I Love Google Maps/I Am Not A Stalker

One thing I’ve never liked about photography is naming images for shows. I don’t want to skimp out and go with the easy option of “Untitled” for everything but at the same time I really don’t like using vague mumbo-jumbo that make me sound pretentious. I tend to be very matter-of-fact with my image titles although I try not to be too obvious to the point where I feel I’d be insulting the viewer.

This is where Google Maps and my show come in. I’ve got my final images selected (side note: new printer found!) so I’m now just finalizing titles. Some of the landmarks are simple enough to name but some of the urban street shots are a little tricky. Solution: Google Maps and Bing. I seem to be adept at remembering where certain photographs I’ve taken were taken so this helped when finding the locations of my images online. I also went through my photos chronologically so I’d be reminded of the area I was in so locating the spot would be a bit easier.

Bing Maps is great because it has the bird’s eye view where you can actually get a 45 degree angle view in any direction over a city as opposed to just straight above it. I can then use Google Maps’ Street View and be transported back to that spot and basically confirm that that’s where I was. If the locations don’t have a particular building name or region of the city I can use, I’m simply using the street names.

Here you can see on the image with the tree silhouette, that the tree has since been removed, but the green glass and window panes are a dead giveaway. Success! You might think I have too much time on my hands, but I prefer to think I’m just being precise. And maybe a bit obsessed.