Photographers need to start acting better

You’ve probably noticed a gap in my posts. That’s because I am just back from a holiday in Canada. While I was there, I fully intended on posting something about the trip every week, but to be honest, I was enjoying the break so much that I wanted to spend time with my wife and not record content. While I was away, though, I got some great photos, and I would definitely recommend a trip to British Columbia and Alberta for anyone who enjoys landscape photography.

However, there were a couple of occasions when I did get a little annoyed while taking pictures. Why, you may ask? Well, photographers have to start learning or rather re-learning a little bit of etiquette when taking photographs. And I’m not just talking about people using fancy cameras; I’m also talking to anyone taking pictures, even on mobile phones. To paraphrase Aretha Franklin, if we use a little bit of R-E-S-P-E-C-T, we’ll all get much better photos.

When I’m not running photography workshops or shooting for clients, I am also a freelance press photographer. When professional press photographers are at a photo call, while we are all in competition to get our pictures published, we generally also work together to ensure we all get decent photos with a clean line of sight. There’s an unwritten rule that we all abide by. Usually, it works, and nobody leaves without anything to file. So, I thought I’d put forward a photographer’s manifesto of how we should all act so we all get good photos, even when they are just holiday pics.

The first rule in my etiquette guide is one of the reasons I got annoyed in Canada. Let’s say you are at one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. You’ve arrived early and set up, waiting for what looks to be a glorious sunrise. Two minutes before the sun hits the mountain tops, a late-comer strolls in and stands right in front of the shot. That ain’t cool! If you want a good spot, arrive early. If you want a lie-in, accept that someone else got there first, and either take your shot next to them or find a different place to stand that doesn’t ruin someone else’s view.

Now, I am sure that someone will say, yeah, but you don’t own the landscape, and if there is a space in front of you, then it’s your fault for leaving that gap. I’m sorry, I don’t accept that. The person walking in front either consciously (or, more likely, unconsciously) thinks that their view is more important than anyone else’s. As I said, it feels like a lack of respect for others and prioritises themselves over everyone else.

So, rule one is don’t jump in front of someone else.

This leads me to rule two, almost the exact opposite of rule one. Just because you arrived early and got a great spot doesn’t mean you are the only one to get that view. All you need to take a nice photo is your camera, maybe a tripod, perhaps some filters. That doesn’t mean you must spread your camera bags, breakfasts, children, etc., around your shooting point. Try to be efficient in the space you are taking up so others can get a shot of the fantastic sunrise that is about to happen. If you can see someone trying to get a view, share your space as much as possible. If you have a partner who wants to watch the sunrise with you, ask them to sit under your camera or look over your shoulder rather than standing next to you. That way, more people would see the scene, and more photographers would get lovely shots.

My rule two is don’t hog a scene.

Rule three is where I know I am going to annoy a particular group of photographers. I’m talking to you, Instagram travel influencers! The German painter Casper David Friedrich became renowned for including a figure in his landscape images. Often, the people would look toward the landscape and away from the painter’s gaze. It can be pretty effective, as seen in one of his most famous works of art, The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog.

There wasn’t a huge movement of image makers copying this style until recently. Along comes Instagram, and every man, woman and dog does it. Do a search on Instagram after you have watched all this video for a well-known landscape location. Try typing in Travel to the search bar on Instagram, and I would say it splits into three equal-sized groups. Women in bikinis, that back of someone’s head shot and the actual landscape locations.

Now, if you want to do this looking into the scene-type photo, then fair enough, it’s not my choice of photo, but go ahead. First of all, see Rule One. Don’t just wander into a scene and dump yourself on a rock when other people are already taking photos. And rule three, don’t take all day! I can’t recall how many times I watched hopeful Insta-influencers doing practically the same pose repeatedly while their significant other is snapping away on a phone for 10, 15 or even 20 minutes. If you must do this type of shot, jump in, take a few pics and then jump out to let someone else share the view that you have “so many feels for”.

Just like rule two was the opposite of rule one, rule four is the opposite of rule three. I must admit that this is one of my own rules that I struggle with most. If someone is at a spot you want to shoot, don’t start huffing and puffing after a few seconds. Give them some reasonable time to get their picture first. Yes, even if the light is amazing at that particular time. If they were their first, give them the respect and time to get their shot. If you use a “proper camera” rather than a phone, use this waiting time to get your camera settings ready. When it’s your turn, you’ll be able to jump in, fire off a few shots, and then be on your way, which, by the way, also helps you meet rule three.

My rule four is to be patient.

Rule five is the antidote to other people who are breaking rules one to four. Let’s say you are at a location, and someone has spent the last 15 minutes perfecting that back-of-the-head shot. You have two options. Option one; shout at the would-be influencers and tell them to get the bleep out of the way as they have been hogging it for eternity. Or the better option, option two, is to politely ask them if they could just let you take a quick shot without them in the scene. You’ll probably find that being polite and reasonable will result in you getting your shot quicker. So that’s rule five: be polite.

You’ll be glad to know that rule six isn’t the opposite of rule five. It’s probably just an extension of rule five, which is to share a scene. Help each other out. If someone is struggling to find a good photo, it’s probably because the light is wrong, the background is bad, or their arm isn’t long enough to take their selfie. Help each other out. If you can see a better way for others to get a photo, politely suggest how they can get their picture better and faster. Why not offer to take a photo of someone rather than letting them struggle to get the perfect selfie? With a bit of sharing and helping, we all get our ideal images a little bit easier and a little bit faster.

Now, I am sure that this isn’t a definitive list of photographers’ etiquette for my imaginary manifesto, but I think it’s a good start. If you have any other positive and proactive suggestions, post them in the comments below. If we all start to act with a little more respect as image-makers, then more of us will get better pictures in the future, and that makes everyone happy!