Responsible Roadside Photography: What You Should Know

December 30, 2024 Written by Lori A Cash

Roadside photography can lead you to find the beauty of nature in unexpected places along the sides of roads. This type of photography is also known as car trunk photography where photographers do not roam far from their vehicle. As with all genres of photography, with this type of photography one should be mindful of the duties of being a responsible roadside photographer.

This image was captured from me sitting in the car and photographing out the window while driving in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. The dramatic clouds compelled me to stop safely on the side of the road and take this picture.

Driving around in your local areas or driving in the back country may lead you to find subjects that you would want to photograph. When traveling along scenic byways, rural roads, or even highways one must take into consideration that there are certain responsibilities to adhere to. Here are some roadside photography tips.   

•     The first main tip is about whether your subject is on public or private land. Our first amendment gives photographers the freedom to take pictures in public areas without having to ask permission. As a photographer you must establish whether your photography subject is in a public area or on private property. 

If you are driving along a road, and something catches your eye, pull off carefully to the side of the road. Unless you are specifically traveling along a public lands area, the land beyond the road right-of-way would be private land. Road right-of-way widths vary depending on the road. Highways often have wide right-of-ways that can be 100’s of feet wide. Rural and local roads have smaller right of ways that are generally 30 to 60 feet wide.  

• The second tip is to avoid trespassing on private property. Whether they have a ‘No Trespassing’ sign or not, as responsible photographer you should not trespass on private property. If you cross that right-of-way boundary or jump over a fence, and you do not have permission from the property owner, then you are trespassing.

•  The third tip is if you are on private property, you must seek permission from the owners to be on their property. If you see a beautiful or compelling or intriguing scene, taking a roadside picture from within a road right-of-way is usually fine as features in plain view do not have the expectation of privacy. However, if you want to cross into private property, to protect yourself as a photographer, it is best to have the property owner sign a consent form for permission to photograph on their property. If a property owner does not give you permission, then you must respect and obey their wishes as part of being a responsible photographer. 

• The fourth tip involves drone photography. There are many complex issues regarding the use of drones over public and private lands. While as a drone photographer, you may be standing in a public right-of-way, crossing over that boundary with a drone to take images that are not plainly viewed from the roadway would be a trespass and would require the same permissions and consent considerations previously mentioned. Being licensed to use a drone and knowing and following drone regulations for location where you are using the drone is also a part of being a responsible photographer.  

• The fifth tip is to leave no trace. Sometimes as a roadside photographer you may come upon a field of flowers or sunflowers on some rural road, and you decide to set up a tripod and camera. You should still be respectful of the boundaries and also be respectful of the flowers by not traipsing into the field of flowers, trampling or breaking the flowers, but staying safely on the side of the road. You should remain on the road with your camera equipment and tripod and be able to take amazing photos from alongside the roadway. When you have your camera gear out of your car on the side of the road taking pictures, you should be mindful to respect nature by leaving no garbage or trace of your having been there. You should leave the area as you found it.

There are many advantages to roadside photography, whether you photograph through the window of your car or by standing in the right-of-way alongside a road. Images of beautiful scenery, farmlands, horses, wild animals, compelling geography or even man-made structures can be found in the most unexpected places. Being a responsible roadside photographer means respecting property boundaries and respecting others and the environment, and by being a responsible roadside photographer and following these practices, we may get the best photographs of our lives.

While driving down Highway 101 in Northern Oregon, out of nowhere was this dahlia farm, and again, I just pulled off to the side of the road and photographed this image out of my car window. By driving around on roads, you just never know what you may find.