Kevin McNeal asks an important question on
his blog on PhotoCascadia: do photographers have an obligation to disclose (or not to disclose) locations where photographs are taken? He takes the line that no, exact coordinates need not be provided, for two reasons: 1) These out-of-the-way locations, their exotic nature and obscureness, helps maintain the value of such images, in a very competitive nature photography marketplace, and as such they are assets to be protected; and 2) there is a need to protect such places against hordes of snap-happy folks who could trample delicate ecosystems.
I wanted to share this with the general audience, for I generally agree. Not that I am a professional photographer (indeed, I do not make any income from my images as of yet), so the financial argument doesn't resonate with me as much as my desire to protect these landscapes. I would not intentionally try to hide a general location of an image, and those that are posted here on A Wandering Lens do have a Google location posted with them to give viewers an approximate idea of where I was in the world when the shutter clicked.
While it is not to hide these places, for obviously I want to share them with others, but exposing some of these landscapes to potential masses could be very damaging. I am a fervent believer in leave no trace backcountry exploration, but recognize that merely my passing through an area changes things: my boots might squash plants or insects, animals move based on my presence, I compact the ground as I walk. And multiply that by hundreds, or thousands, in areas that are not accustomed to such traffic (this is different than the trails of Yosemite or Yellowstone, that are graded for such high-intensity use), and there is a chance for long-standing damage.
But even beyond that, the photographs that I post, and the ones that I have seen throughout the years, are meant to be inspirational. Maybe I cannot get to the same exact location that I see in a Galen Rowell print, or on McNeal's blog. But their images inspire me to get out there, explore on my own, and perhaps try to find something different and new. I still feel that discovering that unique place, that great angle, that perfect time of day, on your own translates into a greater sense of achievement and personal creation, and that is what drives so much of my photography: it is the exploration of new places as much as it is the images I create. So, I hope you follow by reading, enjoying, reacting, and then exploring on your own to find new places to share with others. Good shooting.
