Documentation is key. You must always assume that the next person that will be photographing the area will not be the same as the first person to do so. Therefore you must record specific information along the way.

• Obtain or create detailed maps of the area you are photographing. This can be done by documenting the perimeter of your study site using GPS and creating a map in MediaMapper (see GPS Data Collection and Transferring GPS-linked Photographs to MediaMapper).
• Provide specific instructions for getting to the photo site. If permits or special permission are required, be sure to include phone numbers of contacts.
• Create a field book associated with your photo site. This should include the maps and instructions, as well as the original photograph and any others that have been taken since. This is the book in which to document all data and descriptions.
• In order to take identical, successional photos, the distance from camera to photo point must remain the same. Therefore, camera location and photo point require permanent markers. Collect point data with your GPS unit at both the camera location and photo point (see GPS Data Collection). For ease in the field and exact location for future photographs, permanent markers should be placed at these two locations. Cheap fence posts or steel stakes hammered into the ground work well. If it is impossible to mark your location with permanent markers, be sure to thoroughly document the coordinates and direction faced (i.e. N, SW) of both photo point and camera location with your GPS unit.
• Established dates and times of day for photographing may be useful. Consistent reference points can:
  1) evaluate seasonal differences
  2) compare change over several years
  3) establish a consistent time interval
  
• Always record the time of day the photograph was taken as well as the weather conditions.
• Always put a scale bar in your photograph, including a photo identification tag that includes site name and photograph number. Because the photograph will be linked to the GPS unit, you will automatically have the date, time, and coordinates of your photograph. White paper usually shows up badly in photographs; therefore, it is recommended that you use blue paper for your ID tag.

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  Webpage and project content by:

  Dr. Joel Elliott, University of Puget Sound, Department of Biology
  Liz Fly, University of Puget Sound, Department of Biology
  Erin Spear,  University of Puget Sound, Department of Biology

  This project is funded by the Northwest Academic Computing Consortium and the University of Puget Sound

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  jkelliott@ups.edu | lfly@ups.edu | Send Feedback!