Pardon me, after my last nature walk along a public trail, I have a little rant!
As photographers we might tend to look, shoot and keep moving. It is very common for many people to do so. However, sometimes we need to step back and look at nature's situation. We need to think about what is happening. What we see in front of us. Be proactive.
The plastic garbage bag on the ground or in the tree. Can you grab it and throw it away? If you can then please take the effort. A simple plastic bag to us can be deadly to a tiny animal.
Maybe you're walking through the trail and see a tree that carved with names and shapes. That can be a great photograph! But don't carve in it yourself. I don't care if I sound like a "tree hugger". I am one! Some things we just shouldn't do.
There are many ways to phrase our relationship with nature:
- "Treat nature with respect"
- "Treat nature how you want nature to treat you"
- "Only YOU can prevent forest fires"
- "Dude, pick up that trash!"
You get the idea. The world is a beautiful place, from the colorful leaves to the grungy rocks. There are many awesome things to photograph in nature, and we should try to keep it that way. If you're walking a trail, stay on the path. There is no need to make a new one. Please do not litter. Find a garbage can! Keep the path in good shape for the next person down the line.
If you see a cool mushroom to photograph try not to pick it just for the shot. Keep nature growing.
Try to be good to nature even when you are not on the trail. Back in August I purchased a Toyota Prius. I am now doing what I can do keep that sky blue! As a photographer who travels by car to many of the places I photograph the Prius was the ultimate choice. Yep, I'm a tree hugger!
Pay it forward to nature, and nature will reward you with amazing images.
Thanks for reading and happy shooting!
End of rant.
Scott
Scott Wyden's website is at scottwyden.com
Comments
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Tags: Earth, Karma, Nature, Opinion, Photographer, photography, Rant
Great article Scott! I’m a firm believer in “Leave no trace.” When we hike in groups, we stay in single file to avoid harming the very limited vegetation of our high desert terrain.
I was really sad in Maui last year when we came upon an old tree, not sure what type but had lots of different color streaks in it. Someone had carved their names in it.
And back home in NM I climbed one of our highest peaks in my little town only to find that someone had taken the time to deface the rock by carving a marijuana leaf and the date. Someday I’m going to climb back up there and try to rub the stone down to get rid of it.
Thanks again for the reminder. Good Karma to you!
Thanks for sharing your story Kitty!
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