Photography and the Photographers Responsibility to the Environment
I'm trying to better myself. Always want to be the best version of myself. I know I'm wrong, but tomorrow I'm going to be less wrong than I was today. One thing I think I have an issue with is my anger. Just giving to much of a fuck about little things. And then I'm getting angry.
Another thing I have an Issue with is people who think they are entitled, who think they are superior, better than others, worthier than nature.
In travel-/photography I come across this a lot. And I'm not taking myself out here. Starting with photography I've not been better, yet from reading and some logical thinking I started to better myself. And that's what its all about in life. Improvement.
Okay, I'm drifting off and getting a little philosophical here. Let's go back a bit. 2015 around June my friend Ali was visiting me in Canada for my birthday. We did a MTB-Travel-Roadtrip kinda-thing going from Vancouver to Calgary and back visiting various Bikeparks and National Parks. Two things happened there around Banff (Some people might now its a village in AB, Canada with beautiful mountains and lakes in the middle of a national park). We were parking at Two-Jack-Lake where we were greeted by some chipmunks - eating what was left out of two candy bar wrappings. Secondly on a viewpoint parking lot we came across a car, motor running, windows open at about 29°C outside temperature. The driver was sleeping and the passenger was playing on her phone.
Holy crap was I pissed. Ask Ali, seriously. We boxed up the packaging into our own garbage. That was the easy task - Not so much with the car. I knocked on the passenger window asking her kindly if they could turn of the vehicle.
The woman's response:
"We are leaving soon anyway!"
Okay, I don't care.
"Please turn of the motor." I told her,"You are contributing do the destruction of the environment."
Clearly she cared about that as much as I cared about her reasons for her wrongdoing. They left about 10 minutes after I asked them to turn off the car.
As a Nature, Landscape and Travel-photographer I feel some kind of responsibility and urge to take care of the world that gives me all these great opportunities. What crushed me the most though, is when my photography peers are doing just the opposite. They travel to places of nature's beauty and don't care about the environment what so ever. Not kidding, why are you going to a place to take photos because you think its amazing and then you destroy it and leave garbage?! Just to get that one shot, that will change your career and makes you Instagram famous?
The two photos you see above were taken very recently on my Iceland trip. Quite frankly I understand that, even though they are very good for their economy, a lot of Iceland's residents are getting annoyed with the tourists and their actions.
On the left you can see Svartifoss. A incredible waterfall. A perfect representation of nature's beauty. Imagine how pretty it would be if there was not all the grass and moss and flowers stamped down by "photographers" like the one in the frame bluntly ignoring signs and fences just to get that perfect shot. After I gave him a signal to get out of there, two other travelers were about to climb the fence. I asked them if it was necessary for them to go there, destroy nature some more and also everyone's photo-opportunity. He tried to reason with me giving the following statement: "Well, what about them?", pointing at the guy and his girlfriend I just told to get out.
That is hands down the funniest and saddest reason at the same time. How about thinking for yourself. Try it, its amazing. Like you going to jump of a building because someone else did and made a great selfie just the moment before dying?! Yeah, didn't think so.
There is not a lot to say about the second photo. It was one of the locations I was most looking forward to, yet had the biggest disappointment being there. It's Kirkjufell, a what I believed to be a photographers dream - And also the reason why this post exists. Photography tours are great. I really believe in learning from each other and every ones creativity and just the benefit of having a guide knowing when to be where for the best light and photos. But bringing 30 photographers in a huge ass coach and then have twenty of them standing where they not belong, because its dangerous and also bad for nature?! And the Guide even takes a picture of it. Makes me renounce my faith in humanity (funny cat-videos or not). Planning on shooting there for hours we left after 10 minutes because I couldn't cope with it.
To my fellow photographers: Please try to be the better person. It's not worth it having someone hurt or dead, whether its your subject or nature, for a photo. Always think about you not being the only one. People there will see you doing it and do it too. People on Instagram will see it and do it too. You are there because it's beautiful. Just because you have the shot doesn't mean other people don't want to enjoy the same beauty. And if you are already doing better yourself please help other people understand. We have to start with ourselfs but can only make a change if we are working together. As Photographers we have the bigger responsibility because our photos make people visit places.
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