I really love Landscape Photography. A beautiful Scenery really gets my creative Juices flowing. But there are a lot of things that I really find awful.
Like People leaving their Trash everywhere or destroying Things just to get a nice Foto. A good Landscape Photographer should never do such things. But some do. Those are the bad Ones.
Luckily, there are a lot of Places us Landscape Photographers can go without any Problems thanks to such things as Outdoor Access Rights and the general Freedom to Roam.
Still, it is really not the best Idea to go places you really should not go. Like Military Test Grounds. Or off the Path in a National Park without Permission.
Going to such Places really makes Landscape Photographers harder for everyone else. It makes us seem to be the Enemy to Forestry Officials and the like. And we do not want that to happen.
Whenever I go out exploring in the Harz, I see it pretty much everywhere I look. People, or to be more specific, the Stuff they leave behind. In other Words: Their Trash. And that always makes me Sad as well as Angry at the same Time.
Just do not be that Person. Take everything you bring into the Woods back out with you.
A good Landscape Photographer leaves nothing but Footprints, and if at all possible not even those. Nature is there for everyone to Enjoy, and the next should have every opportunity to do that just as much as you did.
Also, please do not break anything. That would be the worst offence of them all.
I know the Situation all to well. Sometimes you see a beautiful Scene and already see the Foto in Front of your Eyes. There is only one Problem: You would have to jump halfway off a Cliff to get the Shot.
Some may be able to do that. But not everyone is a Master Climber. I do not want to tell you what to do, but I kinda feel like I want to tell you what to do.
You must know your Abilities, and I do not mean your Photographic Prowess. Your physical Abilities are just as important in the Field.
And no one would have any Advantage from you getting hurt somewhere deep in the Woods. Yourself the least of all.
Whatever your Skills are as a Photographer, it is important for you to Respect Nature and follow these Simple Rules. It is easy to not leave anything behind and to stick to those Areas you are allowed to go.
With Time your Skills will grow and you will become a good Photographer. And when you follow these Rules, there are only three of them, and treat Nature respectfully, you might even get to be a great one.
And you will make Landscape Photography more enjoyable for all of us.
Robin Ho Fotos 