I came across this interesting video in which a frustrated photographer examines the issue of too many people and impolite behavior making landscape photography difficult at beautiful locations. It's definitely an issue that deserves to be addressed, and his take on it is worth hearing.
Brendan van Son recently posted this video in which he asks if photographers are ruining photography for other photographers after finding himself frustrated by both the number of people and their behavior at a beautiful mountain lake. Personally, I think the issue is more complicated than simply photographers ruining life for other photographers, and I also don't think it's as extreme as he asserts. Nonetheless, the rise of social media has highlighted locations that once took a good deal of committed research to find, while travel has become more affordable. On the same token, as cameras get better and better and the price of entry for a decent kit continues to decrease, we've seen a proliferation of tourists who aren't really photographers, but enjoy the pursuit of it enough to spend time in these locations shooting. I've certainly had my share of shots ruined by an intruder, but I often remind myself that out of the person standing in a river with a camera and someone walking along a trail, I'm probably the odd one. In other words, photographers have no more right to be in these places than anyone else, but as the masses continue to flock to them, we might see paradigms shifts in what landscape and travel photographers shoot and how they shoot it. Have you dealt with this? How do you handle it?
No rant. I'm just disappointed when anyone makes such a foolish pronouncement. I'm not calling you foolish, but your statement is. I've seen a lot of white, privileged guys act in the manner you describe. I've also seen people of every color, women, and poor people act the same way. It's childish behavior and we all are, or have been, at times and places.
Hey, you seem like you're trying to be polite, and no one wins in internet arguments, so I'll leave off and let you have the last word, but I'll ask you to consider that one's particular anecdotal experiences are no gauge of reality, and it is because of generations of privilege that one is taught to believe that they are. Some photographers have to worry about routinely proving their ownership of their own equipment to the police - makes hearing complaints about one's blocked landscape shot at a popular destination less than scintillating.
I agree with most of what you say but haven't experienced the generational privilege you speak of. While it would be easy to assume that's the case from what we're fed by Hollywood and the media, I try to err to the benefit of others. I don't always succeed. :-)
I have benefited from our modern technology as much or more than most anyone yet nowdays I often find myself self longing for the time when photography was rare, nearly magical & beyond the grasp of the masses.
I have been to this spot a dozen times, although crowded, I have found most everyone respectful of everyone's space. Sometimes though after asking them to move out of the shot. I lead photo tours to crowded places, daily in Grand Teton Park. Yes it is crowded, yes you have to show up early. I often enjoy meeting the photographers with whom I'm sharing the view. When vantages are few I invite other closer when possible.
Something that bothers me about a "few" photographers is how they think because they are in a place often they adopt a proprietary attitude about the place.
I often write and speak of how photographers have a more beautiful life that that of non-photographers because we are always searching for beauty. We then find more of it than everyone else. Some spoil their own experience in beauty getting uptight because a place might be more crowded than they desire. Crowded natural attractions can be quit a fun freak show. The freak show can be fun to shoot while waiting for the landscape to come together in the desired way. Happy shooting :)
If you can drive there so can everyone else. I only get annoyed when I hike somewhere difficult to reach only to have a helicopter show up at sunrise and buzz overhead for an hour.
Interesting discussion!
I’m not a landscape and wildlife photographer (Although it was my youth dream), so I belong to the tourist / amateur folks.
Just got back from a trip to Iceland. Iceland is probably the most overcrowded spot on earth those days. Especially the highlight spots that can be reached within 15’ walk from a car park. But if you hike for a few hours, you are on your own. Really!
Back in 2000, I was at moraine lake and there was barely a parking spot to find, but I got the picture I wanted after less than 30’ hiking.
One of my favorite pictures of this year is one of Dent Blanche in Switzerland. Shot from a mountain hut with my cell phone (So, quality is bad due to little light and cell phones are simply phone’s not camera’s, but the picture is nice on the phones screen). It was just before sunset and a dramatic cloudy weather. Beside me there were only two other mountain climbers making pictures with their cell phone. So there are quite spots, but it takes a bit more engagement. The mountain hut was 4h walk and 1h climbing…
Maybe (professional) landscape photographers have to re-invent themselves. Finding beauty in spots one other do not see and / or combine photography with outdoor life / activity to reach spots other once do not reach. Invest more time with their subject and be more creative in composition, lighting and post technique then the amateurs like me.
I am a (partially) self-employed pet photographer in the Benelux and working a lot directly for publishers. I can consider myself as one of the market leading pet photographers working in the industry. And I see my pictures and the pictures of colleagues being copied on social media. Rather than being frustrated this has to motivate me to innovate. Find new light, being more creative.
And I have to think about social media as an exposure platform. Hoping that potential clients will grab your references in the bunch of similar pictures is stupid. I think that one that wants to be professional needs to find another way to network and connect with clients. But that is another topic.
While it doesn't work 100% of the time, and I realize that it's not an ideal situation, I use patience and photoshop to my advantage; I sit with my tripod and shoot multiple frames as people move about and the more hasty photographers get their shots, then layer them in photoshop and "erase" the intruders. This is a technique that I originally developed as an architectural photographer, for shooting commercial buildings that see a lot of traffic. Otherwise, there unfortunately isn't much you can do about it, unless you go to these destinations during less popular times and seasons, or go out of your way to search-out a lesser known perspective (the better option).
Too many people on the planet. What we need is a purge!
There were a lot of photographers back "in the day", it was a matter of what type of photographers they were. If you were at a national park and went during the normal hours of the day, good luck on getting a shot of anything worth getting without people in the shot. It just wasn't going to happen. However, if you went early in the morning, if you were to go up on a trail, etc... the chances of finding someone with serious photography in mind was slim to none. However, in the 70's, I could get out on a trail almost anywhere for any reason and very seldom run into anyone. Now I drive by a parking area across from a trail and by 5:00 am, the thing is packed. Here in Colorado that includes the 14,000 foot peaks. The bottom line there, is photography or not, there are just more people out there.
I don't know if it is digital or not. Digital has made it much easier for people to become photographers. It has made it much easier for them to go home and turn a so-so picture into a much better picture. So when they go on vacation they are much more likely to go with their friends or their families to a common location where photographers are going to be. It is easier to do that than to go somewhere that you might be challenged. I'm the same way. when I am by myself I will go to an area that I know I am going to be challenged. The flat lands of Colorado, off the wall places of Wyoming that you just don't consider beautiful, and I can tell you the beautiful shots don't just show up. You have to search for them, but when you find them, WOW!! But on the flip side of the coin, there is no way my family was ever going to vote on those locations for a vacation. As a matter of fact, I don't know a photographer that would be willing to go to those locations with me. So where did we go? Everywhere there were a ton of photographers.
The other thing we find today that we didn't see decades ago is all of the photo tours. Photographers that make the majority of their living by taking groups worldwide or even regionally to shoot a specific site. Or for classes. Unfortunately there may be 10-12 of those at the same site at one time with 6-12 or more photographers in one class. That adds up really quick. I"m not saying there is anything wrong with photographers making money this way, but when you have that many people showing up in addition to individual photographers and then the "general public", at Arches in Utah, it becomes a cluster really quick at 3:00 a.m. to wait for sunrise.
Photographers have always been there. The guys who were serious about getting that shot could be a rude as the next guy/gal. However the majority of photographers were as curtious as we are today. We will watch for what is going on around us. Unfortunately I have found the folks that are stalking and kind of rude about it is the less experienced photographer that is trying to get "the shot" that is out there in mass already. Especially with wildlife. You know the shot. Their lens isn't long enough to begin with and they got close enough where you watch and say: "You do realize they can outrun you?"
It is a great thing that people can get everywhere around this country and experience it with their families these days. It is even better that for the most part we can get everywhere worldwide if we want to and people can get here. But with that come the good with the bad. be sociable, be patient. Talk to other photographers when you see them. There is a better chance they aren't going to block someone they have gotten to know a little. If nothing else they will block someone else. Still not ideal, but at least they aren't blocking you.
Common courtesy usually (key work: usually) gets it in return. Have a great 2018 shooting. Best of luck.