As I write this Storm Corrie and it’s almost 60mph winds batter my house. Apart from a short trip out it’s another day indoors for me editing some photographs and catching up on some other work. I can’t help but think of the damage this storm will cause to people, property and of course the landscape. I’ve already seen more trees destroyed and of course storms Arwen and Malik took their toll too. The change to areas we live in, visit and perhaps photograph will be lasting. Storms aside, as a landscape photographer never do a few days pass without me pausing to think about the potential damage my outdoor photography could cause.

I’m very aware of the potential damage my own feet could cause to the landscape - what is under and around them. I always take great care but even in doing so if I visit the same place a few times within a short period I can have an effect on that specific area. In recent months I’ve visited some reasonably well known areas that I have been to before. Though not long had passed since my last visits I noticed the new damage done to narrow access roads which are simply not capable of supporting the high volumes of traffic they have seen. I saw cars and larger vehicles parked (or perhaps abandoned?) at the side of narrow roads as people ran out to take photographs. Roads, verges and vegetation all suffer. It’s not only roads that suffer, very similar damage happens to footpaths and the landscape itself. Even if I and others take care sometimes the sheer amount of footfall is enough. Of course when we wander off path new paths begin to form and others follow. It is becoming increasingly more common for me to read and see in the news, and witness for myself, the damage done to some areas due to them being unable to cope with large visitor numbers. Unfortunately I’ve also seen areas being damaged deliberately to make them more photogenic, and of course litter and waste is often an issue too.

While I have every confidence that the vast majority of us take great care and appreciate and respect the areas we visit, it’s a fact that a large number of visitors is enough to have an impact. Wildlife and people who live in the areas we visit are all impacted. But how does this relate to outdoor photography? As a photographer and someone who loves the outdoors an issue that I often find myself struggling with is because of the popularity of the internet, social media, and the sharing of photographs and video. Should a photograph or landscape/wildlife photography video which identifies the location of the content become very popular, it has the potential to make hundreds of thousands of people, if not more, want to visit that location. It’s impossible for me to put exact numbers to this in terms of how many people will actually visit that location, but the audience of photographs and videos does in some cases reach millions of views. I know beyond any doubt it has increased the visitor number to many many areas exponentially.

I’m not an expert on this matter, I’m just someone who cares about these issues. I care about the landscape, wildlife and the people who live in these areas and I feel that these three things don’t always want or benefit from the popularity the internet, photography and video can bring. For me these three things need to be prioritised over photography and business. I’ll continue to quietly do my best to minimise the effects of my own photography. If anyone were to ask me what can we do about this, my simplest answer is: “Think before you share”. Before you post your next photo or video online pause and think what could be the potential effect of sharing the location information? Thank you for taking the time to read this! Even if it makes a difference to only one person that is a positive result. If you are interested in this topic and want to hear more I have a video on my YouTube channel here.

#naturefirst