Location Sharing: One of the photography youtubers I follow posted the video below which basically states that he doesn't like to share locations that he photographs mostly because he...

wds0410 Loc: Nunya

One of the photography youtubers I follow posted the video below which basically states that he doesn't like to share locations that he photographs mostly because he feels he is protecting them from abuse (mostly trash and overuse). He shoots mostly in National Parks from what I can gather, Zion and Death Valley and maybe others.

He spends a fair amount of time researching (using whatever tools at his disposal, e.g., Google earth), hiking and scouting these locations before he actually shoots photos. He shoots 8x10 film mostly so he is lugging a fair amount of equipment on his treks.

How does everyone feel about this? Should we share or protect these locations?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkiyJB-uMsc&t=3s

FreddB Loc: PA - Delaware County

National/State parks, by their very existence, are meant to be visited and used by as many of us as possible. However, it's mainly the easily accessible areas that end up abused and trashed. The casual, lazy, fly-through tourist isn't likely to go trekking for hours to get the "Oh my God, what a spectacular view!" photograph on their iphone. So, maybe your guy is just being a tad selfish, and wants to be "That guy" who gets to post all those great shots for the rest of us to admire.
Just saying. 😈😈😈

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

After watching the video I became more and more irritated that this elitist photographer wanted to keep the, "Special Areas", secret so that just anybody didn't find out where they are so THEY could take photographs there. I understand what he is saying but I kept wondering what makes him so special that only certain people should be able to see these areas. We are talking about photography here. Most people, yes I know not everybody, go into an area and take pictures and leave nothing behind. What is he keeping a beautiful area to himself and only selected friends? It is irritating to me. When I find a beautiful area I want to show it to others. I want to see their photographic takes from the area.

Dennis

Marianne M Banks Loc: Anacortes WA

I think he has valid points. Our parks are abused and fragile areas overused.
He takes time and effort to get his photos.
I imagine he feels some sense of ownership. He doesn’t want to “setup a shoot” for the masses.
Very valid point made was that everyone is free to do some research on their own.
Maybe come up with a fantastic shot they earned.

Fotoserj Loc: St calixte Qc Ca

They would have lost cell coverage long before and turn around

dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO

Good question. If a photographer goes to that much trouble to scout a location, he/she wants a unique photo. Not sure I need to go to the same spot and attempt to replicate his shot. Guess I’d rather find my own viewpoint and capture my own unique photo.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

It’s pretty sorry when one is too useless to go find their own subjects.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

dbfalconer wrote:

Good question. If a photographer goes to that much trouble to scout a location, he/she wants a unique photo. Not sure I need to go to the same spot and attempt to replicate his shot. Guess I’d rather find my own viewpoint and capture my own unique photo.

Which is where his argument falls apart. Cell phone snappers won't make the effort. Serious photographers want a unique photo themselves, so they won't go take the same photo. The only people being deprived by his greed are serious hikers who are unlikely to cause the damage he seems concerned about.

Unless these locations are not really off the beaten track. In which case he is just hiding something.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

dbfalconer wrote:

Good question. If a photographer goes to that much trouble to scout a location, he/she wants a unique photo. Not sure I need to go to the same spot and attempt to replicate his shot. Guess I’d rather find my own viewpoint and capture my own unique photo.

In a way, don't we all go to places and replicate a photo? We all go to Yellowstone, Yosemite, the wharf in San Francisco, and so on. You know what I mean. But we try to make each photograph our own from different views, different times of the day, different weather conditions etc. Nothing wrong with photographing the same beautiful area.

Dennis

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

dsmeltz wrote:

Which is where his argument falls apart. Cell phone snappers won't make the effort. Serious photographers want a unique photo themselves, so they won't go take the same photo. The only people being deprived by his greed are serious hikers who are unlikely to cause the damage he seems concerned about.

Unless these locations are not really off the beaten track. In which case he is just hiding something.

That is a good point I thought of but in typing did not get my point to my fingers. If these places are so very special and off the beaten track he probably does not have to worry too much about other photographers. But if 100 of us went there, and we don't leave trash behind, what is it that we are going to take from this photographer? These special lands belong to all of us, not just a few elites that he feels should be there. In reality if they are off the beaten path few people are going to go anyway.

Dennis

d3200prime

Question: If you were a gold prospector and found an area rich in gold, largely isolated and unknown, would you divulge that information to other gold prospectors? I think not! Smart ones would not even let on about it at all. So it is with professional landscape photographers if they are smart. Really, I believe it would have been smarter to not have posted this on YouTube at all as he has opened himself to public critisim much of which is negative. But to each his own.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

d3200prime wrote:

Question: If you were a gold prospector and found an area rich in gold, largely isolated and unknown, would you divulge that information to other gold prospectors? I think not! Smart ones would not even let on about it at all. So it is with professional landscape photographers if they are smart. Really, I believe it would have been smarter to not have posted this on YouTube at all as he has opened himself to public critisim much of which is negative. But to each his own.

Gold is a valuable commodity that everyone wants to own. Those people would take the gold out of the area. Due to greed, and common sense, a gold prospector would not divulge the area where he found gold. I have a few places where I hunt and fish and usually do pretty well. The area is used by other people but that doesn't mean I want everyone there when I am there. Over the past 30 years the amount of people hunting in this small area has increased a lot. I keep quiet about those areas but, as I said, others know about it. But, regarding this guy's photographic honey holes, what are we going to take from the area but photographs? Why the secrecy?

Dennis

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

d3200prime wrote:

Question: If you were a gold prospector and found an area rich in gold, largely isolated and unknown, would you divulge that information to other gold prospectors? I think not! Smart ones would not even let on about it at all. So it is with professional landscape photographers if they are smart. Really, I believe it would have been smarter to not have posted this on YouTube at all as he has opened himself to public critisim much of which is negative. But to each his own.

And if what he said was "I am greedy and don't want anyone else to find this place." Then that's fine. He has to live with himself, but don't p*ss on my head and tell me it's raining by claiming to have some fake moral basis for this.

d3200prime

dennis2146 wrote:

Gold is a valuable commodity that everyone wants t... (show quote)

Just stop and think about what you have said. Unique areas to shoot and produce photographs worthy of monetary reimbursement are like gold to a pro photographer. So, why would this pro want to let other pros and/or others in on his "photographic honey holes"? "Why the secrecy?" You stated: "I keep quiet about those areas" so you answered your own question.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

d3200prime wrote:

Just stop and think about what you have said. Unique areas to shoot and produce photographs worthy of monetary reimbursement are like gold to a pro photographer. So, why would this pro want to let other pros and/or others in on his "photographic honey holes"? "Why the secrecy?" You stated: "I keep quiet about those areas" so you answered your own question.

This is more about the fake reason the youtuber uses for hiding the location. The claim is to protect the environment from abuse when the real reason is to save it for himself. And that is a fine reason, but don't lie about it.