You’ve just found an epic location to take a photo. Great! A gorgeous colourful sunset overlooking a beautiful setting. A setting that has relatively little exposure on social media. The question you should ask yourself before deciding to post to social media is - ‘Should I be sharing this location?’.
This is quite an interesting subject. There are some photographers that think people should keep the location private, and their are others who think the location should be available for all to find and see. I can see the intention from both side, but here’s my thoughts on it.
Social media has become a hotbed of copycat photographers. Many different people wanting to take the exact same photo from the exact same spot as one they had seen online. I know, I’ve been in that position myself. Because who doesn’t like to see a lovely photo of an interesting location?! Plus, don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to have my own version of photo I’ve seen. Yes it may not be original, but it’s always nicer to have MY own photo than someone else’s if I have the chance to be able to take that photo. I must admit, it doesn’t happen often, and I generally don’t tend to post these kinds of images, but still, nice to show friends and family that I’ve been there.
The problem arises however, when there are other variables at play. It’s all well and good if you’re on a known tourist path, or a popular location that many people can have access to, or perhaps a location that is already known of, yet doesn’t disturb anyone or anything else. However, unknown secluded locations in wild spaces, I feel should be kept that way. Why? Because you just don’t know what could happen to the surrounding areas should others want to get hold of this location.
For instance, you don’t know what flora and fauna are in the area. Perhaps there may be some rare breeds of plants and flowers that could be trampled on. Maybe even wild life that shouldn’t be disturbed. How about the infrastructure? What would happen if many new people decide to come to this location? Popular places will in turn bring a rise to damaging the local environment, not to mention such a new influx of people may be more of a detriment to the local communities than it has benefits because such vast numbers are not sustainable. Not only this, but it seems as though (from my personal point of view) more people are lacking in respect for the environment as they come to enjoy the view, and leave behind a wake of rubbish that would not necessarily be picked up and may therefor affect local wildlife further. No one likes to rubbish in beautiful locations.
Take the Old Man of Storr on the Isle of Skye for instance. It is now an iconic and popular tourist attraction thanks to the rise of it’s known location, easy access and spectacular views. Yet the infrastructure to support such numbers of visitors has only recently been addressed with the addition of more car parking spaces and local toilet facilities. Before these were installed, people would otherwise be parking on the sides of the road and using bushes for toilets.
Social media in itself also brings its own forms or pressures. If a photo is posted without a location, many people would be asking for the details of this location and how to get there among others concerning its whereabouts. It’s then down to you as the person taking the photo, whether you feel comfortable or not sharing the details.
My suggestion is this. Should you find a location that is wild, secluded and fairly unknown, keep it this way. Get off the beaten path, have your own adventures, enjoy the experience and the views you’ll know not many other people will have seen. If however it is easily accessible, then I do not see a problem in sharing it’s location. Some places can be enjoyed by all. Others, should be enjoyed by those who dare to seek them.
I know my moral standpoint. Do you?