I am so glad you are addressing this. I was invited to explore caves with spelunkers that knew the secret locations, but first I had to prove I was a responsible human being. By earning it I was even more respectful of the caves and learned the importance of the secret. Sadly I have seen too many places trashed by weekend warriors in the past ten years. This may be a genie out of its bottle that we never get to re-cork. For me lately it’s been gun owners/hunters that complain they are not respected, and yet I see shot up tv sets left on National Forest land, shooting sites littered with shell casings, bullets occasionally wizzing past hikers, and shooters walking onto trails like they own the land. Hard to defend the 2nd amendment when some act irresponsible. And that’s what I would have to say here; we should not condone the influencers geotagging, but we should also condemn and report illegal behavior. Consequences will make people rethink their actions. And yes I have brought glass bottles into a park when I was young. I was stupid and now I am not.
Yep I’m sure we’ve all made mistakes. Trying to educate others, reporting illegal activity and not sharing some of these locations all will help, but I think you’re right. The genie is out of the bottle and too many people don’t care.
Fantastic message, you are sooo right!! Especially hate these rock stacking bullshit everyone is doing even in very sensitive areas where small animals need these rocks and stone slabs as shelter or hiding spots ☹
I couldn’t agree more! I hiked to a waterfall last spring, only to find trash everywhere and graffiti spray painted on the cliffs. I literally just turned around and went home !! It was pepressing..
Agree with you. There are more and more trail heads being closed. Recently we went to a trail head in California that was absolutely disgusting-human feces smell and trash all over. It can’t be all about “me” when it comes to protecting the environment.
Thanks a ton for making this video. I share less photographs on my Instagram & many a times I don’t tag the location precisely. I’ll just tag the closest city.
Great message Mike! I wish more photographers would do the same. Maybe even include a small snippet of a vlog of them picking up trash, or influencing for good. But this is awesome! Always remember, Nature First! 😁
Great video Mike. I live in the North East of England not far from a place called Sycamore Gap. It was an area near Hadrian’s Wall with a beautiful sycamore tree sat in a valley that became even more famous after appearing in the movie ’Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves’’. Two idiots decided to fell the tree last September. Very sad.
I'm so glad I did not attempt this trend at all. You brought up a lot of great points in this video. It's always saddening to see such a beautiful place and then see trash on the ground or some kind of vandalism. People need to really respect the places they visit. Also, as someone who uses Instagram and TikTok, I don't understand or care for a lot of the trends to begin with. Sure, they might help bring in the views or help out the algorithm, but I feel that the only time one should partake in a trend (if one chooses to do so) is if it truly fits who you really are and is also ethical. This trend is definitely not ethical in my opinion. Great video!
So true, Mike. And now that I think about it: I have rarely seen any hot spot locations in your or Chris' images or videos. That's why I enjoy your content so much because it shows more of what you can come up with on a creative level. Keep it going!
Spot on.... I experience that down along the coast in So Cal. Taggers, litterers, lazy, disrespectful humanity. I would think most influencers could care less about the environment and if they did, it's probably just a ploy to gain more sympathetic followers. Keep up the good work..... Bravo!
A great topic Mike, and well presented. Another area I feel worthy of discussion is “what and how” some of these folks portray themselves and the activities they are involved in. This list is pretty long but some highlights include driving ATV’s or other vehicles through streams (potentially destroying fish habitat and spawning grounds) Drinking while operating a boat or vehicle, not wearing proper safety gear like helmets or PFD’s, I realize I might be coming off as a bit of a killjoy, but as you rightly point out YT and IG influencers are just that, influencers. Here is hoping as followers and viewers of these misguided individuals we can influence their behaviour.
Thanks Michael! Yeah I saw a video of a guy showing off his rooftop tent and was literally parked in a stream. That’s where is “camp” was set up. Just terrible.
I absolutely agree and wish people had more respect. Bad thing is I live in a very small town in Alabama and I still see graffiti and trash left everywhere at our local trails and parks. Great message and keep up the great work.
Great message, Mike! I always say, I like Persons. But People? For the most part they suck and will continually disappoint. While parks and public spaces are designed for the people, we still have to respect them. My parents' generation would ask, Would you treat your home this way? Sadly, I think many do... I'm still pissed that my wife and I skipped the hike with petraglyphs at Big Bend a couple of years ago because some vandals ruined them shortly after.
Mike you are 100% right on and yes we all need to do some gate keeping! But do not stop their what about the dam tour bus with around 100 people who do not care about a place they will never come back to.
Yeah those tour buses have always been a problem. I wish they weren’t just concerned with how many people they can fit in the bus, but had people who did a better job of watching over their clients and teaching a bit more about how to visit responsibly. Which goes against their business model.
This right here is the most important video you have ever posted. I so appreciate your passion on this topic. One of my goals as a photographer, is to photograph places not on social media. I don't disclose locations. The world doesn't need any more photos of Mesa Arch or the Moulton Barn. Do some original work for crying out loud. Thanks for speaking up. Now I am off to buy one of those cool t-shirts. 🤠
I completely agree with you understand your "rant". We as photographers publishing pictures are part of the problem hence we need to act. In your video you name a few measures (e.g. not publishing locations and cleaning up waste). You may want to take one more step and join "Nature First Alliance" ? Note: some photographers have decided to "sell spots" for money here in Europe which lead to heated discussions and turmoil in local photographers community.
Thanks Moritz! And yes I think joining organizations like NFA is a great way to help out. And yeah selling spots is not a good practice either. It’s seems more and more people on social media on care about exploiting for personal gain.
Totally agree here. Our wild lands are already overrun enough as it is. We don't need to make it more so by broadcasting our locations down the square inch. Same goes for a tram to the bottom of the Grand Canyon!!! NO!!! Oh, and you need to add 2nd breakfasts your shirt!! 🤣
Ironically in 2021 Glacier National Park was promoting GEO tagging on the parks FB and Instagram page all while having to institute day passes due to the volume of people. Just a bit tone deaf. Single tracks are now 20 wide. There is no untouched ground with trampled flora and garbage everywhere. The impact is broad. I was taken back while in Death Valley by the volume of day use visitors from Vegas who were looking for where the Selfie was taken.
Thanks for this important message. I appreciated the tips you gave me last year for shooting locations when I visited Arizona. OTOH I also use Google maps, even Google Earth to check out potential locations when I visit new areas, because I pride myself on not just copying what everyone else is doing.
Great video! Not everyone deserves to enjoy these places. Everywhere I go I find trash and vandalism. Truly sad to see. Nature First: Use discretion if sharing locations. I understand this more and more all the time. Video shared!
Thanks Jason! I appreciate that. It’s a message I hope resonates with more people. Unfortunately I’m concerned that there’s no squeezing the toothpaste back into the tube. But there’s always hope!
I've always cringed at the trend of "I'm a photographer and I took this photo...", but this is next-level terrible. I spend a lot of my spare time driving hundreds of kilometres through the Canadian prairies looking for old and abandoned houses and farm steads to shoot. I go through proper means of obtaining numbers of land owners to contact in order to obtain permission to shoot on private property. Sometimes I don't even find anything and other times I find absolute gems. It's an adventure for me and my photography has benefited greatly from this. Driving to these places, stumbling upon something unique or fascinating adds to the experience of taking the photo. The photo you get is your reward for your work that you have put in. With that said, giving precise map coordinates to relatively unknown places is just plain and simple foolish. I choose not to share locations of my photos to many others not because I don't want them all to go to these places or enjoy them, but I know there will always be the handful of idiots that will ruin it for everyone.
I'd start by dropping the "influencer" bit, more like "influenza" for my money. It's like that elite tag when in fact those so called are just elitist.
Yeah your content is starting to get a little weak man .. this is more of a rant video .. I agree with you just don’t think it’s informative towards photography…. simply ranting. Come on man.
@@PereaPhotography wow, lmao.. No one is forcing me to watch, but now I wanna watch your channel, watch this midlife crisis you’re experiencing lol, ranting over silly shit and getting butthurt about a little feedback lmao. 😂 🍿 😎.
I hate the word “influencer” and the people who think they are just that. Good video Mike!
I am so glad you are addressing this. I was invited to explore caves with spelunkers that knew the secret locations, but first I had to prove I was a responsible human being. By earning it I was even more respectful of the caves and learned the importance of the secret. Sadly I have seen too many places trashed by weekend warriors in the past ten years. This may be a genie out of its bottle that we never get to re-cork.
For me lately it’s been gun owners/hunters that complain they are not respected, and yet I see shot up tv sets left on National Forest land, shooting sites littered with shell casings, bullets occasionally wizzing past hikers, and shooters walking onto trails like they own the land. Hard to defend the 2nd amendment when some act irresponsible.
And that’s what I would have to say here; we should not condone the influencers geotagging, but we should also condemn and report illegal behavior. Consequences will make people rethink their actions. And yes I have brought glass bottles into a park when I was young. I was stupid and now I am not.
Yep I’m sure we’ve all made mistakes. Trying to educate others, reporting illegal activity and not sharing some of these locations all will help, but I think you’re right. The genie is out of the bottle and too many people don’t care.
Fantastic message, you are sooo right!! Especially hate these rock stacking bullshit everyone is doing even in very sensitive areas where small animals need these rocks and stone slabs as shelter or hiding spots ☹
Yep cairns are no good!
I couldn’t agree more! I hiked to a waterfall last spring, only to find trash everywhere and graffiti spray painted on the cliffs. I literally just turned around and went home !! It was pepressing..
Agree with you. There are more and more trail heads being closed. Recently we went to a trail head in California that was absolutely disgusting-human feces smell and trash all over. It can’t be all about “me” when it comes to protecting the environment.
Thanks a ton for making this video. I share less photographs on my Instagram & many a times I don’t tag the location precisely. I’ll just tag the closest city.
Great message Mike! I wish more photographers would do the same. Maybe even include a small snippet of a vlog of them picking up trash, or influencing for good. But this is awesome! Always remember, Nature First! 😁
Thank you Barbara! I agree completely!
Well said Mike and overdue ,utter respect to you and all who take note
Great video Mike. I live in the North East of England not far from a place called Sycamore Gap. It was an area near Hadrian’s Wall with a beautiful sycamore tree sat in a valley that became even more famous after appearing in the movie ’Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves’’. Two idiots decided to fell the tree last September. Very sad.
That was exactly the right answer to this question! Good message!
I'm so glad I did not attempt this trend at all. You brought up a lot of great points in this video. It's always saddening to see such a beautiful place and then see trash on the ground or some kind of vandalism. People need to really respect the places they visit. Also, as someone who uses Instagram and TikTok, I don't understand or care for a lot of the trends to begin with. Sure, they might help bring in the views or help out the algorithm, but I feel that the only time one should partake in a trend (if one chooses to do so) is if it truly fits who you really are and is also ethical. This trend is definitely not ethical in my opinion. Great video!
Thanks Scott! I agree with how you put it. Thanks!
So true, Mike. And now that I think about it: I have rarely seen any hot spot locations in your or Chris' images or videos. That's why I enjoy your content so much because it shows more of what you can come up with on a creative level. Keep it going!
Thank you!
Thats why i never share accurate location
Spot on.... I experience that down along the coast in So Cal. Taggers, litterers, lazy, disrespectful humanity. I would think most influencers could care less about the environment and if they did, it's probably just a ploy to gain more sympathetic followers. Keep up the good work..... Bravo!
Thank you! Yeah I’ve seen a lot of SoCal spots being tagged on insta. It’s crazy
A great topic Mike, and well presented. Another area I feel worthy of discussion is “what and how” some of these folks portray themselves and the activities they are involved in. This list is pretty long but some highlights include driving ATV’s or other vehicles through streams (potentially destroying fish habitat and spawning grounds) Drinking while operating a boat or vehicle, not wearing proper safety gear like helmets or PFD’s, I realize I might be coming off as a bit of a killjoy, but as you rightly point out YT and IG influencers are just that, influencers. Here is hoping as followers and viewers of these misguided individuals we can influence their behaviour.
Thanks Michael! Yeah I saw a video of a guy showing off his rooftop tent and was literally parked in a stream. That’s where is “camp” was set up. Just terrible.
VERY VERY well done. THAAAAANK YOU Mike !!!
I absolutely agree and wish people had more respect. Bad thing is I live in a very small town in Alabama and I still see graffiti and trash left everywhere at our local trails and parks. Great message and keep up the great work.
Thanks Eric!
@@PereaPhotography You are welcome Mike.
Great message, Mike! I always say, I like Persons. But People? For the most part they suck and will continually disappoint. While parks and public spaces are designed for the people, we still have to respect them. My parents' generation would ask, Would you treat your home this way? Sadly, I think many do... I'm still pissed that my wife and I skipped the hike with petraglyphs at Big Bend a couple of years ago because some vandals ruined them shortly after.
Absolutely 100% correct!
Agree. Thanks for saying what must be said.
Couldn’t agree with you more Mike. Great message Thank you
Well said Mike, but it's a problem that I don't think is going away anytime soon. I can only imagine what it's like in the US.
Yeah we can put the toothpaste back in the tube. It’s a real shame.
Mike you are 100% right on and yes we all need to do some gate keeping! But do not stop their what about the dam tour bus with around 100 people who do not care about a place they will never come back to.
Yeah those tour buses have always been a problem. I wish they weren’t just concerned with how many people they can fit in the bus, but had people who did a better job of watching over their clients and teaching a bit more about how to visit responsibly. Which goes against their business model.
This right here is the most important video you have ever posted. I so appreciate your passion on this topic. One of my goals as a photographer, is to photograph places not on social media. I don't disclose locations. The world doesn't need any more photos of Mesa Arch or the Moulton Barn. Do some original work for crying out loud. Thanks for speaking up. Now I am off to buy one of those cool t-shirts. 🤠
Haha thanks Richard! And yes you put it perfectly. And thanks again for the purchase!
I completely agree with you understand your "rant". We as photographers publishing pictures are part of the problem hence we need to act. In your video you name a few measures (e.g. not publishing locations and cleaning up waste). You may want to take one more step and join "Nature First Alliance" ?
Note: some photographers have decided to "sell spots" for money here in Europe which lead to heated discussions and turmoil in local photographers community.
Thanks Moritz! And yes I think joining organizations like NFA is a great way to help out. And yeah selling spots is not a good practice either. It’s seems more and more people on social media on care about exploiting for personal gain.
Totally agree here. Our wild lands are already overrun enough as it is. We don't need to make it more so by broadcasting our locations down the square inch. Same goes for a tram to the bottom of the Grand Canyon!!! NO!!!
Oh, and you need to add 2nd breakfasts your shirt!! 🤣
Thanks Greg! And yeah I’m working on a design for some 2nd breakfast shirts!
Absolutely right agree with you 100% I never give out locations unless I trust that person so well said to you👍
Good job Mike! Loved the sheep analogy! How else could you convince people to do things like eating a spoonful of cinnamon?
Haha it’s amazing some of the things these people will do for likes/views.
Social media is the worst thing to happen to proper photography.
Social media is the worst thing to happen to society period
I couldn’t agree more!
Ironically in 2021 Glacier National Park was promoting GEO tagging on the parks FB and Instagram page all while having to institute day passes due to the volume of people. Just a bit tone deaf.
Single tracks are now 20 wide. There is no untouched ground with trampled flora and garbage everywhere. The impact is broad. I was taken back while in Death Valley by the volume of day use visitors from Vegas who were looking for where the Selfie was taken.
Yeah that’s terrible that they would promote that. National parks have really gotten out of hand since the pandemic.
Thanks for this important message. I appreciated the tips you gave me last year for shooting locations when I visited Arizona. OTOH I also use Google maps, even Google Earth to check out potential locations when I visit new areas, because I pride myself on not just copying what everyone else is doing.
Thanks John! Yeah being responsible is so important today. Social media has been great in some ways, and absolutely terrible in others.
That goes for fishin spots also. Totally agree with what you have said here.👍👍
Oh yeah absolutely!
I thought you were going to say people posing in red or yellow coats "for scale" which is so blah but this is a good message too, Tag Resonsibly.
Haha that’s a pretty good one too 😂
Also, small item: really hate the "dream on" fast version song they keep slapping on the videos as well.
Spot on Mike couldn't agree more! Well said.
🙏🏼
Great video! Not everyone deserves to enjoy these places. Everywhere I go I find trash and vandalism. Truly sad to see.
Nature First: Use discretion if sharing locations. I understand this more and more all the time.
Video shared!
Thanks Jason! I appreciate that. It’s a message I hope resonates with more people. Unfortunately I’m concerned that there’s no squeezing the toothpaste back into the tube. But there’s always hope!
Spot on Mike!
I totally agree with you!
Thank you!
I think it's a silly trend too. Thanks for speaking your mind about it. Great message Mike.
The internet is the greatest thing that's ever happened. It's also the worst.
💯
Right on man!
Way to go Mike said with passion and caring for our our limited resources and our spaceship called Earth.
Thanks Stelios!
Some of these places haven’t been secrets for years so there’s no impact either way.
Agreed!
So true!!!!!
Well said Mike 👍😎
Thanks Dave!
Well said
I've always cringed at the trend of "I'm a photographer and I took this photo...", but this is next-level terrible.
I spend a lot of my spare time driving hundreds of kilometres through the Canadian prairies looking for old and abandoned houses and farm steads to shoot. I go through proper means of obtaining numbers of land owners to contact in order to obtain permission to shoot on private property. Sometimes I don't even find anything and other times I find absolute gems. It's an adventure for me and my photography has benefited greatly from this. Driving to these places, stumbling upon something unique or fascinating adds to the experience of taking the photo. The photo you get is your reward for your work that you have put in.
With that said, giving precise map coordinates to relatively unknown places is just plain and simple foolish. I choose not to share locations of my photos to many others not because I don't want them all to go to these places or enjoy them, but I know there will always be the handful of idiots that will ruin it for everyone.
Agree 💯 for me half the adventure is finding new places to explore.
Very well said. I shared your video.
Agree 1 000 000%
I'd start by dropping the "influencer" bit, more like "influenza" for my money. It's like that elite tag when in fact those so called are just elitist.
This is a really good video. Please don't hate me when I post my version of the same message, I've been working on the video for 2 months.
Do it!!
#LeaveItBetter
Too bad I can only give you one like for this video! 👏
Well said Mike..it’s sad you have to make a video like this.. Hopefully it helps!
Thanks Joseph!
🎯👍💪 👊 Amen!
👊🏼
And for God sake’s take down all those signs with the arrow & camera icon saying scenic viewpoint.
Yeah your content is starting to get a little weak man .. this is more of a rant video .. I agree with you just don’t think it’s informative towards photography…. simply ranting. Come on man.
Nobody is making you watch. Lots of other channels out there. Go watch those
@@PereaPhotography wow, lmao.. No one is forcing me to watch, but now I wanna watch your channel, watch this midlife crisis you’re experiencing lol, ranting over silly shit and getting butthurt about a little feedback lmao. 😂 🍿 😎.
@@saopaulosoul8714 that’s ok too. It puts money in my pocket every time you watch so thank you!