With you 100% about caring for the world we love to enjoy, photograph and take in as beautiful nature. I try and remember to take a rubbish bag with me and pick any rubbish I see as I go. Thankfully where I go in the Tasmanian bush, people tend to be pretty good. Which is a blessing.
Hi Denise, fantastic that you're also going to take a bag for rubbish with you. Nature will be grateful 🙂 Tasmanian bush sounds awesome. Great to hear that people care more about nature there. Enjoy your photography there. Nice greetings, Christian
I find it interesting how many people are there despite the weather, here in the US rain, cold and wind keep the crowds down. There are even complaints at some parks about the weather as if the Park Rangers have anything to do with it
Hi John, to be honest, I always waited for gaps to record my clips. In realtiy there were many more people there. We really walked like ants through a kind of "nature museum". And that outside of the tourist season 🙂 But it is how it is. I thought it would be a good idea to upload this video, just with the message to reduce geo tagging maybe a little bit in future, for not all too well-known places, just there is no need that they'll get national parks in future. Thanks a lot for watching, my friend. Enjoy your Sunday evening, Christian
It’s very sad, and annoying, that people have no issue littering. That is a huge pet peeve of mine. It’s not that hard to throw your garbage in a trash can. My husband and I pick up trash all the time when we see it. Thanks for sharing the park with us.
Hi Trish, thank you so much for your contribution with bringing the trash of others away. But it is sad that that is necessary and that some people don't care as you said. Have a nice Sunday, Christian
The same in the USA which originated national parks with Yellowstone in the late 19th century. Now in many of the national parks they have restrictions on the number of people and one has to get reservations (sometimes years in advance). Even then some of the parks are so full of people that one can't really enjoy nature anymore. However, during one of the government shutdowns in the USA and the absence of rangers at some of the parks like Joshua Tree people damaged the "trees"; shot at them; went to the bathroom all over the parks in public places, threw their trash all over the trails, streams, etc. People want the national parks but most people don't take care of them. Each year more people visit our major national parks and the problem becomes more and more serious.
Hi Erich, isn't it crazy what measures are necessary to protect nature? And so sad to hear that people damaged trees. This is why I think we should give unknown, beautiful places are chance, not to get a national park. I don't think that most people don't care, I think it is just a minor percentage that leaves rubbish out in nature, etc. But a minor percentage can quickly get a major number when there come millions of people every year. Thanks a lot for your contribution, my dear friend. Enjoy your Sunday evening, Christian
Great video Christian and sorry to hear your experience in that particular national park. It’s happening all over the world my friend unfortunately. Even the nature reserve near my house was once pristine and untouched. Now I see graffiti, trash, vandalism there. Population overgrowth and the fact certain people no longer care about their actions are the issue. The scary thing is, it is only going to get worse. I need to buy my own island here 😂. Thanks for sharing the video my friend 👍🙏
You hit the nail on the head about people not caring about their actions. These days I usually spend my time around the park outskirts or public lands where the hikes are harder and more remote. Even then, still found a massive amount of rock graffiti where people felt the need to scrawl their names all over the place the last time I was out. It takes almost no effort to leave places as you found it, and while a majority of people are respectful, it only takes a few to ruin for everyone else. I enjoy your videos too btw ; )
Hi Adrian, yes, it's definitely happening all over the world. Over the past 20 years I saw several national parks being established as ones, where I just thought by myself: hadn't it been better if that piece of nature wouldn't have the need to "get protected"? It is as you said: many people don't care. I think it is just a minor percentage, but when you have masses, minor percentage will get major numbers of people. That's a bit sad, especially because that is the reason why nature gets more and more restricted, also to people who care. Buying an own island sounds great. But I guess that's probably also a tiny bit above your budget? 😆 Thanks for watching, buddy. Nice greetings from the north, Christian
Nice vid Christian. Sad to see this amusement park style of NP though. We are not there yet in Scandinavia thank God. Hope that day will never come. Keep up the good work :)
Hi @nosensenononsense3564, it is not for all national parks in middle of Europe, just some are extremely frequented visited. Good to hear that the situation is different in Skandinavia. And I'm sure you have also lots of not so well-known places around you where you can take fantastic photographs. Let's protect them by reducing geo tagging a bit, if possible 🙂 Thanks a lot for watching, my friend. Enjoy your Sunday evening, Christian
Hi Laurel, thanks a lot my friend :) I like the base concept of the image, I'm just not 100% happy with the composition, as I didn't have as many possibilties to finetune it as I would have wished. But it is definitely an okay shot. On the other hand, it is even an important photograph for myself - personally, as it remembers me to that situation I had out at the park. Oh yes, it is so enjoyable to have these "quieter places" as you said. To photograph there is something totally different. Spoiler alert: I think, my next video will be quite the opposite of photographing in that park you saw in this video :) Thanks a lot for watching and nice greetings, Christian
Great video Christian. I totally agree. It is hard. I hate the crowds but find less people on harder hikes & in the winter. Also if we see trash around we pick it up. Some of our parks in the rockies now are changing how you can get to them like you cannot drive in anymore so buses are provided or walk or bike uphill the 14 or 15 km to get there before even starting a hike.
Hi Connie, that's fantatic that you put trash of others away. A big thanks therefore! It is just sad that it is necessary, isn't it? I think it is all over the world already that especially the bigger and high frequented parks can't be entered by car anymore, you have to take a shuttle bus to get in. Fortunately, there are still enough beautiful places that are not overcrowded. This is why I thought it would be a good idea to upload this video. Maybe it helps to reduce geo tagging a little bit, at least when it is not necessary for the post. Thanks a lot for watching :) Nice greetings, Christian
I had a similar experience when shooting my most recent video in a moderately-sized nature preserve. At least all the other people were respectful of each other and of the site. But I had a number of over-the-shoulder gawkers during the shoot. I shot in the Grand Canyon once in 2018. I arrived at the South Rim before dawn (5:15 AM). The park was empty and I got some sunrise images I'm happy with. By only 9:00 AM, the place was crawling with tourists and I had to get out of there.
Hi John, I have to say, the people in the park were also respectful, but anyway: everyone just was able to walk behind any other person like on an ant trail 😆 That's good when it is possible to arrive that early. That park you saw in the video openes much later and there wait already masses just to buy a ticket. This is not the way I get great photos, to be honest. But again, the park itself is phenomenal and I understand why they had to make a national park out of it. Thanks a lot for watching, buddy! Enjoy your Sunday evening, Christian
Living in China for the past 4 years, I had the same feeling as you. I visited some fantastic national parks and even less known places. However, mass tourism is a very destructive industry and, unfortunately, if we still want to have things to see for our children, protection needs to be made...meaning: demarcated paths, garbage cans, demarcated paths, and so on... Despite the frustration, it is the only way to go as our population grows. As an example of the impact we can have, I visited the Britanny coast a few months ago, and they blocked all access to the "grass" because almost all of it was destroyed just because of how many people there were walking on it....and with it a lot of animals. I know we are in a landscape photography channel, so people might be conscious of it. However, I would add that when in nature, we have to avoid walking in a place without a trace of a path.
Hi Dunoria, I'm also totally sure that most landscape photographers absolutely care about nature. We appreciate nature, so it would be totally weird if we would not care about it. I just think, we should consider that geo tagging our images will bring lots of other people to those places. People who don't care all too much about nature, as we can see in so many cases where people destroy everything and when it is just their rubbish they don't take home again. A thing I will never understand, by the way. But let's make the best out of it. Thanks a lot for your insights, which really add to the video. Nice greetings, Christian
Ja, diese schönen Landschaftsparks werden leider ziemlich überrannt. Wir haben uns seinerzeit beim Besuch der Plitvitcer Seen für die längst mögliche (Wander)Runde entschieden und waren nach einer halben Stunde wandern nahezu allein, da die meisten Besucher überwiegend gehfaul sind und in den unteren Bereichen bleiben. Als wir dann nach etlichen Stunden wieder unten angekommen waren, waren die Massen schon wieder weg. Insofern hab ich den Park sehr schön und nahezu einsam in Erinnerung 😅. Aber das ist nun 9 Jahre her und der run auf den Park mag sich in der Zwischenzeit durchaus verschlimmert haben 🤔. Ein tolles und nachdenklich stimmendes Video, Christian, danke für‘s Teilen! Schönes Wochenende und liebe Grüße ins Salzkammergut! 😊
Hi Chris, ja ich bin nach der Wasserfallrunde auch die große Runde gegangen 🙂 Da ist man stellenweise dann tatsächlich fast alleine, aber dafür gibt's da halt nicht die Wasserfälle zum Fotografieren, wegen denen man möglicherweise hingefahren ist 😆 Oder nur aus sehr, sehr weiter Entfernung. Der Park selbst ist tatsächlich unglaublich schön. Freut mich, dass du einen schönen Tag dort hattest. Einen schönen Sonntag Abend wünsche ich, Christian
It takes time to learn a new aria and often have to return a few times. One problem with water in the mountains is the mist in the air that gives soft pictures. I have had problem with that above the Arctic Circle and slide films. You can put on a red filter and BW film to remove this problem. I have not tested using a digital camera yet. Not much mountains and waterfalls where I live. I mostly being below the Arctic Circle with digital cameras but that will change. Just order a D850 and the only lens left is a 2nd hand AFS 400mmF2.8 E FL VR.. There are spaces left where I live outside the National Parks. My problem is to have time to traveling to those places. I'm working too much so I don't have time to visit the local woods. I have a park 1.5 hour away that I waist often but mostly in the autumn and winter.. I have a photo project on woodland that I work at there.
Hi Thomas, yes, there is often haze that eats the contrasts. If you have problems here, try it with a circular polarizer. And yes, that's a point. Most big national parks are not around the corner 🙂 Thank you for your insights, my friends. Enjoy your Sunday evening, Christian
I think you are right that becoming a national park doesn't necessarily mean that the nature reserve benefits from it. This is acactly why I enjoy those unknown places much more. Also I'm not afraid of ai. I realy believe that it will pass in a while. People practice photography because they enjoy it and ai doesn't make that different. I was on a photo fair this weekend and there were so many photography enthousiast that I'm sure they will not give up because someone is posting ai images. Great video. Grt guido
Hi Guido, for me it is also enjoyable to work on unique images at well-known places, from time to time. But yes, finding my own spots and trying to photograph the soul of a place is what I really, really love. I also don't think that AI will lead to the end of photography. I think, some things are even quite cool, when I just think about noise reduction, upscaling, etc. I'm looking positively forward to that. And even if a robot should think it would take better images than me, I'm sure it will at least not have as much fun with it than I have, haha :) Thanks a lot for watching, my friend! Nice greetings, Christian
Hi Rok, yes that's definitely the case. Too many people go there. Walking there feels indeed like walking through a museum. But anyway, again, the landscape is absolutely spectactular and breathtaking. Enjoy your Sunday evening, Christian
Hi Marcus, that's great. I got already used to write the general term "Planet Earth" for the photo locations on Instagram :) I think, when a photograph got taken on a well-known place that anyway everyone knows, it would not have a big effect when we hide the name. But I'm convinced that it can help for the not all too well-known places out there. By the way, it was low season (September) when I was to that national park you saw in the video and that even with a bit of rain. I was quite surprised that there were anyway that many people there. I always waited for gaps in the walking people for my video clips, there were many more in reality and I don't want to know how many are there in high season. Thanks a lot for watching, my friend! Nice greetings, Christian
@@christian.irmler When I were in Norway climing the mountain Segla it was cloudy and then the sun started shining and in one hour the mountain was crowded.
Another you tube channel did a vid on the crowds at popular NP photo locations. showed 50 people all crowded together looking to get that popular sunrise threw the arch photo. All of them there at least an hour before sun-up. Here in the USA popular NP's, you need to make reservations now & some like the slot canyons out in the SW, you actually have a time slot in your reservation & probably need to take a photo tour to get in any time soon. I shoot a lot of wading birds & set-up in a location waiting for them to trust me enough, (& hungry enough) to come close for great photo & more times than not, someone will come prancing in a lot of times with dogs scaring the waders away. Like you said, it is their park too! I see massive amounts of garbage at a NP near my home. Hate it. Some is carelessness & some is from people who just don't give a rat's A#S, & some from being only several miles outside of New York City. = Wind & tides, etc. In my opinion, we humans could put more effort into keeping the trash where it belongs. Don't give those secret spot locations away. You know, the one's you have to hike overnight to. Happy shooting.
Hi Thomas, thank you for your insights, my friend! It is quite crazy what measures are necessary, just because too many people overrun the parks and just because some of them don't care about nature and leave their trash back. It was a requirement to upload this video. I understand that many people like to geo tag their Instagram posts to get more views and likes. But in the end of the day we have to pay the price. So I think, it is better to reduce that at least a bit. Thanks a lot for watching. Enjoy your Sunday evening, Christian
I live in the US, and usually avoid the National Parks during 'tourist season' due to the hoards of people now visiting these beautiful landscape areas. The more well known Parks are flooded with overseas tourists, literally busload after busload all day long. As you said, all people have the right to visit these beautiful areas, its just there are so many people visiting now. One solution would be to limit the number of people entering the Parks each day, at least during the busy tourist seasons. But, unfortunately, I just don't see the problem you pointed out in the video going away. At least I have memories from four, five, and six decades ago when the Parks had far fewer visitors, where one could enjoy the scenery in relative peace.
Remembering for a moment that we live in a Capitalistic society, local gateway communities would fight long and hard against very much "limiting" of visitors. These parks are cash cows to these communities. Also, if limiting visitation is the answer, who is to say that we would be the ones "enjoying" the beauty. Likely, a lottery system would be put in place, and there is no guarantee that any of us would be chosen. I have entered many nature photography lotteries down through the years. Yet to be chosen. Finally, there isn't a single National Park, no matter how busy, and no matter the season, that you cannot find special, beautiful, and rarely photographed landscapes by yourself. You merely have to get away from the roads, and get away from the famous overlooks. The adage that 90% of visitors visit 10% of any given park is very much true.
Hi @ldprice4192, that's the same I thought, to visit the park outside of season. I was there in September after summer holidays. During summer are many more people there. And as I tried to record my clips always when there were gaps, in reality there were even more people there 🙂 What I have heard is that some national parks in US limit the number of visitors already. I understand that when it gets necessary. But I can't photograph when I'm not intimate to nature. At least, I rarely get really strong photos then. Over the past ~20 years, I observed a couple of national parks who got established as such. They did that because of too many visitors, just to protect nature from more humans. I believe that there exist also national parks which was founded for other reasons. But I'm conviced that we should reduce geo tagging on social media, when it is not totally necessary, to avoid getting some more national parks out of beautiful hidden places. Thanks a lot for watching, my friend. Enjoy your Sunday evening, Christian
Hi @alansach8437, I see it like you: for the really strong photos, where we can deeply feel into, where we can think about a story, a message the image should convey, where we spend an hour just to frame it up, to get a masterpiece, therefore we simply have to walk away from the masses. That always helps me 🙂 Thanks a lot for watching. Nice greetings, Christian
@@alansach8437 I understand your point. However, during the busier tourist seasons, it really isn't a matter of getting away from the masses, for that is fairly easy to do if you hike out from the hot spots 1/4 mile or more. To me, the real issue is parking, for during the busier times of the year, parking during the day to late afternoon and sunset/blue hour is nearly impossible in the more popular Parks. I find that during the busy times of the year, sunrise photography is the easiest to accomplish in the popular Parks, for most people are either still asleep, or having their free breakfasts.
Hi Karl, thank you for your comment! I have to say, the video was really not meant as critique against National Parks like that one you have seen. I think I said that even in the video. We need national parks like that. On the one hand to protect that piece of nature that got already "too well-known", but on the other hand also to offer the people possibilities to go out into nature. That's important especially for those who don't have pure nature around them like it is for many of us landscape photographers. I have just to go out of my house, after 2 minutes of walking I'm in a forest. I was just shocked that this is how the future of landscape photography could look in some years, when we don't protect some hidden places. Walking through a kind of "nature museum", in a kind of ant trail of crowds. And that just to day times when the sun is high up. That was more the point of the video, to reduce geo tagging a bit, when it is possible. To protect nature. I thank you so much for watching, my friend. Nice greetings, Christian
@@christian.irmler I kind of agree - that's why I said "sacrificial lamb", these areas are needed and must be carefully managed and amended to bear the pressure by the number of people wanting to see and experience nature.
Unfortunately you have experienced a world where the individual's "rights" to be "seen" and "experience" a location trump everything else. Here I am, here and here and here. I don't see it getting any better, too many people and most destinations becoming more accessible. These days even remote locations where you had to hike for a couple of days are being serviced by helicopter. Not everyone but an increasing number of people have no respect for anything, let alone nature. Perhaps my perspective is influenced because I am old however the "look at me" culture of social media has been a detriment to our planet and enjoyment of same. I remember standing in front of the Mona Lisa at Le Louvre in 1975 and not another person in sight.
Hi Mark, yes unfortunately that's the case. Too many people don't care and many places are reachable for everyone. Either there goes a cable car up to a mountain or a helicopter. But there are anyway still lots of hidden places out there or such which are not all too well-known. This is why I uploaded this video. To protect those places by reducing geo tagging on social media. Thanks a lot for your thoughts, my friend. Enjoy your Sunday evening, Christian
Just too many people on the planet. Another influence on photography is AI when the surreal images will replace the actual scenes and people will become disenchanted with the experience after seeing impossible compositions.
Hi @itakephotos1141, this could even have a positive effect, when people stay at home because reality is too boring for them. I mean, also their trash would stay at home then and photographers have more space to put their tripods and connect to nature again :) But yes, for someone living on the countryside like me: when you visit a bigger, high frequented park, you realize how many people there are on our planet, actually. That's crazy. Thanks a lot for watching, my friend. Nice greetings, Christian
I would recommend if you're serious about landscape photography to use proper technique, and this means a tripod. Most NPs let you use a tripod without a problem (as long as you're not running it into the ground, like poking holes into the ground). I hate to say this because thats the first things I saw and then listed to the rest of the video and was a bit surprised... but anyway, the crowds I don't think were a problem, partially because of where you were (at laest IMO, they didn't seem to be much of a problem -- now if you go to some place like Mesa Arch in the US"s Canyonlands National Park, you have to get there at leaest 2 hours before sunrise just to claim a spot as there is really only room for about 10 photographers for a prime view/shot. I was also in Canada and to shoot Moraine Lake at sunrise, you had to get there at midnight, sleep in your car, and hope you got a good spot in the morning. So this, honestly, looks like a piece of cake IMO, but I get your point that crowds can be a problem, but again, use proper technique for the best results. I would never try to shoot at 1/10 or less handheld, and would always use a tripod even if I'm at faster shutter speeds, just to rule out any shake and get the sharpest possible shot. Of course if you CAN'T use a tripod because it's not allowed, that s differnet, but I don't think that was the case here and that was the one thing that stuck out to me... If you were shooting at say 1/40s or faster, OK maybe you'd be fine, but if you're trying to get blur in the water falls you really need to be on a tripod. I would say under 1/20s and you really shoulid be on a tripod otherwise upon close inspection (and in print) your image may be slightly soft. AS for your last part about geotagging, I think some people like to keep some spots a bit of a secret especailly if they are lesser traveled or off the so-called beaten path. Plus, I've had a few instances where I've gotten permission to be on private property in some examples, or got clearance by some authority to shoot in a particular location, and in some cases, they ask me not to disclose the specific location, partially because they don't want other people showing up unannounced (not so much with landscape photography, but with some other shots I've done so you do have to geotag carefully. Places like Yellowstone NP in the US is widely known so places like that would be fine, but I was given a tour once of an abandoned theater but asked not to disclose the location or tag the photo.
That came of as a bit arrogant! Ever tried using a tripod on a springy board walk with lots of people moving around? Also a tripod take up a lot of space. Noobs use tripods alwas, experienced photographers adapt to the situation.
The problem is, everyone wants to photograph the same scene that has been photographed a million times before. There is nothing creative about standing shoulder to shoulder with a hundred other photographers photographing something that has been photographed a million times! You are being a sheep, getting in line. When everyone is shooting Oxbow Bend turn around, look in the other direction, walk over that hill and find your own iconic scene away from the crowd. In other words, be creative! Be original.
Hi @HR-wd6cw, you have no idea how surprised I was 😆 There was a wooden path and with every step it jumped. A tripod had got too much of vibration so that it had got impossible to get a sharp photo. That wooden path was also quite small, the tripod had used the entire width of it. It would have blocked all the people. There were some gaps of people though, this was when I recorded my clips. But actually, there were continously people coming through. I hated tripods in my youth ages. But I have to say, this is already around 30 years ago. They were heavy, bulky and unhandy to use back then. Today I love using them and I use one whenever it is possible. Not only to get a sharp photo, it is more to slow down, to fine tune my compositions. In this particular situation, it was possible to get a sharp photo with smooth water also when photographing handheld. From the technical side it is not a big problem to hand held 1/10th of a second with something like 24mm and IBIS on (even longer is possible!). I made already a video about this topic. Just if you are interested: th-cam.com/video/JkURCLiomdg/w-d-xo.html The tricky thing here in this national park was just the swinging path 🙂 I thank you for watching, my friend. Enjoy your Sunday evening, Christian
Hi Alan, yes and no. You are right, actually, but it is anyway possible to get unique photographs at well-known photo spots, also when there are 50 photographers beside you. I made already a video about that. Just if you are interested: th-cam.com/video/Wa5efNBCZvI/w-d-xo.html Thanks a lot for watching. Enjoy your Sunday, Christian
Hi Chad, there are different types of national parks. Some very high frequented visited where you have to buy tickets, but also some where you don't need a ticket, where just some restrictions are spoken to protect nature. I don't want to mess up with Europe's national parks, they all do a good job. But of course, a park with a dimension like Yosemite or Yellowstone is something different. But I guess there is the same problem. Thanks a lot for watching. Nice greetings, Christian
With you 100% about caring for the world we love to enjoy, photograph and take in as beautiful nature. I try and remember to take a rubbish bag with me and pick any rubbish I see as I go. Thankfully where I go in the Tasmanian bush, people tend to be pretty good. Which is a blessing.
Hi Denise, fantastic that you're also going to take a bag for rubbish with you. Nature will be grateful 🙂
Tasmanian bush sounds awesome. Great to hear that people care more about nature there. Enjoy your photography there.
Nice greetings,
Christian
I find it interesting how many people are there despite the weather, here in the US rain, cold and wind keep the crowds down. There are even complaints at some parks about the weather as if the Park Rangers have anything to do with it
Hi John, to be honest, I always waited for gaps to record my clips. In realtiy there were many more people there. We really walked like ants through a kind of "nature museum". And that outside of the tourist season 🙂
But it is how it is. I thought it would be a good idea to upload this video, just with the message to reduce geo tagging maybe a little bit in future, for not all too well-known places, just there is no need that they'll get national parks in future.
Thanks a lot for watching, my friend. Enjoy your Sunday evening,
Christian
Ein wunderbares Video vom Nationalpark, sehr schön, ja wirklich immer viele Leute.Aber er ist sehr sehenswert und uns gefällt er sehr Tolle Fotos👍😄
Vielen Dank! Ja, der Park ist sehr schön, aber eben überlaufen.
It’s very sad, and annoying, that people have no issue littering. That is a huge pet peeve of mine. It’s not that hard to throw your garbage in a trash can. My husband and I pick up trash all the time when we see it. Thanks for sharing the park with us.
Hi Trish, thank you so much for your contribution with bringing the trash of others away. But it is sad that that is necessary and that some people don't care as you said.
Have a nice Sunday,
Christian
The same in the USA which originated national parks with Yellowstone in the late 19th century. Now in many of the national parks they have restrictions on the number of people and one has to get reservations (sometimes years in advance). Even then some of the parks are so full of people that one can't really enjoy nature anymore. However, during one of the government shutdowns in the USA and the absence of rangers at some of the parks like Joshua Tree people damaged the "trees"; shot at them; went to the bathroom all over the parks in public places, threw their trash all over the trails, streams, etc. People want the national parks but most people don't take care of them. Each year more people visit our major national parks and the problem becomes more and more serious.
Hi Erich, isn't it crazy what measures are necessary to protect nature? And so sad to hear that people damaged trees. This is why I think we should give unknown, beautiful places are chance, not to get a national park.
I don't think that most people don't care, I think it is just a minor percentage that leaves rubbish out in nature, etc. But a minor percentage can quickly get a major number when there come millions of people every year.
Thanks a lot for your contribution, my dear friend. Enjoy your Sunday evening,
Christian
Great video Christian and sorry to hear your experience in that particular national park. It’s happening all over the world my friend unfortunately. Even the nature reserve near my house was once pristine and untouched. Now I see graffiti, trash, vandalism there. Population overgrowth and the fact certain people no longer care about their actions are the issue. The scary thing is, it is only going to get worse. I need to buy my own island here 😂. Thanks for sharing the video my friend 👍🙏
You hit the nail on the head about people not caring about their actions. These days I usually spend my time around the park outskirts or public lands where the hikes are harder and more remote. Even then, still found a massive amount of rock graffiti where people felt the need to scrawl their names all over the place the last time I was out. It takes almost no effort to leave places as you found it, and while a majority of people are respectful, it only takes a few to ruin for everyone else. I enjoy your videos too btw ; )
Hi Adrian, yes, it's definitely happening all over the world. Over the past 20 years I saw several national parks being established as ones, where I just thought by myself: hadn't it been better if that piece of nature wouldn't have the need to "get protected"?
It is as you said: many people don't care. I think it is just a minor percentage, but when you have masses, minor percentage will get major numbers of people. That's a bit sad, especially because that is the reason why nature gets more and more restricted, also to people who care.
Buying an own island sounds great. But I guess that's probably also a tiny bit above your budget? 😆
Thanks for watching, buddy. Nice greetings from the north,
Christian
Nice vid Christian. Sad to see this amusement park style of NP though. We are not there yet in Scandinavia thank God. Hope that day will never come. Keep up the good work :)
Hi @nosensenononsense3564, it is not for all national parks in middle of Europe, just some are extremely frequented visited. Good to hear that the situation is different in Skandinavia. And I'm sure you have also lots of not so well-known places around you where you can take fantastic photographs. Let's protect them by reducing geo tagging a bit, if possible 🙂
Thanks a lot for watching, my friend. Enjoy your Sunday evening,
Christian
Loved the black & white image. Shame these parks are so popular but as long as we have one or two quieter places we can reconnect with nature.
Hi Laurel, thanks a lot my friend :) I like the base concept of the image, I'm just not 100% happy with the composition, as I didn't have as many possibilties to finetune it as I would have wished. But it is definitely an okay shot. On the other hand, it is even an important photograph for myself - personally, as it remembers me to that situation I had out at the park.
Oh yes, it is so enjoyable to have these "quieter places" as you said. To photograph there is something totally different. Spoiler alert: I think, my next video will be quite the opposite of photographing in that park you saw in this video :)
Thanks a lot for watching and nice greetings,
Christian
Great video Christian. I totally agree. It is hard. I hate the crowds but find less people on harder hikes & in the winter. Also if we see trash around we pick it up. Some of our parks in the rockies now are changing how you can get to them like you cannot drive in anymore so buses are provided or walk or bike uphill the 14 or 15 km to get there before even starting a hike.
Hi Connie, that's fantatic that you put trash of others away. A big thanks therefore! It is just sad that it is necessary, isn't it? I think it is all over the world already that especially the bigger and high frequented parks can't be entered by car anymore, you have to take a shuttle bus to get in. Fortunately, there are still enough beautiful places that are not overcrowded. This is why I thought it would be a good idea to upload this video. Maybe it helps to reduce geo tagging a little bit, at least when it is not necessary for the post.
Thanks a lot for watching :) Nice greetings,
Christian
I had a similar experience when shooting my most recent video in a moderately-sized nature preserve. At least all the other people were respectful of each other and of the site. But I had a number of over-the-shoulder gawkers during the shoot.
I shot in the Grand Canyon once in 2018. I arrived at the South Rim before dawn (5:15 AM). The park was empty and I got some sunrise images I'm happy with. By only 9:00 AM, the place was crawling with tourists and I had to get out of there.
I went in October 2020 and had the run of the place, it was also cold and windy, which kept the crowd down I'm sure
Hi John, I have to say, the people in the park were also respectful, but anyway: everyone just was able to walk behind any other person like on an ant trail 😆
That's good when it is possible to arrive that early. That park you saw in the video openes much later and there wait already masses just to buy a ticket. This is not the way I get great photos, to be honest. But again, the park itself is phenomenal and I understand why they had to make a national park out of it.
Thanks a lot for watching, buddy!
Enjoy your Sunday evening,
Christian
Living in China for the past 4 years, I had the same feeling as you. I visited some fantastic national parks and even less known places. However, mass tourism is a very destructive industry and, unfortunately, if we still want to have things to see for our children, protection needs to be made...meaning: demarcated paths, garbage cans, demarcated paths, and so on... Despite the frustration, it is the only way to go as our population grows.
As an example of the impact we can have, I visited the Britanny coast a few months ago, and they blocked all access to the "grass" because almost all of it was destroyed just because of how many people there were walking on it....and with it a lot of animals.
I know we are in a landscape photography channel, so people might be conscious of it. However, I would add that when in nature, we have to avoid walking in a place without a trace of a path.
Hi Dunoria, I'm also totally sure that most landscape photographers absolutely care about nature. We appreciate nature, so it would be totally weird if we would not care about it. I just think, we should consider that geo tagging our images will bring lots of other people to those places. People who don't care all too much about nature, as we can see in so many cases where people destroy everything and when it is just their rubbish they don't take home again. A thing I will never understand, by the way.
But let's make the best out of it. Thanks a lot for your insights, which really add to the video. Nice greetings,
Christian
Ja, diese schönen Landschaftsparks werden leider ziemlich überrannt. Wir haben uns seinerzeit beim Besuch der Plitvitcer Seen für die längst mögliche (Wander)Runde entschieden und waren nach einer halben Stunde wandern nahezu allein, da die meisten Besucher überwiegend gehfaul sind und in den unteren Bereichen
bleiben. Als wir dann nach etlichen Stunden wieder unten angekommen waren, waren die Massen schon wieder weg. Insofern hab ich den Park sehr schön und nahezu einsam in Erinnerung 😅. Aber das ist nun 9 Jahre her und der run auf den Park mag sich in der Zwischenzeit durchaus verschlimmert haben 🤔.
Ein tolles und nachdenklich stimmendes Video, Christian, danke für‘s Teilen! Schönes Wochenende und liebe Grüße ins Salzkammergut! 😊
Hi Chris, ja ich bin nach der Wasserfallrunde auch die große Runde gegangen 🙂 Da ist man stellenweise dann tatsächlich fast alleine, aber dafür gibt's da halt nicht die Wasserfälle zum Fotografieren, wegen denen man möglicherweise hingefahren ist 😆 Oder nur aus sehr, sehr weiter Entfernung. Der Park selbst ist tatsächlich unglaublich schön. Freut mich, dass du einen schönen Tag dort hattest.
Einen schönen Sonntag Abend wünsche ich,
Christian
It takes time to learn a new aria and often have to return a few times. One problem with water in the mountains is the mist in the air that gives soft pictures. I have had problem with that above the Arctic Circle and slide films. You can put on a red filter and BW film to remove this problem. I have not tested using a digital camera yet. Not much mountains and waterfalls where I live. I mostly being below the Arctic Circle with digital cameras but that will change. Just order a D850 and the only lens left is a 2nd hand AFS 400mmF2.8 E FL VR.. There are spaces left where I live outside the National Parks. My problem is to have time to traveling to those places. I'm working too much so I don't have time to visit the local woods. I have a park 1.5 hour away that I waist often but mostly in the autumn and winter.. I have a photo project on woodland that I work at there.
Hi Thomas, yes, there is often haze that eats the contrasts. If you have problems here, try it with a circular polarizer.
And yes, that's a point. Most big national parks are not around the corner 🙂
Thank you for your insights, my friends. Enjoy your Sunday evening,
Christian
@@christian.irmler I have not tried a CP filter. I will do that the next time. Have a nice sunday evening too
I think you are right that becoming a national park doesn't necessarily mean that the nature reserve benefits from it. This is acactly why I enjoy those unknown places much more. Also I'm not afraid of ai. I realy believe that it will pass in a while. People practice photography because they enjoy it and ai doesn't make that different. I was on a photo fair this weekend and there were so many photography enthousiast that I'm sure they will not give up because someone is posting ai images. Great video. Grt guido
Hi Guido, for me it is also enjoyable to work on unique images at well-known places, from time to time. But yes, finding my own spots and trying to photograph the soul of a place is what I really, really love.
I also don't think that AI will lead to the end of photography. I think, some things are even quite cool, when I just think about noise reduction, upscaling, etc. I'm looking positively forward to that. And even if a robot should think it would take better images than me, I'm sure it will at least not have as much fun with it than I have, haha :)
Thanks a lot for watching, my friend! Nice greetings,
Christian
Lakes Plitvice is one of the most visited natural wonders in this side of Europe. It's like going to Gardaland.
Hi Rok, yes that's definitely the case. Too many people go there. Walking there feels indeed like walking through a museum. But anyway, again, the landscape is absolutely spectactular and breathtaking.
Enjoy your Sunday evening,
Christian
Sometimes I don't write were I took the picture. 0:38
You can visit the nationalparks at low seasons. Less people and better light för landscape photography.
Hi Marcus, that's great. I got already used to write the general term "Planet Earth" for the photo locations on Instagram :) I think, when a photograph got taken on a well-known place that anyway everyone knows, it would not have a big effect when we hide the name. But I'm convinced that it can help for the not all too well-known places out there.
By the way, it was low season (September) when I was to that national park you saw in the video and that even with a bit of rain. I was quite surprised that there were anyway that many people there. I always waited for gaps in the walking people for my video clips, there were many more in reality and I don't want to know how many are there in high season.
Thanks a lot for watching, my friend!
Nice greetings,
Christian
@@christian.irmler When I were in Norway climing the mountain Segla it was cloudy and then the sun started shining and in one hour the mountain was crowded.
Another you tube channel did a vid on the crowds at popular NP photo locations. showed 50 people all crowded together looking to get that popular sunrise threw the arch photo. All of them there at least an hour before sun-up. Here in the USA popular NP's, you need to make reservations now & some like the slot canyons out in the SW, you actually have a time slot in your reservation & probably need to take a photo tour to get in any time soon. I shoot a lot of wading birds & set-up in a location waiting for them to trust me enough, (& hungry enough) to come close for great photo & more times than not, someone will come prancing in a lot of times with dogs scaring the waders away. Like you said, it is their park too! I see massive amounts of garbage at a NP near my home. Hate it. Some is carelessness & some is from people who just don't give a rat's A#S, & some from being only several miles outside of New York City. = Wind & tides, etc. In my opinion, we humans could put more effort into keeping the trash where it belongs. Don't give those secret spot locations away. You know, the one's you have to hike overnight to. Happy shooting.
Hi Thomas, thank you for your insights, my friend! It is quite crazy what measures are necessary, just because too many people overrun the parks and just because some of them don't care about nature and leave their trash back.
It was a requirement to upload this video. I understand that many people like to geo tag their Instagram posts to get more views and likes. But in the end of the day we have to pay the price. So I think, it is better to reduce that at least a bit.
Thanks a lot for watching. Enjoy your Sunday evening,
Christian
I live in the US, and usually avoid the National Parks during 'tourist season' due to the hoards of people now visiting these beautiful landscape areas. The more well known Parks are flooded with overseas tourists, literally busload after busload all day long. As you said, all people have the right to visit these beautiful areas, its just there are so many people visiting now. One solution would be to limit the number of people entering the Parks each day, at least during the busy tourist seasons. But, unfortunately, I just don't see the problem you pointed out in the video going away. At least I have memories from four, five, and six decades ago when the Parks had far fewer visitors, where one could enjoy the scenery in relative peace.
Remembering for a moment that we live in a Capitalistic society, local gateway communities would fight long and hard against very much "limiting" of visitors. These parks are cash cows to these communities. Also, if limiting visitation is the answer, who is to say that we would be the ones "enjoying" the beauty. Likely, a lottery system would be put in place, and there is no guarantee that any of us would be chosen. I have entered many nature photography lotteries down through the years. Yet to be chosen.
Finally, there isn't a single National Park, no matter how busy, and no matter the season, that you cannot find special, beautiful, and rarely photographed landscapes by yourself. You merely have to get away from the roads, and get away from the famous overlooks. The adage that 90% of visitors visit 10% of any given park is very much true.
Hi @ldprice4192, that's the same I thought, to visit the park outside of season. I was there in September after summer holidays. During summer are many more people there. And as I tried to record my clips always when there were gaps, in reality there were even more people there 🙂
What I have heard is that some national parks in US limit the number of visitors already. I understand that when it gets necessary. But I can't photograph when I'm not intimate to nature. At least, I rarely get really strong photos then.
Over the past ~20 years, I observed a couple of national parks who got established as such. They did that because of too many visitors, just to protect nature from more humans. I believe that there exist also national parks which was founded for other reasons. But I'm conviced that we should reduce geo tagging on social media, when it is not totally necessary, to avoid getting some more national parks out of beautiful hidden places.
Thanks a lot for watching, my friend.
Enjoy your Sunday evening,
Christian
Hi @alansach8437, I see it like you: for the really strong photos, where we can deeply feel into, where we can think about a story, a message the image should convey, where we spend an hour just to frame it up, to get a masterpiece, therefore we simply have to walk away from the masses. That always helps me 🙂
Thanks a lot for watching. Nice greetings,
Christian
@@alansach8437 I understand your point. However, during the busier tourist seasons, it really isn't a matter of getting away from the masses, for that is fairly easy to do if you hike out from the hot spots 1/4 mile or more. To me, the real issue is parking, for during the busier times of the year, parking during the day to late afternoon and sunset/blue hour is nearly impossible in the more popular Parks. I find that during the busy times of the year, sunrise photography is the easiest to accomplish in the popular Parks, for most people are either still asleep, or having their free breakfasts.
National parks that are accessible enhanced (like the one you were in) are the sacrificial lambs to protect those that can't bear a larger public.
Hi Karl, thank you for your comment! I have to say, the video was really not meant as critique against National Parks like that one you have seen. I think I said that even in the video. We need national parks like that. On the one hand to protect that piece of nature that got already "too well-known", but on the other hand also to offer the people possibilities to go out into nature. That's important especially for those who don't have pure nature around them like it is for many of us landscape photographers. I have just to go out of my house, after 2 minutes of walking I'm in a forest. I was just shocked that this is how the future of landscape photography could look in some years, when we don't protect some hidden places. Walking through a kind of "nature museum", in a kind of ant trail of crowds. And that just to day times when the sun is high up. That was more the point of the video, to reduce geo tagging a bit, when it is possible. To protect nature.
I thank you so much for watching, my friend. Nice greetings,
Christian
@@christian.irmler I kind of agree - that's why I said "sacrificial lamb", these areas are needed and must be carefully managed and amended to bear the pressure by the number of people wanting to see and experience nature.
Unfortunately you have experienced a world where the individual's "rights" to be "seen" and "experience" a location trump everything else. Here I am, here and here and here. I don't see it getting any better, too many people and most destinations becoming more accessible. These days even remote locations where you had to hike for a couple of days are being serviced by helicopter.
Not everyone but an increasing number of people have no respect for anything, let alone nature. Perhaps my perspective is influenced because I am old however the "look at me" culture of social media has been a detriment to our planet and enjoyment of same. I remember standing in front of the Mona Lisa at Le Louvre in 1975 and not another person in sight.
Hi Mark, yes unfortunately that's the case. Too many people don't care and many places are reachable for everyone. Either there goes a cable car up to a mountain or a helicopter. But there are anyway still lots of hidden places out there or such which are not all too well-known. This is why I uploaded this video. To protect those places by reducing geo tagging on social media.
Thanks a lot for your thoughts, my friend. Enjoy your Sunday evening,
Christian
Just too many people on the planet. Another influence on photography is AI when the surreal images will replace the actual scenes and people will become disenchanted with the experience after seeing impossible compositions.
Hi @itakephotos1141, this could even have a positive effect, when people stay at home because reality is too boring for them. I mean, also their trash would stay at home then and photographers have more space to put their tripods and connect to nature again :)
But yes, for someone living on the countryside like me: when you visit a bigger, high frequented park, you realize how many people there are on our planet, actually. That's crazy.
Thanks a lot for watching, my friend. Nice greetings,
Christian
I would recommend if you're serious about landscape photography to use proper technique, and this means a tripod. Most NPs let you use a tripod without a problem (as long as you're not running it into the ground, like poking holes into the ground). I hate to say this because thats the first things I saw and then listed to the rest of the video and was a bit surprised... but anyway, the crowds I don't think were a problem, partially because of where you were (at laest IMO, they didn't seem to be much of a problem -- now if you go to some place like Mesa Arch in the US"s Canyonlands National Park, you have to get there at leaest 2 hours before sunrise just to claim a spot as there is really only room for about 10 photographers for a prime view/shot.
I was also in Canada and to shoot Moraine Lake at sunrise, you had to get there at midnight, sleep in your car, and hope you got a good spot in the morning. So this, honestly, looks like a piece of cake IMO, but I get your point that crowds can be a problem, but again, use proper technique for the best results. I would never try to shoot at 1/10 or less handheld, and would always use a tripod even if I'm at faster shutter speeds, just to rule out any shake and get the sharpest possible shot. Of course if you CAN'T use a tripod because it's not allowed, that s differnet, but I don't think that was the case here and that was the one thing that stuck out to me... If you were shooting at say 1/40s or faster, OK maybe you'd be fine, but if you're trying to get blur in the water falls you really need to be on a tripod. I would say under 1/20s and you really shoulid be on a tripod otherwise upon close inspection (and in print) your image may be slightly soft.
AS for your last part about geotagging, I think some people like to keep some spots a bit of a secret especailly if they are lesser traveled or off the so-called beaten path. Plus, I've had a few instances where I've gotten permission to be on private property in some examples, or got clearance by some authority to shoot in a particular location, and in some cases, they ask me not to disclose the specific location, partially because they don't want other people showing up unannounced (not so much with landscape photography, but with some other shots I've done so you do have to geotag carefully. Places like Yellowstone NP in the US is widely known so places like that would be fine, but I was given a tour once of an abandoned theater but asked not to disclose the location or tag the photo.
That came of as a bit arrogant! Ever tried using a tripod on a springy board walk with lots of people moving around? Also a tripod take up a lot of space. Noobs use tripods alwas, experienced photographers adapt to the situation.
The problem is, everyone wants to photograph the same scene that has been photographed a million times before. There is nothing creative about standing shoulder to shoulder with a hundred other photographers photographing something that has been photographed a million times! You are being a sheep, getting in line. When everyone is shooting Oxbow Bend turn around, look in the other direction, walk over that hill and find your own iconic scene away from the crowd. In other words, be creative! Be original.
Hi @HR-wd6cw, you have no idea how surprised I was 😆 There was a wooden path and with every step it jumped. A tripod had got too much of vibration so that it had got impossible to get a sharp photo. That wooden path was also quite small, the tripod had used the entire width of it. It would have blocked all the people. There were some gaps of people though, this was when I recorded my clips. But actually, there were continously people coming through.
I hated tripods in my youth ages. But I have to say, this is already around 30 years ago. They were heavy, bulky and unhandy to use back then. Today I love using them and I use one whenever it is possible. Not only to get a sharp photo, it is more to slow down, to fine tune my compositions.
In this particular situation, it was possible to get a sharp photo with smooth water also when photographing handheld. From the technical side it is not a big problem to hand held 1/10th of a second with something like 24mm and IBIS on (even longer is possible!). I made already a video about this topic. Just if you are interested: th-cam.com/video/JkURCLiomdg/w-d-xo.html The tricky thing here in this national park was just the swinging path 🙂
I thank you for watching, my friend. Enjoy your Sunday evening,
Christian
Hi Alan, yes and no. You are right, actually, but it is anyway possible to get unique photographs at well-known photo spots, also when there are 50 photographers beside you. I made already a video about that. Just if you are interested: th-cam.com/video/Wa5efNBCZvI/w-d-xo.html
Thanks a lot for watching. Enjoy your Sunday,
Christian
What passes for a “national park” in Europe is beyond underwhelming. 😂
Cause you have been to them all have you?
Hi Chad, there are different types of national parks. Some very high frequented visited where you have to buy tickets, but also some where you don't need a ticket, where just some restrictions are spoken to protect nature.
I don't want to mess up with Europe's national parks, they all do a good job. But of course, a park with a dimension like Yosemite or Yellowstone is something different. But I guess there is the same problem.
Thanks a lot for watching. Nice greetings,
Christian