Before You Take That Photo, Remember the People Behind It ❤️

Hello Dear LGs,

As a passionate photographer i would like to share some important Google Maps tips & tricks

A great photo captures a place. A responsible Local Guide also respects the people connected to it.

As Local Guides, we love discovering new places, capturing beautiful moments, and sharing useful information on Google Maps. A single photo can help someone find a business, recognise an entrance, or decide whether a place is worth visiting.

But while looking for the perfect shot, there’s one small thing we should never forget: Not every moment we can photograph is a moment we should publish

Imagine someone visiting a hospital for a private medical concern, a child attending school, or a family spending time on private property. They may appear in the background of our photo without ever knowing that the picture could be shared publicly.

For them, privacy matters more than our perfect frame.

So, how can we be more responsible Local Guides?

:speech_balloon: Think before clicking.

Ask yourself whether the photo genuinely helps people understand the place.

:busts_in_silhouette: Respect people’s privacy.

Avoid identifiable faces, especially those of children, and be extra careful around sensitive places such as schools and hospitals. Seek permission when appropriate.

:camera: Find a better angle.

Focus on the building, entrance, signage, architecture, food, or other useful details instead of capturing people unnecessarily.

:magnifying_glass_tilted_left: Review before uploading.

Check the background for faces, personal documents, vehicle number plates, or other private information. Crop or blur identifying details where appropriate, or choose another photo.

:handshake: Put people before pictures.

This one is most important. If someone objects to being photographed, respect their wishes. When in doubt, leave the photo unpublished.

For me, being a Local Guide isn’t just about adding more photos or helping people discover more places. It’s also about building trust through the information we share.

Our contributions should help people explore the world without making someone else feel exposed.

In past I have seen many photos contributions on Google maps in which people are directly post their personal photos or someone’s photos as well without knowing the actual use of it. That is why I thought to share this Contribution tips with fellow LGs.

A question for fellow Local Guides …

Have you ever decided not to upload a photo because you noticed a privacy concern?

What simple habit do you follow to make your Maps contributions more responsible?

I’d love to learn from your experiences. Let’s share our knowledge and help each other become more thoughtful Local Guides :sparkles:

@NareshDarji @KetanChhaniyara @AnshukMitra @TusharSuradkar @AjitThite @TravellerG @Kumaarsantosh @VikramSingh_Valera @PrinceKumar @RosyKohli @Rajashree.Parmar97

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Excellent post, my dear friend @Premalpatel
A lot of valuable information and some nice tips - great :+1:.

Some of your points are worth analysing… appreciate it.

Very well said, dear Premal…
Privacy is extremely important and respecting it is a habit…:+1::bouquet:

Many, many times…
Also, we have invested a lot of time for a CORRECT FRAME - Wait and Wait and then click…:smiling_face:

Overall excellent post…
Appreciate your efforts and dedication.
Regards
:handshake::bouquet::folded_hands:

Hello @Premalpatel thanks for your important reminder!

While I always try to search for an angle which does not include recognizable faces, it might happen anyway. So the next important point is watch carefully each photo before uploading and do not blindly follow Google’s suggestion to upload a certain photo or even “upload all”.

I even go a step further: After uploading photos, I immediately open My Contributions and wait the minute until the photos appear. After that, I click the link to the listing, verify if they appear under the “By You” tab and possibly the “Newest”, “By Visitors” or even “All” Tabs. At this point, I have yet another opportunity to watch for inappropriate photos - not only for visible faces, but also duplicate, redundant or other. It did happen that I deleted one of my contributions at this point.

If you did find a photo accidentally showing a face (in the background, for example), there are chances to crop the photo to remove it.

Even if those people are aware, a photo will be published don’t do it! It doesn’t provide any help for other users of Google Maps.

Great tips.

Blurring faces is also a possibility.

:winking_face_with_tongue:

A nifty saying could be:

Maps is for places - not faces!

Excellent tips for great photos, dear @Premalpatel :+1:
I will try to keep many in mind for the next contributions :partying_face:

Excellent post, dear @Premalpatel. As an ace photographer yourself, you have beautifully captured almost all the nuances of photography that are important when sharing photos on Google Maps.

While this post has already sparked a great discussion and received valuable inputs, I would like to add one more important point: photos containing personal or sensitive information should not be uploaded to Google Maps, as protecting individual privacy is equally important.