Landscapers ― if you disturb a scene, do you restore it?

[Drew Wiley]

I can understad why rangers are more anal in some parks than others. In a place like Yos
Valley they basically function as crowd control for herds of idiots, with more of a law enforcement function than anything related to nature per se. But down in SEKI (Sequoia &
Kings Can) they are friendly as heck and will chat endlessly over flora, fauna, and general
historical lore. But then, Kings Can is 99% roadless wilderness, with significant portions
entirely trailess. And even where I ultimately was in Sequoia last wk was inaccessible to
horses, mules, or llamas, and required a fair amt of routefinding experience if one doesn't
want to tumble off a cliff somewhere. But absolutely worth the extra effort.

[Alan Gales]

Years ago, I was shooting off a bluff overlooking the Meramec River and some train tracks. My composition was just missing something so I broke off a twig with some small leaves, and held it in front of my camera lens to frame the shot.

Later, I was showing my photograph to a friend who exclaimed,"Boy, you sure were lucky that the tree branch was in the perfect spot to frame your photograph. It really helped make the shot!".

[RW Hawkins]

Our deck hand on a recent Maui sailing trip had a small plastic whale that she held in front of folks cameras. Backlit by the sun it looked darn realistic!

I'll move some minor weeds or aluminum cans, but no Picker pruning for me.

[John Kasaian]

I'm fat enough to be the landscape! LOL!

[Drew Wiley]

C'mon, John - it can't be all that bad! Those hills are so close. I lost 15 lbs last week just
by becoming my own motorhome in the high country. And I ate rather well. But I wouldn't
call the fishing exciting - it was too predictable - every single cast had a trout on it - quite a few goldens (was in their native wathershed) - and olive oil and herbs seemed to cure their otherwise "fishiness". Set up the tripod, pull in a fish, take a shot, pull in another fish, etc. Maybe you need to upgrade to a 20x24 camea for the extra calorie-reduction effect. Maybe we can save Kodak that way by sponsoring large format as a
proven weight-reduction system. You can start up a franchise if someone else will come up
with a catchy name. "First month membership free" - i.e., you get to carry my LF backpack
for no charge the first month!

[evan clarke]

People who sit in cubicles and go home to high rise apartments are a little too lyrical about nature..

[Drew Bedo]

While I won't break off a branch, I have been known to carry around a "throw-down" object (stone, shell, leaf etc) to enhance a composition.

[Vaughn]

This is the only image I can think of that I have added something. I covered up a small bit of the trail in the foreground with branches. I removed them when I was done.

[Drew Wiley]

The nice thing about a big maple Ries Tripod is that you can groom the shot. If some nerd
is standing there in front of the scene with his cellphone camera, a good swing of the tripod generally clears him well off the trail.

[Vaughn]

I need to resharpen my spikes...