Good photos are the most important part of an observation. They’re what other members use to check and confirm your identification.
Requirements
| Website | App | |
|---|---|---|
| Photos per observation | 1 to 7 | 1 to 7 |
| File types | JPG, PNG or WebP | Any photo from your camera or library |
| Maximum size | 5MB per photo | Photos are resized automatically |
The app converts and resizes photos for you, including iPhone HEIC photos, so you don’t need to do anything before uploading. On the website, convert HEIC photos to JPG first and resize anything over 5MB.
Adding Photos on the Website
- In the photos area of the observation form, drag your photos in or click to choose files.
- Wait for the previews to appear.
- The first photo becomes the main image. You can reorder or delete photos later from the edit page, and add more, up to 7 in total.
Adding Photos in the App
- Tap the Observe button.
- Choose Take Photo to use your camera or Gallery to pick from your library. You can add more photos from either.
- The first photo you add becomes the main image.
Location and Date From Your Photos
If your photos contain GPS and date information (EXIF data), the location and date are filled in for you from your first photo, on both the website and the app.
- If you’ve already placed a pin on the map, your pin is kept.
- If your observation is Private, GPS data isn’t used and is removed from your photos when they’re stored.
- For Open and Obscured observations, your location privacy setting still decides what others see.
If you’d rather not share photo locations at all, you can turn off location tagging in your phone’s camera settings and place pins by hand.
Photos That Help Identification
Aim to show:
- The top of the cap: colour, shape and texture
- The side view: overall shape and the stem
- The underside: gills, pores or spines
- The stem base: dig gently, as a bulb or sac can be important
- The habitat: what it’s growing on and around
- Scale: a coin, finger or ruler for size
Licensing
Your photos are shared under the Creative Commons licence you choose for the observation. See Understanding Observation Licenses.
Common Problems
- File too large: resize the photo or export it at a lower quality (website only).
- Wrong file type: convert it to JPG (website only).
- Upload failed: check your connection and try again. Large photos take longer on slow connections.