I spend a lot of time on public land photographing beautiful landscapes. I have been to many amazing locations and have photographed most of them. I have been to locations as accessible as a neighborhood park to wilderness areas that take much effort to access, in my quest to find a beautiful location to create my photographs. And, along with me, there are many others that are out exploring these areas. Photography has become popular over the last ten to twenty years, since digital photography has come into existence and our smartphones have become so capable.

Along with the rise in popularity of photography, social media has grown to be even more popular. Social media is a natural place to post the photos that photographers are proud of. It is a great place to share the beauty of the places that a photographer visits. It is also a wonderful place to inspire others in their photography pursuits. But as it is with many things, there are good and there are adverse consequences of doing that.

The number of visitors to the outdoors increased rapidly post-COVID, as many people wanted to go out, breathe fresh air and surround themselves in nature’s beauty. Many of these folks were visiting the outdoors for the first time or had only been in nature a very few times. Many of them are unfamiliar with how much of an effect they could have during their stay or have much awareness of “leave no trace” principles. Venturing out into the beautiful, natural places in large numbers has had an adverse effect on many natural areas.
A lot of the people who are going outdoors are choosing where to go from the photos that are being posted on social media. I am aware of this through the comments that I get when I post a photo. There are usually two types of comments, the first being praise for the beauty of the photo or of the location, the other being nothing more than asking where the location is.

Now, I am not one to guard a location because I want to have exclusive access, but I will guard a location if it is either a dangerous place or a place that is environmentally sensitive. I have been criticized and praised for my unwillingness to reveal certain places. Those who criticize are usually other photographers and a part of the “where is that?” crowd. I have been accused of “gatekeeping,” which I find offensive. I believe that the people who have accused me of that have a sense of entitlement and expect to be led to a location where, through my effort, imagination and creativity, I created my photo. In many cases they want to take the very same photo that I did. If I am gatekeeping, it is in defense of places where many people visiting would ruin it. Conversely, I am more than happy to reveal a location that can handle many people, or a location where increasing its visibility might help raise awareness of its need to be protected.

I have traveled and explored this state all my life. I have discovered hundreds of places through my travels that I never knew existed. I feel like adventure and discovery are a part of the process of creating a thoughtful image. In my mind, a large part of what I do is exploration and discovery. I do not understand why someone would not want that part of the process.

I feel that we all should have a sense of responsibility for protecting natural places for the future. In my position, I certainly feel responsible for helping protect these places, and posting a photo with a description that spells out completely where a sensitive location is on a forum that is viewed by thousands of people would be irresponsible of me. If that’s gatekeeping, then the gate that I am keeping is there to protect these beautiful places.