?

I can't speak for everyone else, but I personally would take much interest to this project! I'd love to visit these places! Perhaps you could somehow post them as virtual caches .