Can you tell a good photographic location just from looking at a map?

Matt Sayle

Matt Sayle

2017MSA Young Photographer of the Year(Motorsport)
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Matt Sayle
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Not knowing any good locations around my area I was wondering if there were any tell tale signs on a map that a place is a good location.

Thanks
Matt
 
Personally, no, not even on a good ordenance survey map, though you could perhaps find otherwise unknown ponds/lakes, that kind of thing. I know a lot of people use Google Earth to check out areas before doing an 'on the ground' trip though.
 
Hi Matt you can go on google maps, and there is an option for More, click it and add photos then you can see images of areas, DKITH
 
Just Dave said:
Hi Matt you can go on google maps, and there is an option for More, click it and add photos then you can see images of areas, DKITH
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thats a good tool Dave....i have checked out all my togging spots ready for my forthcoming hols using google maps and looking at the snaps :thumbs:
 
Easy.....if it says "motor racing circuit" you should be guaranteed some good shots. Assuming there is a race on, of course :lol:
 
animal168 said:
have you had a look at your area on google earth matt? i found a cracking pond the other week that i never knew existed about half a mile away from my house
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Google Earth. Got you. Will use it for some research. Thank you.

Yv said:
Personally, no, not even on a good ordenance survey map, though you could perhaps find otherwise unknown ponds/lakes, that kind of thing. I know a lot of people use Google Earth to check out areas before doing an 'on the ground' trip though.
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Thank you, Google Earth is my friend.

Just Dave said:
Hi Matt you can go on google maps, and there is an option for More, click it and add photos then you can see images of areas, DKITH
Click to expand...

Cool, will do.

Flash In The Pan said:
Easy.....if it says "motor racing circuit" you should be guaranteed some good shots. Assuming there is a race on, of course :lol:
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:lol:
 
Just a thought, but if there is nothing on at Oulton why not approach them and ask if you can explore the site and take some different, non-racing pics of the track and it's environs?
 
Sometimes the most boring of places can be great, for instance there is a roundabout on the way to work, yesterday I left work a bit late and hit it and the light was perfect! I've driven past the spot hundreds of times and would have gone straight past it on Google Earth etc, so it doesn't always have to be the most interesting places...
 
Craikeybaby said:
Sometimes the most boring of places can be great, for instance there is a roundabout on the way to work, yesterday I left work a bit late and hit it and the light was perfect! I've driven past the spot hundreds of times and would have gone straight past it on Google Earth etc, so it doesn't always have to be the most interesting places...
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I have noticed that when the light ir right, scenes you have seen 1000 times can suddenly pop to life in a way you never thought possible.
 
it might be nice to have some images of the house with no moving objects in the way. I bet there are some interesting images of the track with its bends and changes in level. An empty Oulton Park might be a very rewarding place to photograph.
 
it cant always tell you if there good photographic locations but you can spot, public footpaths, view points, nature reserves, national trust buildings,monuments, churches, bodies of water and types of forest on an OS map. You will then need to scope the locations out to see if there any good and what opportunities they have.
 
Google maps can tell you the general lie of the land so you know what to expect, but I doubt you'll really be able to tell if it's a good spot without visiting. Flickr's map and Google Earth allow people to attach photos to a location so you'll get a better idea of what an area is like.
 
rh1944 said:
it might be nice to have some images of the house with no moving objects in the way. I bet there are some interesting images of the track with its bends and changes in level. An empty Oulton Park might be a very rewarding place to photograph.
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Yeah, I am going to ring them tomorrow to sort it out :)

Toothie said:
it cant always tell you if there good photographic locations but you can spot, public footpaths, view points, nature reserves, national trust buildings,monuments, churches, bodies of water and types of forest on an OS map. You will then need to scope the locations out to see if there any good and what opportunities they have.
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Lots of cycling then :D

The Matt said:
Google maps can tell you the general lie of the land so you know what to expect, but I doubt you'll really be able to tell if it's a good spot without visiting. Flickr's map and Google Earth allow people to attach photos to a location so you'll get a better idea of what an area is like.
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I just found a Polo pitch or something like that via live maps so I am goin to see what that is like :)
 
rh1944 said:
it might be nice to have some images of the house with no moving objects in the way. I bet there are some interesting images of the track with its bends and changes in level. An empty Oulton Park might be a very rewarding place to photograph.
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Especially as that's when the wildlife takes over. Could make for some more interesting shots such as a hare taking a bend :D
 
agree with jerry, i think it depends what you are looking for, but if you know how to actually read the OS map then you can get a good idea of what to expect and where to find it. After all they give you minute detail of the landscape, right down to tumulii that are scarcely more than scratches in the landscape.
 
I've got loads of 1:25000 OS maps Ive bought for photography trips. If I'm going somewhere to photograph I'll pour over the map and mark interesting looking locations. The 1:25000 scales shows up every little land feature. Sometimes the features turn out to be nothing much at all but other times I've found great locations I'd have never found by just wandering around.
 
Mohain said:
I've got loads of 1:25000 OS maps Ive bought for photography trips. If I'm going somewhere to photograph I'll pour over the map and mark interesting looking locations. The 1:25000 scales shows up every little land feature. Sometimes the features turn out to be nothing much at all but other times I've found great locations I'd have never found by just wandering around.
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The 1:25,000 scale are INCREDIBLE for detail and working out exactly how to walk to a location. (Also where the nearest public road is) But sometimes you need to see the bigger picture and the 1:50,000 are better for that.

With one or the other you can work out where the sun will rise or set in relation to landscape features, where/how to gain some altitude to get a better aspect, so many things. There's no substitute for getting out there and exploring.:thumbs:
 
OS maps will tell you where they "MAY" be some good opportunities, check the streams,woods and gradient lines, best advice is too get out there and walk around a while.....:thumbs:
 
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