How I Find Photo Spots Near Me

When it comes to answering the question, how do I find photo spots near me, it should be evident that I will start with the PIXEO Photo Spots. I’m not going to lie; I’m biased because PIXEO is the passion project of my wife and I. We built this app to be the best tool for finding photo spots no matter where you are in the world. We wanted to make an app that you could put in your pocket and take with you wherever you went in the world. The result is the PIXEO App for iOS and Android, which now has over 75,000 global photo spots. The app is free and you can explore all the photo spots in our collection and browse the mobile map at no charge.

We also categorize each photo spot in PIXEO by type. So if you’re looking for a lighthouse or an abandoned house we have categories for them (abandoned places, lighthouses, waterfalls, etc.).

We don’t have every photo spot in the world yet, but we spend every day adding new spots and curating the photos submitted by our incredibly talented users.

While it may seem obvious, there may be no better source when it comes to finding photo spots near me than the mighty Google. But it is more than just typing in the name of a place in the mighty search box. There is a whole suite of tools baked into Google that making finding photo spots easy. Typically, when I want to find photo spots near me when I am in a new town or place, I’ll pull over to the side of the road and type the area’s name into Google Images. This technique often results in hundreds of photos of the place I am at, taken from different angles. Also, I often find a few hidden photographic gems using this technique. I have been surprised to discover a lighthouse or abandoned building photo spot near me that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.

Google Maps is equally useful. I usually don’t use Google Maps to find photo spots near me, but if I know where I will be going, I will scour the area on Google Maps. Not just for the prominent landmarks, but also the topography or lay of the land. Satellite imagery also makes it easier to find photo spots to explore when I arrive. What’s more, if you create an account with Google you can also save places that show promise and use the Google Maps App to direct you to the photo spots.

A final trick I often use to find photo spots near the place I will be is to grab and drag the little yellow man over the Google Map. But I don’t drop him on the map right away. Small blue circles will appear on the map where 360-degree images have been taken when you do this. As well, it will often show trails in natural areas that you may not have been aware of before. If you see a cluster of these little blue circles and that’s a pretty good indicator, something interesting is there. This technique is particularly useful when it comes to back-country areas. Finding lookouts and other fantastic photography spots using this technique is a godsend.

Flickr has gone through its ups and downs. Their recent acquisition by SmugMug gives us some hope that the site will improve. Initially, one of the best and most popular photo-sharing sites on the web. When I discovered their photo map, I thought I had hit the photo spot jackpot. I can find all the geotagged photos on Flickr on the map, and it is relatively easy to explore where photographers took pictures in the Flickr collection.

The downside is that all the geotagged photos are on the map. Most photo spots on the Flickr map are pictures of animals, people, or photographs taken on private property. So when it comes to finding photo spots, it’s not bad, but less than ideal. Regardless, before heading out to a new place, I search the name of Flickr’s area and see what comes up. Sometimes I hit the jackpot and find a fantastic photo spot near me, but most of the time, I find myself asking why someone would geotag a picture of their cat.

Full disclosure, ShotHotSpot is one of our competitors. The site permits its users to search for a location and then browse photos on a map similar to PIXEO. But the data itself suffers the same issues as Flickr. This problem exists because ShotHotSpot scrapes the data from the Flickr map and re-hosts on their website.

It is a little better than Flickr in that the map has more locations, and they’ve built in some filtering and categorization, but there is still a tonne of photos of cats and private property. The scraping of Flickr data also doesn’t sit well with me as a photographer. I’m not too fond of ShotHotSpot because the images on this map are often copyrighted and used without permission. For me, this is a problem as companies like this use images without permission and profits through advertising. At PIXEO we always ensure we only use photos people let us and will take down any photo at the photographer’s request.

But, if you want to find photo spots near you and the Flickr page is a bit clunky for you, give ShotHotSpot a try. It’s not perfect, but you can use it to find photo spots.

Instagram has changed the world of photography in a lot of ways. Some good and some bad. But it is still home to some of the most talented and impressive photographers in the world. As well, it is probably the most extensive collection of photos in the world, and there are ways to use it to find photo spots near you.

You can’t just ask Instagram what photo spots you can find near where you are, but you can type in a hashtag and search for the area by name. Typically I’ll do this from a broad view first and then drill down. For instance, if I search on the hashtag #novascotia, I will get a tonne of results. After browsing these results, quite often, a picture will serve as a jumping-off point for further research. For instance, I might see a lighthouse I didn’t know existed in Nova Scotia. A little bit of research for Nova Scotia lighthouses will usually help me find its name, and from there, I search on that hashtag. Once I know the name of the place, I can use it to find its location.

One of the other benefits of using Instagram is that many people use it all the time. For instance, if I want to know what the weather is like or how a particular photo spot looks at this time of year, a search for its hashtag will usually show me the most recent images. This technique helps me plan my shoot for photo spots near me and saves me a drive when conditions aren’t right. The varying angles taken by Instagram users can provide some inspiration and aid in planning your shoot.

We love AtlasObscura. AtlasObscura describes itself as the definitive guide to the world’s hidden wonders. It is almost like a Ripley’s Believe it or Not for photo spots, and if you want to find photo spots near you, you can look on their website for your local area. AtlasObscura is populated by adventure seekers who share weird, wacky and fascinating locations around the world. The site is not designed specifically for photographers like PIXEO, but who wouldn’t want a snap of the Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota for their collection.

When I want to find photo spots near me, I always search AtlasObscura. I love seeing things off the beaten path that are a little bizarre, and not just for the photographic opportunities, but because weird stuff is cool. Be sure to explore their web map, which is almost as fun to browse as their articles are to read.

Because we care about our photographer’s intellectual property at PIXEO, we are careful to only source imagery submitted by our users or published under licensing that allows us to use it commercially. Some of our favourite places to hunt for new photo spots and great pictures to share on our map are on sites like Unsplash, whose photographers permit using their imagery for commercial purposes. Like Google Images, they also can be a great way to find photo spots in popular destinations like cities or parks. Type in the name of the place in the search bar and see what comes up.

You’d be surprised at how good the photography is and how many fantastic photo spots you can discover by doing a simple search on Unsplash. These sites will not only show you the iconic landmarks of the area but also offer you a wide variety of angles, treatments and more to inspire you for your shoot. The challenge is that many sites like Unsplash are a bit thin on the information about a photo, and even more rarely do the photographers share where they took a picture. So when I’m looking for photo spots near me, it isn’t so great for finding exactly where a photo spot is. But, it is excellent at letting me know what’s in a major city or destination, and from there, I can do more research to find their exact locations.