A Photowalk for Geocachers?

I threw an idea out this evening on Twitter;

"I had a thought this weekend for a Geocaching event. It would be a photowalk so that we could get out as shooting with cachers."

This concept popped in my head Sunday afternoon as I watched many of us at the event running around with cameras showing off their grabs (chimping) and a couple asking me questions about settings on their cameras. We often go caching together, frequently bringing the cameras but rarely taking much time for photography. My thought was simply an event for Geocachers to slow down and take the chance to grab some photos together, talking with fellow Geocachers/Photographers to better hone their skills and generally have a good time. The model I think works best is the "Photo Walk." These events take place all over the world but usually focus on walking through a city for an hour or two collecting images of the urban landscape and sharing them online following a dinner at a local restaurant. Why not apply that concept to a Geocaching event at a park which supports Geocaching?

First off I don't know if it would get the blessing of Groundspeak. In writing this post I hope to create an event description which I can submit to them for a determination before I begin work on setting up the event.

I also worry that such an event might not appeal to all Geocachers in a team. To that end we could look for parks with good caching for the whole family and offer that as an option for those who are not interested in participating in the photo walk.

My first photo walk will be the "Worldwide Photo Walk" this coming weekend. Following that I hope to have a better feel of how they work for larger groups. I have a group of friends though that we go out shooting on a regular basis (the photo at left is from the most recent trip) with a similar format, just a little less formal. I'd love the opportunity to hit the trail with my friends I've made through Geocaching for something similar.

Exact details would need to be worked out later, but I see something just short of a workshop to enable all levels of Photographers to participate. I envision the event starting with a half-hour meeting at the trail head where we can go over the "rules" for the Photo Walk and talk through any questions about camera settings. The group then leaves on a ninety minute to two hour hike collecting photos the whole way. Along the way everyone is encouraged to ask questions of the others and hopefully see things they otherwise might have missed. Then everyone (including the team members who did not join the walk) gather for a meal while sharing the spoils of the walk. All good photos are to be uploaded to the event page on Geocaching.com for everyone to enjoy. The event would still be mostly a social outing with the goal of being fun for all.

So does this sound like something you would be interested in joining? How about hosting? I'd love to see these spread all over the globe. Perhaps we could see more 12 of 12 submissions and great photos from the caching outings.

Update: We're talking about our first "Photocaching" Event taking place on Saturday, October 10, 2009 if we receive the green light by Groundspeak.

One reason for this sharing is that photographers rarely capture the same image. Here's an excellent example from a trip with my Photographer friends to Fostoria Ohio:

Each of these was shot from within a few feet of each other, of the same train, for completely different looks.