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What to do if another photographer is blocking your view?

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I feel the way Moon0326 handled this thread - slowly revealing the details of the situation - shows a definite lack of maturity. It took 3 days for us to find that the incident occurred at a very unique place at a very unique point in time. I feel that those who have followed this thread have been played with. It seems that Moon0326 wanted us to approve his actions without giving us the full story.
 
Hi photog01,

I apologize if I made you feel that way. I'm not sure what you mean by "approve his actions".

I didn't argue with those people who came first. I shot with them. Should I upload my picture from far away to prove it?

Anyhow, I didn't intend to trick anyone. I already wrote that everyone came for a specific moment. I should have posted the link soon. That was my mistake.

Again, I admit that my writing and responses were not good enough. I apologize for that.
 
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Moon0326 said:
Hi photog01,

I apologize if I made you feel that way. I'm not sure what you mean by "approve his actions".

I didn't argue with those people who came first. I shot with them. Should I upload my picture from far away to prove it?

Anyhow, I didn't intend to trick anyone. I already wrote that everyone came for a specific moment. I should have posted the link soon. That was my mistake.

Again, I admit that my writing and responses were not good enough. I apologize for that.
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Ok, no problem, I did not get a wrong impression. It was some kind of a puzzle but we all figured it out :-)
 
photog01 said:
I feel the way Moon0326 handled this thread - slowly revealing the details of the situation - shows a definite lack of maturity. It took 3 days for us to find that the incident occurred at a very unique place at a very unique point in time. I feel that those who have followed this thread have been played with. It seems that Moon0326 wanted us to approve his actions without giving us the full story.
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???

From the very first post:

Since everyone (including three of us) was framing for a specific moment, which only last for a certain amount of time, I understood the other three and started framing with them instead because I can always come back in the future.

To the OP: I have a picture of that rock formation. I avoided your problem by taking my picture at a terrible time of day, with overcast skies. :-( And I had it all to myself. :-D
 
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Usually in crowded outdoor areas photographers are considerate of other photographers and cooperate. The best example I can think of would be Delicate Arch at Arches NP. Almost every day one can count on numbers of people there from A to Z, young to old, including non-serious and serious photographers. Unlike some locations like Tunnel View at Yosemite Valley where people set up along a low wall to shoot scenery in the far distance, at DA the subject is nearby and many people also want to take shots of they and friends next to that beautiful feature. Most visitors just sit in wonderment about the west side of the amphitheater bowl while a few at a time walk about the arch area across it and explore its areas.

People notice how the different groups in a disorganized leisurely way wait their turns to take shots and that each group or person tries to not spend too much time doing so before moving on. There may also be some serious photographers that want shots without people in the view and the non-photographers expect that and at some point everyone else will leave that area as tripod wielding persons move about for a short whiles taking their shots.

In our case there were two of us with large view cameras that set up then waited at nearly an hour before the June light was best, just before shadows moved into the frame. We were quite fortunate on my last visit in 2005 as we had quite spectacular clouds that just happened for a short few minutes at that time. And I am thankful for those considerate folks who shared our experience there at one of the great wonders on this planet. The rest of the crowd there knew what we were doing and when the optimal period arrived they were quite cooperative.

--
David
 
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Moon0326 said:
The problem is (as I wrote in the post), everyone came there just for a specific moment. The moon was setting over the subject. That's what everyone came for. It was either everyone agrees or not.

This is what people came for. https://500px.com/photo/95877261/temple-of-moonlight-by-michael-shainblum?from=user
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I missed that part. If it was for a specific moment, and you asked to interrupt the specific moment, after you arrived late, (specifically the other 2 folks), then it is not your right. If you are there for a specific moment, and someone gives you the D, then I would harp at them as well. Especially if it is a point known for that specific moment. If you are just shooting a scene, no big deal. If it is a specific moment, you are ruing planned timing. Sorry, I misunderstood.
 
No need to say sorry. Reading through my comments, I feel that I should have explained everything in detail up front. It's my fault.

Thank you for the suggestions.
 
Ha...this place is very popular in December and now it's getting popular in September as well :) I should arrange another trip soon!
 
That's good to hear. Arches NP is on my bucket list, but I always though that I would not get a shot that I want due to its popularity. Thank you for the story.
 
David's assessment and observation is also what I experienced. Yes, there were people milling around the base of the arch at times... and of course many "people pictures" (and selfies) were being taken. Then things would clear out for a while (more-or-less). It was not orchestrated -- it just happened. That was the opportunity to shoot just the arch itself. Still, as we all know, you need to be aware are seize the opportunity. Nobody is going to roll out the red carpet for you. It was such a beautiful and peaceful place -- people were very relaxed and just quietly absorbing the whole experience. Super cool vibe. I was there at a relatively slow time of year (February) -- maybe it is different in the peak season? Doesn't matter if it is photography, driving on the freeway, or waiting for the train... people need to think of more than just themselves -- and intelligently adapt to various situations (i.e., pull their heads out of their rear-ends).




Delicate Arch from lower viewpoint






Delicate Arch






DA Bowl
 
Fundamentally why was it taking so long to take 10 or 20 pics, waiting for setting sun, rising moon or tide. Generally, You can always go shoot something else and then come back.

But if TimeLapse, First come First Served, You snooze, you lose, Early bird........... ;)
 
Moon0326 said:
Hi,

I just came back from my recent trip. There was an ionic rock formation near a beach. I arrived right after the sunset and there were 3 people already. Two more photographers arrived at around 10pm.

The two photographers who arrived late and I wanted two photograph the rock very close, but the other three people who were there first didn't want that. The other three wasn't shooting at that time. They were basically having a fun conversation without even pointing their cameras.

When we (the two came late and I) were shooing in front of the rock, the other three asked us to move because they were going to shoot behind us. We asked if we can spend about 15 minutes in front of the rock, but we were told no. Since everyone (including three of us) was framing for a specific moment, which only last for a certain amount of time, I understood the other three and started framing with them instead because I can always come back in the future.

The other two, however, didn't like the idea and they started arguing with the other 3 people who came first.

Basically, the first three tried to frame with a wide angle lens to include more sky. The two who came late tried to use a wide angle lens in front of the rock and make a panorama.

What do other photographers do in this situation? I know that there is no law, but...what are your experiences?

Obviously, there was no solution to make both of the groups happy in this case since they're framing the same thing.
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If they are moving it is easier: just take a very long exposure or several exposures and afterwards combine them to delete the intruder. If they are static, clone them afterwards.

Regards,
 
Moon0326 said:
The problem is (as I wrote in the post), everyone came there just for a specific moment. The moon was setting over the subject. That's what everyone came for. It was either everyone agrees or not.

This is what people came for. https://500px.com/photo/95877261/temple-of-moonlight-by-michael-shainblum?from=user
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Moon032, (or anyone else) would you please explain how to get to this point, I have been to McWay falls lots but did not know about this specific vantage point.

I assume it is S of fall/lagoon area, how to reach it, which trail down to beach ?

Thanks, very much appreciated !!
 
Moon0326 said:
That's good to hear. Arches NP is on my bucket list, but I always though that I would not get a shot that I want due to its popularity. Thank you for the story.
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Spring (April or May) before school is out is best time (for the whole Utah/Ariz area actually), lots of families with herds of urchins to contend with in June & later.

The Moab area is a magnet for sightseers and mtn bike riders and photohounds.

Lots to do in the area, so a constant draw except when very cold or hot.

CanyonLand/DeadHorse and Arches are great.

Another place of contention is Mesa Arch in CL, to get the morning rays via arch hole, arch is much smaller than it looks so very few perfect places to be to get that rising sun-first come first tripod rules !!
 
Hi MustyMarie

It's not anywhere near McWay falls, it's about 45 miles north of that location.

Here is how you get to it.

Travelling south on highway 1, it is about 1 mile south of Big Sur on the R/H side you will see a yellow sign that states (Narrow Road no RVS- Trailers)

This road is called "Sycamore Canyon Rd"

It is quite narrow and is gravel / dirt for almost all the way (about 4-5 miles) to which at the end you will come to a small parking lot for about 50 cars and you walk a short flat trail for about 200 yards and you have arrived on Pfeiffer State Beach. This does show up on Google maps 36.238209,-121.814990.

Any time of day is good to come here as you will not run out of things to photograph, but as the saying goes the golden hours are best, but unless you are staying close by you will have a long dark drive home.

PS watch the waves here they are totally unpredictable, any direction anytime and any size!

Regards

Paul Donaldson
 
Happens mostly on beach for me, there are gobs of cell phone users, but they think (and probably need to since no zoom or WA lens) they must be almost in the surf to take a setting sun photo or such-even the birds laugh at them.

Of course, us 'real' photographers care for the foreground as much as the background or main focal pt of pic, spoiled by 'freds' standing in that lovely light reflecting wet sand or stream, textured sand, or......

So how do you persuade w/o being rude to get the, I think, discourteous (and I mean that as I will NOT walk in front of even a cell phone user's shot!! - courteous me I guess) 'tourist' out of your beautiful award winning shots !!! ?? ;)

PS: Most shots I do NOT want ppl in them, humans only spoil them most of the time - but not always.
 
[ATTACH alt="Pfeiffer Beach said:
1090558[/ATTACH]
Pfeiffer Beach



Paul Donaldson, post: 56554985, member: 145673"]
Hi MustyMarie

It's not anywhere near McWay falls, it's about 45 miles north of that location.
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I was led to S of above, as once a fellow at Mcway was talking about a 'hole in rock' shot he took, S. of Mcway, he had come up from LA - there are so many rocks w/ holes, but most inaccessible due to private land or no simple way to them-AYK.

There are 2 Pfeiffer st parks, N is P big sur (forests only in park-does not include ocean) & S is Julia Pfeiffer Burns st park (mcway falls) - had no clue of Pfeiffer St Beach- confusing unless using exact names too. Thx for straightening this out-well I derived the clarity.

I use M$ Streets and Trips to mark Photo spots-nice tool-can be used offline-can take snap shots of maps-can use custom markers, etc.
Paul Donaldson said:
Here is how you get to it.

Travelling south on highway 1, it is about 1 mile south of Big Sur on the R/H side you will see a yellow sign that states (Narrow Road no RVS- Trailers)

This road is called "Sycamore Canyon Rd"
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Yes I know this place, looks like rd runs W of Big Sur on map, other 3 dirt roads lead N to forest in Andrew Molera SP or loop.
Paul Donaldson said:
It is quite narrow and is gravel / dirt for almost all the way (about 4-5 miles) to which at the end you will come to a small parking lot for about 50 cars and you walk a short flat trail for about 200 yards and you have arrived on Pfeiffer State Beach. This does show up on Google maps 36.238209,-121.814990.

Any time of day is good to come here as you will not run out of things to photograph, but as the saying goes the golden hours are best, but unless you are staying close by you will have a long dark drive home.
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I always have a long dark drive home from this area !! ;)
Paul Donaldson said:
PS watch the waves here they are totally unpredictable, any direction anytime and any size!
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Thx!
Paul Donaldson said:
Regards

Paul Donaldson
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Appreciate the directions, I will check out when back nearby !! Just hope I do not forget - a couple of months from now!! ;)
 

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