For me, my normal nature is not to do anything slowly, or to take a minute to breath and to just enjoy a moment. I grew up climbing long routes, running and biking, where taking a moment to breathe is usually not rewarded. For me that is easy, it’s my nature, but I know it’s good to sometimes be slow and enjoy the moments that unfold before me. Ironically it was my climbing that brought me to photography with the desire for moments to last forever. Sitting beside the creek, I set up my tripod and with the camera firmly on the 3way geared head, I manually focus . There i nothing fast about this. With the exposure determined, I add the 10 stop neutral density filter (which means an image that was originally 1/200second to expose now needs to be exposed for 5 seconds). Going slow is rewarded, and it forces me to be part of the moment, even if it’s just for a little time.
Why I don’t GeoTag
So I probably have a need to create a presence for myself online, and the easiest way I could is to create pretty pictures and then describe to people how to see it for themselves. And I understand it. I, myself seek out beautiful places for the peace of mind these places bring. With this comes the two edged sword, I would love to have people experience these places, but we have started to love these places to death. This is nothing new, we have lamented about this, but with the ease of the internet, some areas have become at risk.
Grand Falls in Arizona is a good example. It’s beautiful, but now restricted to the Navajo Nation. I agree with their decision to restrict access but lament that the access to a beautiful location is now, no longer. With its fame, came people. The vast majority of these people were good, but a small number came with their ATV’s and decided to recreate beyond the falls damaging the property of individuals. People came and left their trash. What should have been beautiful and sacred became desecrated. I understand the decision.
There are other areas that could be at risk. Below is an area I hiked with my daughter. There were a few others, nothing significant. As we hiked out we found inflatable rafts left by individuals most likely we had seen that day. They were too lazy to carry it the last 2 miles.
This is the behavior that led to the permit system at Fossil Creek. This week I hiked with my daughter to a popular sight in Arizona. The trailhead parking was full as was the locations along the road . I was grumpy because of the crowds; until I shifted my mindset that most people were there for the same reason I was, to find solitude and peace in a hectic world. I talked to people learning there stories. Most people seemed to be good.
These are beautiful places but we insist on loving them to death. A good friend and amazing photographer, John Burcham (www.johnburcham.com) shot a story for the New York Times describing the influence of social media and access to areas. Social media has led to areas growing from absolute obscurity, so world fame and the accompanying crowds associated with its fame.
I love the areas I go. I respect them because I find solitude
Yes, some of the behaviors on this day disturbed me, like the person who marked the turn on the trail, not with a cairn, but with used toilet paper.
These are beautiful places but we insist on loving them to death. A good friend and amazing photographer, John Burcham (www.johnburcham.com) shot a story for the New York Times describing the influence of social media and access to areas.
I love the areas I go. I respect them because I find solitude. I respect this so I will never geotag these places. If you want to ask me where certain places are, I will always be honest and forthright. But I will never geotag them for the whole world