Being mobility challenged, I look at guide books and websites to find where I can photograph and where I cannot. I spent ten days in North Wales and had a wonderful time even though many of the places I photographed from were laybys and car parks. Yes I missed out on many beautiful locations as I couldn’t walk or hike there but I still came away very happy. Light and weather transform locations far more than we think and even familiar places look unique in certain circumstances.
Thank you for this. I agree wholeheartedly and would add that it's also important to protect the wilderness, to keep the wild in it. Location sharing threatens that. Well-intentioned fellow photographers are one thing, but my concern is more for the general public, who often fail to leave no trace and are all too often disrespectful of habitats or uninformed about best practices when it comes to treading lightly on the land.
Location finding is part of the journey; it's also a skill that requires time and effort. Would one expect a landscape painter to detail how they created their art? Probably not - unless you are taking a class or workshop from them for that express purpose.
I've seen plenty of places damaged by photographers. Recently, a location with many pink lady slippers was fenced off at a state park due to the damage photographers were causing while photographing the flowers. I've also seen new paths created by photographers to get to photo locations that were popularized on social media. I think that most of this type of damage is due to a lack of education, but some of it is by photographers who should know better.
I enjoyed the essay. I spend a fair amount of time thinking about this as I post photos online and on my YouTube channel. My brand is Explore Every Day and I have a whole video what that means.
I have limited time due to job demands and kids sports schedules. I can usually carve out an hour to walk the dog and bring the camera bag.
I know Afton State Park and Lake Elmo Park Reserve as well as my backyard. I’ve learned through exploring, where I can get shots based on the season, weather, the landscape, etc. this is crucial with limited time.
I also have my Milky Way and aurora spots throughout the east metro and western Wisconsin.
I have held pat to not sharing locations and I’m purposely vague in my photography adventure YouTube videos.
I do try to be a good steward of the photography community and I have caved twice to privately share a landscape location and an aurora location. Both to the same individual. Both times, I saw “my” photo (spot) posted online The Next Day!
The landscape spot, not as big an issue. The aurora spot, really can’t handle more than one person. So now I gamble with a 40 minute drive that the spot is clear.
Half the fun is discovering locations by hiking, driving and scouring google maps.
Excellent point of view. I think we de-value a thing with too easy access to it. It's similar to making locations easier to access by vehicle. Some of the most profound spots I've been to have taken days of hiking to reach and the experience would not have been so impactful if I could have driven right up to it. Location sharing is similar. Finding the spots is part of the process!
I agree completely with what you say. Today, as you mention threre is a plethora of different ways to locate places, for any purpose. And, if you live in an urban area, and, want to explore photography, there are as many ways and placed to do that, as in the wild spaces. Weston did still life photos of peppers as well as landscapes. As I walk a familiar trail, I never fail to notice something new, some feature, some relationship between the elements of what I am seeing. I tend to walk the trail along Lake Superior a lot, it is close, convenient, and, a perfect way for my corgi and I to get our daily excercise. I am always struck by those who seem to enjoy the exploration, and, those who have ear buds in, or on a phone, and, have a zoned out look in their eyes. Those who take a slower approach, are also more approachable for human interaction or one dog meeting another. I agree that when you discover a treasure, it is best to keep it to yourself, or next time you visit, it may not be the same. Some places need to stay off the radar, hidden from the casual view, that is how they will remain unspoiled.
For me, photography is more often than not about the journey. When I find myself chasing the perfect image of a location, I feel rushed. I have found that many times, the best photos I've taken are not the ones of the "perfect" or "iconic" location. It was an image of something along the way.
This is an interesting idea - nice essay and some good thoughts here. Thank you for bringing it up.
These few lines really hit:
"But there’s something deeper at stake. Part of what makes photography meaningful is the journey you take before you make your image. It’s the curiosity, the creativity and the imagination. It’s the patience and persistence. It’s the exploration and the discovery. Reducing all of that to a set of GPS coordinates encourages a shallow relationship with the place, and landscape photography thrives on deep emotional connection."
Like you, I lead photography workshops. Despite the fact that I spend a lot of pre-workshop and in-workshop time talking to my students about making their own personal images, informed by their own interests and motivations, I will still get the occasional student who wants to go to *this* place to photograph *that* scene because they've found it on the internet and they want to photograph it for themselves. It's tough to explain to them that it's unlikely that any photograph they will make will have the combination of season, light, moment (etc) that their "hero" image had, OR that they will have the connection to that place that the "hero" photographer had. It's not about standing in the exact same spot, it's about feeling the experience and expressing.
You can’t photograph deeply what you don’t experience deeply. And it’s your personal response to those experiences that makes all the difference, not whether someone says there is a good picture to be had from "there."
Pin drop is self defeating. A photograph is a moment, captured, that will never be exactly repeated nor replicated. Enjoy it. Feel it. And be inspired to find your own moments to share.
Bryan, not sharing location is definitely not gatekeeping. This would require a power imbalance to limit or control access. People can find most of these places if they put in the work. Like you, I think the process of exploration far more important and rewarding than the images I come away with. There are some wild places I will never have the time or fitness to get to - I don't have a problem with that, in fact, I am very pleased that places like that exist.
I love your point that photography is about curiosity and exploration, and that to reduce an outing to a set of GPS coordinates is to have a shallow relationship with the process… and that it shows in the quality of one’s output.
Great article, Bryan. I think you already have seen this article I wrote on the topic, but I provide some examples of how geotagging has completely ruined certain places, and how people's use of the word gatekeeping has become synonymous with "entitlement."
I agree for the most part. A quiet country road that offers a lot of beautiful phot ops in its serenity I would not share the location as there is only one residence in that road, and I would not want their peace and privacy disturbed. Now if I was at a State Park I might share as it is not just for me and I would like to see others enjoy the natural wonders. Especially children as it offers educational and helps develop nature appreciation and respect.
Well said Bryan. I see your point. As an "amateur aspiring photographer," when I am looking at places to photograph, I like to look for places that others would not shoot. The less popular places, the places I visit on a regular basis and the places that have meaning for me.
Being mobility challenged, I look at guide books and websites to find where I can photograph and where I cannot. I spent ten days in North Wales and had a wonderful time even though many of the places I photographed from were laybys and car parks. Yes I missed out on many beautiful locations as I couldn’t walk or hike there but I still came away very happy. Light and weather transform locations far more than we think and even familiar places look unique in certain circumstances.
Thank you for this. I agree wholeheartedly and would add that it's also important to protect the wilderness, to keep the wild in it. Location sharing threatens that. Well-intentioned fellow photographers are one thing, but my concern is more for the general public, who often fail to leave no trace and are all too often disrespectful of habitats or uninformed about best practices when it comes to treading lightly on the land.
Location finding is part of the journey; it's also a skill that requires time and effort. Would one expect a landscape painter to detail how they created their art? Probably not - unless you are taking a class or workshop from them for that express purpose.
I've seen plenty of places damaged by photographers. Recently, a location with many pink lady slippers was fenced off at a state park due to the damage photographers were causing while photographing the flowers. I've also seen new paths created by photographers to get to photo locations that were popularized on social media. I think that most of this type of damage is due to a lack of education, but some of it is by photographers who should know better.
I enjoyed the essay. I spend a fair amount of time thinking about this as I post photos online and on my YouTube channel. My brand is Explore Every Day and I have a whole video what that means.
I have limited time due to job demands and kids sports schedules. I can usually carve out an hour to walk the dog and bring the camera bag.
I know Afton State Park and Lake Elmo Park Reserve as well as my backyard. I’ve learned through exploring, where I can get shots based on the season, weather, the landscape, etc. this is crucial with limited time.
I also have my Milky Way and aurora spots throughout the east metro and western Wisconsin.
I have held pat to not sharing locations and I’m purposely vague in my photography adventure YouTube videos.
I do try to be a good steward of the photography community and I have caved twice to privately share a landscape location and an aurora location. Both to the same individual. Both times, I saw “my” photo (spot) posted online The Next Day!
The landscape spot, not as big an issue. The aurora spot, really can’t handle more than one person. So now I gamble with a 40 minute drive that the spot is clear.
Half the fun is discovering locations by hiking, driving and scouring google maps.
Excellent point of view. I think we de-value a thing with too easy access to it. It's similar to making locations easier to access by vehicle. Some of the most profound spots I've been to have taken days of hiking to reach and the experience would not have been so impactful if I could have driven right up to it. Location sharing is similar. Finding the spots is part of the process!
I agree completely with what you say. Today, as you mention threre is a plethora of different ways to locate places, for any purpose. And, if you live in an urban area, and, want to explore photography, there are as many ways and placed to do that, as in the wild spaces. Weston did still life photos of peppers as well as landscapes. As I walk a familiar trail, I never fail to notice something new, some feature, some relationship between the elements of what I am seeing. I tend to walk the trail along Lake Superior a lot, it is close, convenient, and, a perfect way for my corgi and I to get our daily excercise. I am always struck by those who seem to enjoy the exploration, and, those who have ear buds in, or on a phone, and, have a zoned out look in their eyes. Those who take a slower approach, are also more approachable for human interaction or one dog meeting another. I agree that when you discover a treasure, it is best to keep it to yourself, or next time you visit, it may not be the same. Some places need to stay off the radar, hidden from the casual view, that is how they will remain unspoiled.
For me, photography is more often than not about the journey. When I find myself chasing the perfect image of a location, I feel rushed. I have found that many times, the best photos I've taken are not the ones of the "perfect" or "iconic" location. It was an image of something along the way.
I agree. I see things differently when I’m going to a spot versus looking for a spot.
Thank you for this, Bryan
This is an interesting idea - nice essay and some good thoughts here. Thank you for bringing it up.
These few lines really hit:
"But there’s something deeper at stake. Part of what makes photography meaningful is the journey you take before you make your image. It’s the curiosity, the creativity and the imagination. It’s the patience and persistence. It’s the exploration and the discovery. Reducing all of that to a set of GPS coordinates encourages a shallow relationship with the place, and landscape photography thrives on deep emotional connection."
Like you, I lead photography workshops. Despite the fact that I spend a lot of pre-workshop and in-workshop time talking to my students about making their own personal images, informed by their own interests and motivations, I will still get the occasional student who wants to go to *this* place to photograph *that* scene because they've found it on the internet and they want to photograph it for themselves. It's tough to explain to them that it's unlikely that any photograph they will make will have the combination of season, light, moment (etc) that their "hero" image had, OR that they will have the connection to that place that the "hero" photographer had. It's not about standing in the exact same spot, it's about feeling the experience and expressing.
You can’t photograph deeply what you don’t experience deeply. And it’s your personal response to those experiences that makes all the difference, not whether someone says there is a good picture to be had from "there."
Thanks again...
Pin drop is self defeating. A photograph is a moment, captured, that will never be exactly repeated nor replicated. Enjoy it. Feel it. And be inspired to find your own moments to share.
Bryan, not sharing location is definitely not gatekeeping. This would require a power imbalance to limit or control access. People can find most of these places if they put in the work. Like you, I think the process of exploration far more important and rewarding than the images I come away with. There are some wild places I will never have the time or fitness to get to - I don't have a problem with that, in fact, I am very pleased that places like that exist.
I love your point that photography is about curiosity and exploration, and that to reduce an outing to a set of GPS coordinates is to have a shallow relationship with the process… and that it shows in the quality of one’s output.
Great article, Bryan. I think you already have seen this article I wrote on the topic, but I provide some examples of how geotagging has completely ruined certain places, and how people's use of the word gatekeeping has become synonymous with "entitlement."
https://www.mattpaynephotography.com/gallery/geotagging-gatekeeping-photography/?category=articles
Love your take on gatekeeping.
I agree for the most part. A quiet country road that offers a lot of beautiful phot ops in its serenity I would not share the location as there is only one residence in that road, and I would not want their peace and privacy disturbed. Now if I was at a State Park I might share as it is not just for me and I would like to see others enjoy the natural wonders. Especially children as it offers educational and helps develop nature appreciation and respect.
Well said Bryan. I see your point. As an "amateur aspiring photographer," when I am looking at places to photograph, I like to look for places that others would not shoot. The less popular places, the places I visit on a regular basis and the places that have meaning for me.