You know you're seriously into iNat when

[redeft23]

@broacher

I find even a handheld LED mini panel works well if you can rig up a holder to guide the extra light.

@fluffyinca

I have a TG-6 and would recommend it for iNat-level macro photography.

Thank you! This is good information.

[AdamWargon]

You know you’re seriously into iNat when you ARE the CV:

@daniel_observer

The only reason Mallard got knocked out of the top 2 for Oregon is that two observers have added 9,300 of the 12,850 or so observations of Western Ponderosa Pine

@yayemaster

Creosote Bush and Saguaro in the Western US is heavily influenced by one user, which is crazy.

Same with my home state NY, where three users have combined for 13K observations of Ageratina altissima. Without a doubt Artemisia vulgaris is the most common plant in the state.

@jonsense

Fowler’s Toad as #1 animal in Delaware is interesting (from one user with a lot of observations).

[birdwhisperer]

@AdamWargon

You know you’re seriously into iNat when you ARE the CV:

@daniel_observer

The only reason Mallard got knocked out of the top 2 for Oregon is that two observers have added 9,300 of the 12,850 or so observations of Western Ponderosa Pine

[daniel_observer]

LOL all good man!! I am back in Wallowa County as of last year and it has been fun seeing what you and Matthew have been up to

[mkanimallover]

You know you’re seriously into INat when you MUST bring your camera with you EVERYWHERE in case you see a cool insect or bird

[oksanaetal]

That’s why I’m thinking o getting a bodycam :)

[jasonhernandez74]

When you’re not in the part of the world you’d rather be in, but using iNat helps deepen your appreciation for the part of the world you’re in.

[mkanimallover]

Definitely! Like yellow-orange butterflies in a world of yellow!!

[fluffyinca]

…when you have to stop recording a birdcall because someone found a frog (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/301909222)

[afdexter]

@mira_l_b

You know you’re seriously into iNat when

you give up bikepacking with your partner and start going on your own because you want to be able to wait 45 min for an identifiable butterfly shot without feeling guilty.

[mkanimallover]

I feel that :)

[spiderthumbs]

For me it was ‘Parasteatoda tepidariorum’ (American house spider) which is for some reason the scientific name for one of the most common spider species in North America

[texas_nature_family]

I do this too!

[Ba_humbugi]

When you knock on the door of the only rancher (Long horn) in your area to ask if you can walk in an empty field with dung hoping to find many rainbow scarabs. He had 2 fields, one across the road from the other, yet he sold one field to a developer. When I noticed the for sale sign on the field and he was out, I asked him about the Long horn and he pointed to the field behind him. The Long Horn have become a historic landmark in the area.

[daughterdad]

…you lie down in the parking lot at work to get a good photo of a water-soaked bug because it might be a new species!

[samantha_knight]

You’re at a social event, but someone said there’s a bobcat, so you and your friend leave dinner to go look under the cars.

[quyksilver]

@fluffyinca

I have a TG-6 and would recommend it for iNat-level macro photography. It’s not perfect but you can get identifiable shots of a lot of tiny things that you otherwise couldn’t. I haven’t used it underwater much but it seems reasonably good at that too. Moving subjects underwater are a bit difficult though.

How would you say it compares to using an iPhone for macro?

@mkanimallover

You know you’re seriously into INat when you MUST bring your camera with you EVERYWHERE in case you see a cool insect or bird

Classes started 3 weeks ago and I’ve literally been carrying my Nikon Z9 with me everywhere LOL. I’ve also thought about mounting it to my car to get shots while I’m driving.

[fluffyinca]

@quyksilver

How would you say it compares to using an iPhone for macro?

Unfortunately I can be of no help here. I’ve never used an iPhone for any kind of photography. The only smartphone I have a small amount of experience with is the Samsung S23 Ultra, which seems pretty comparable to the TG-6 (at least at my skill level).

[mkanimallover]

Haha, classes start tomorrow for me, and I’m bringing my camera

I want to take it for my regular photography purposes, but also because one of my classes requires an iPhone or camera, and I don’t have an iPhone :)

[danly]

C’mon, you gotta tell us if you saw it.