Are there any users who you enjoy following not just for the species they observe but for the quality of their photographs?
Personally, I follow @douggoldman for his insanely crisp and detailed photos and also because each of his observations seems to have a story behind it.
@gemlin and @tom15 also take spectacularly detailed and beautifully composed photos.
Great question. I am looking forward to reading everyone’s response. This posting will shine a spotlight on users worldwide.
I don’t have any favorite photographers on iNaturalist. I follow friends that I know, all of which live in Ontario. For me, photography is part of using iNat but is not an essential skill. Smartphones and devices like iPads capture excellent images that requires no specialized training to use. With these tools the even most amateur photographers (including myself) can look like a professional. Through use of my device and capturing images for iNat my photography skills have vastly improved.
I like that iNaturalist is accessible to so many groups of people. I might not be able to afford the fanciest camera or lenses on the market, but I feel privileged to have captured some incredible pictures of local wildlife. Overall, I like living vicariously through my friends and other users travel photos. Maps are a feature that I spend a lot of time viewing which has led me to some fabulous locations.
Interesting subject. I don’t follow anyone based on their photography, since I’ve never thought of inat in those terms. I post photos here I would never post someplace like Flickr, or Instagram…
I enjoy @masonmaron and @kyran2 's phootgraphy, but I’m a little biased because they’re friends of mine. @rharris70 and @matthieuberroneau are some of my favorites from people I don’t know.
I agree, there’s so many good photos out here!
@cclborneo has stunning photos :)
@tshahan has an amazing macro setup, his incredibly detailed captures are always a treat!
I am more in line with your thinking - as long as a photo is identifiable, I’m fine. I have run into the reverse of this, however. Some folks (no names) routinely post spectacularly terrible pictures. Makes identification a little more challenging!
nakarb
insectamo
bclaridge
bergylta
glen_whisson
I follow those but ofc there’re much more. https://www.inaturalist.org/faves/melodi_96
@alice_abela and @gernotkunz are some very skilled photographers on here. they get the importance of light :P
@johnschneider, @xiaodoudou, @treegrow and @eerikaschulz have some beautiful photos as well and I always look forward to @glmory and @psyllidhipster’s shots
this said, I don’t really follow observers based on their photos—I usually follow them if they’re experts (so I don’t forget their handles) and observers who upload a high number of observations in an area that I ID (especially from underrepresented regions), to make sure I don’t miss them.
Haha!! Yeah, one should make sure the photo is at least good enough to recognize the subject!
Please…please, check out @dbeadle …his bird and moth photos are exceptional. He is the co-author of the Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America. All his moth photos are crisp and clear, showing amazing detail for identification. He currently has over 1800 species of moths observations in Canada here on iNaturalist. I have had the pleasure of studying moths at the High Park moth nights in Toronto with David. He is very humble, but very knowledgeable about birds and moths, and insects in general. He is now venturing off into flies and other insect photography. Enjoy his works!
@ygurjar has a TON of gorgeous pictures
@clurarit posts detailed ant photographs from East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Australia. He’s also very helpful at identifying ant photos from others. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/clurarit
@wongun is probably best known for all the Heteropteran identifications he makes, but he has some wonderful bug and beetle photos from here in South Korea, some of which appear in his guidebook The Terrestrial Heteroptera of Korea. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/wongun
@wonwoong concentrates mostly on insect observations in South Korea and I’ve been impressed with his photography of species like flies and wasps that don’t usually sit around very long for photos. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/wonwoong
@wendy5 posts a wide variety of photos but I often find myself taking a closer look at her tide pool observations. She also adds comments to each observation detailing things like behavior. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/wendy5
I’ve never met him, but for I love this combination of cool places and interesting photographs: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?order_by=votes&place_id=any&subview=grid&user_id=carmelo_lopez
Also Greg https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?order_by=votes&place_id=any&subview=grid&user_id=greglasley
BJ https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?order_by=votes&place_id=any&subview=grid&user_id=finatic
& Katja https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?order_by=votes&place_id=any&subview=grid&user_id=treegrow
There are so many different considerations that it’s challenging to name a fave but @nolieschneider ( https://inaturalist.ca/users/301120 ) is both prolific and pretty much technically flawless and deserving of mention. I’m still mostly focussed on my local region so I don’t have a great sense of who’s exceptional globally.
Another vote for @tshahan!!
Some great photographers listed here.
and I will add in @kimssight and @andreacala local iNat women who always post lovely photos with commentary on many occasion
I follow Annkatrin Rose specifically because her photographs are so beautiful.
@flyredbird 