Lord of the Flies

I was researching the impact of landscape photography on the environment and a google search result was a blog post from a workshop/tuition provider and also the founder of the Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year competition, Stuart Low. It certainly didn't read like one of those sanctimonious marketing fluff articles written for the landscape photography media. It made for dispiriting viewing of the videos documenting the poached ground and vandalism to trees, that can only be due to photographers. What made for uncomfortable reading was the candid report on the dysfunctional behaviour and culpability of some famous, brand name and copycat landscape photographers. An extract from the blog post :

'We witnessed one tour leader who arrived late at the location and bullied his way to the front where he ordered his group to set up in front of everyone else. Others threw stones in the still water and others simply stuck their cameras in front of someone’s lens to take hand-held shots.  

Matters aren’t helped by “brand name” photographers taking large groups to the area either. They typically pack in 12-15 photographers per workshop, charge ridiculously high fees and go to the same tourist locations as everyone else. And to put things in to perspective, one famous landscape photographer presented to 50 photographers in the Ballachuillish hotel only last week. This greed fuels copycat tours.  

The brand photographers obviously can’t be blamed for copycat workshops, but they can be blamed for what they teach – because it fuels the behaviour of others. For example, the same famous photographer above held a lecture in Edinburgh last week where he gave some appalling advice to his audience. He told them it was bad form to rearrange pebbles on a beach yet he described at length how he cut through a canopy of trees to capture a shot. Is it any wonder other photographers copy this type of vandalism?  

Indeed, some “famous” landscape photographers believe they are above everyone else and hold rank in the landscape. For example, one particular hypocrite individual claims there are too many photographers in the landscape yet he runs workshops with 15 students. This same individual wrote that the blowing down of the dead tree on Rannoch Moor was “fortunate for landscape photography” – yet the same tree adorns the front cover of his book! It’s egotistical attitudes like this that feed into the psyche of others.'

A new google search to see how widespread this dysfunctional behaviour is amongst supposed professionals, resulted in a blog from a female landscape photography workshop/tuition provider, that charts some allegedly reprehensible professional behaviour. It is only one side of the story, even so it  really doesn't reflect well on the Yorkshire professional landscape photographers implicated. An extract from her post on Professional behaviour in landscape photography :

'I’ve noticed for some time now that the landscape photography workshop arena is getting quite vicious.
The landscape photography workshop business is in the leisure industry, a supposedly happy industry not one that harasses and tries to shut down competitors to such an extent that here I am standing on a cliff, on my birthday after hearing my websites could be shut down ie all my online presence gone
if it wasn’t for my 4 legged friend I wouldn’t be writing this. I am still feeling pretty shitty, still don’t know what to do, this was the proverbial last straw.'

It would be bad enough if the above referenced were the only posts online from landscape photography workshop/tuition providers highlighting their concerns of dysfunctional behaviour from their supposed peers, sadly there are more.

The word professional for some landscape photographers apparently applies only to the capacity to make money, the responsibilities of professional behaviour and standards, appear alien concepts.