Explorest - Photo Locations Reviews

by Sbobsquarepants

Don’t let the free download fool you. You need to pay for their membership to make Explorest even remotely worth the storage space on your phone. Good concept, not so great execution. Would’ve been better as a social media app that allowed photographers to post locations/information for other photographers to see and potentially gained revenue via ads/premium versions for no ads. Instead Explorest takes a monopoly over information and forces their users to pay to see it!!
I’d consider redownloading if the concept was executed better but honestly I’m just going to wait it out until there’s a better app out there.

by Lollipoplulu

Explorest is every California photographer’s nightmare brought to life. One of the greatest parts about being a landscape or outdoor portrait photographer is taking pride in knowing scenic locations. This is a core element of the photography community: knowing “spots” and only sharing them with your close friends and trusted colleagues. (Much like the surfing community.) The mystery of the location of a shot is a core element of the profession. If you want to know where a photo was taken, you have to EXPLORE and find it YOURSELF or know the right people. Well thanks to Explorest, this aspect of the profession and/or hobby will soon be lost. This is really upsetting. Get ready for all the beautiful, serene shots you see of the California cost become flooded with random pedestrians and wanna-be models. And this complaint/ unfortunate reality-check isn’t coming from an old guy who has been in the business. I’m a 21 year old female photographer that has spent the last 7 years EARNING my knowledge as to where good shooting locations are along the California coast by putting hundreds of miles on my car and making connections with other photographers. Apparently the makers of Explorest were never taught any industry “manners.”

by Annagram22

The idea of Explorest is amazing, and I was super excited to check out a visual database of shoot locations, I had not previously heard of.

But the locations are neither hidden nor gems. And a ton of the locations are actually just the same location listed multiple times. I scrolled past 3 different listings for the bow bridge in Central Park, all hilarious stacked one on top of the other in separate listenings as if they were different places. The beekman also has multiple listings, and is listed as free to shoot there(although it’s definitely not). The bloody angle has been shot and resisted from every possible angle.

Also who’s Explorest for? Maybe a tourist with a selfie stick could get some fast action, but many, many of the places listed as free to shoot in actually require pretty extensive and/or expensive permitting. The metropolitan opera has some great looking staircases, but they would let you and your team just breeze in and do real work.

5star idea, but 0 follow through.

by Ian.a.bentley

If I could give this negative stars I would. This is literally the epitome of why Instagram and social media is ruining art and creativity. The reason New York is so amazing is all of its hidden gems and back alleys, under the bridge vistas and unique architecture. If you want to find a “great location” then do the hard work, research and explore like someone who has a passion for the art. All Explorest will do is flood the streets of various cities listed with people who want the next Instagram post. It’s a shame that you’re selling photography locations to people for your gain at the loss of every photographer or explorer who has spent countless hours finding unique vistas and backdrops for beautiful photos.

by ㄴㄴㄴㄴㄴ빠세

Is Explorest ready to earn 4.99 per month to customers? It only has 3 categories to find spots. It is big country or state but i dont think developers are ready to get paid from customers yet.
It is definitely good meaning or purpose of Explorest but I don’t think those spots are “wanna go” or “wanna see” spots. You just found those places from instagram and copy and paste on Explorest. And you are asking money for those information that can be easily found on instagram or online.
I don’t think Explorest isn’t ready to take money out of people. It’s almost like trial type of app at this moment.

by Hahhahahahhah

As if Instagram and Facebook haven’t already caused enough damage (indirectly) to the outdoors with geotagging. Explorest takes it a step further, showing exact locations of little known spots that you would otherwise have to do lots of research to find, and telling you how to get there. This will just invite more irresponsible people who do not adhere to leave no trace principles to destroy what is left of the outdoors. Explorest itself is honestly great, in theory, but I really hate seeing these hidden gems openly posted with exact locations. It’s very sad, and I hope Explorest does not become well known for that reason.

by Real Person @notkidding.com

It’s a great idea but if you don’t pay for the information all you see is a photo and the city it’s in. Idk about y’all but I’m not going to pay money for directions to a spot. This could be useful if there wasn’t a pay wall. I understand this was probably expensive to create but y’all gotta find a better way to monetize. Also “secret” spots need to be exposed because most people don’t know they exist and greedy photographers like to keep them hidden. I appreciate what Explorest does but as a consumer I refuse to spend any money on something like this. Honestly just use Reddit it has better information.

by Wilkyway1979

I feel as if this is one more app for people to find the places I’m searching high and low for where people can trash, take over and show no respect just to get that Instagram shot that 500 other people are getting (think Walker Canyon during the superbloom.) It has great locations but the photos are professional leading the average Joe to make the trek there thinking they will get the same photos on their iPhone. And that creates more competition for space that what we need...especially with people who don’t respect our creative spaces just to lose something up on their Gram.

If this was more geo based with information about the location and what it actually looks like on an average day...it would be super helpful. And to have a way to plan, curate, etc. it has a lot of potential but needs a major overall to turn it into a practical tool worth paying for. Perhaps you should do some google polls or surveys.

by Esrever-nI

I live in Southern California and there’s so much more to shoot than just the beach. When I first saw Explorest I thought it was going to be a network of photographers adding locations and leaving tips and notes and was excited to add my favorite spots. There would be way more additions and locations to shoot as opposed to the 3 less than 50 miles away from me. For the few locations it does have how ever it provides with tons of information like best times to shoot and what camera settings and tips on finding them, which is great, but I wish I could add on to it. I like that they partner with photographers but limiting Explorest to only letting them post locations seems far too limiting and is not letting Explorest be up to its full potential

by Chrismerlo81

Has very real potential to be an essential tool to the average photographer. They should really build a vast base with free/ad paid full access and put themselves on everybody’s phone before charging subscription fees. They may have priced themselves out of rapid expansion by making so few features available at the free level. I’m doing a cross country photography trip soon and this would be ideal if more locations were available to explore but it lacks the base right now. Also I’d add the photographer’s name to the cover photos also so that people can more easily explore and find photographers they like. Overall use is probably 2 stars right now but I have it 3 because of the potential to be so great

by Why Another App

Its difficult to give a full rating. The layout is awesome and there is a good amount of potential in Explorest , just like what most people say, it needs more locations(including in the state of california, which focuses primarily only in san francisco and los angeles). There needs to at least be some more insentives to buy into Explorest with at least one picturesque site being free to know what type of information is given. Would love to give Explorest a higher rating, as it deserves it, but before that happens there needs to be more improvement into Explorest . Here are some items i think would help Explorest

More locations even in the state of california

1 free location to know how Explorest can work. Would make the in app purchase an easier decision

Be able to be more centralized in region( example. Selecting just the city, area, or even split the locations. San francisco and los angeles might be in the same state but they are nowhere close to each other)

All in all its a nice app to have, but needs more to it

by Bobby_M_G

No one app has been more integral to my travels than this app. From providing inspiration on locations to shoot from and sights to be seen, the insight provided by the photographers, and the magnificent display on this platform, I am so glad to have become familiar with Explorest. It is readily apparent from the first use the amount of dedication, effort, and love that went into creating Explorest. Cannot recommend enough.

by Cassie11201989

Explorest has been super useful for me. I’ve found so many amazing spots around my own city that I had no idea existed! It’s really pushed me to get out and explore more. There are a lot of extra details and photography tips, and I like that you can look up and shop the gear used directly from Explorest . A great app for the casual tourist and pro photographer alike. Can’t wait for them to expand to more locations!

by Derrek Harris

Amazing app I’ve been looking for something like this for a long time. One thing that Would put the icing on the cake is a section for new photographers or people who didn’t have much experience. The reason I say this is because the photos shown are beautiful but when you check the camera that was used.. they are 3,4, and 5 thousand dollar cameras.”not including the lenses” This is fine if you’re a professional. Or even someone who’s been doing it a long time as a hobby. But for people just starting out there should be a guide section with less expensive equipment And tips for people just starting out. Maybe even less advanced locations that require top of the line gear. I think most people would be inclined to spend the extra money on your subscription if they knew they were getting more like a path/guide to being able to taking those amazing pictures rather than just a location and some tips.

by Taw Y'all Ha

“Perfect” sounds like an exaggeration but not with Explorest. It is literally perfect. The development, idea, photos and everything that went into Explorest is as good as it can get making it super easy to use and understand. It is really awesome to now be able to collaborate and shoot at new spots with new people all connected through an app other than Instagram with its algorithm being so poor and hard to contact other creators. Explorest is top of the line and deserves more than five stars!

by Pbrooksssss

Saw a lot of recent reviews about limited locations or paying for full access but I have to say it’s still pretty cool. They clearly say in the description they’re only in California, Hong Kong and Singapore. And those places have what seems like hundreds of really cool locations each. There’s also a “FREE LOCATIONS” tab front and center in Explorest that looks to rotate different locations from each place. For me, paying just a few bucks per month for unlimited access is worth it. Definitely excited for New York, which they say is coming next.

by Gdsebiq

Explorest concept is great! And I loved scrolling through the pictures from other subscribers from time to time.
Many photographers from the community shared the specifications of the equipment and settings for the pictures they took which would have been very helpful if I had more time!
Unfortunately I had to momentarily put my subscription on hold due to my work schedule which didn’t allow me to explore places, but the team solved my issue and helped me with ny payment issues in less then 30 minutes via email!

I would definitely recommend Explorest to anybody looking for spots to take viral-worthy picturs.

by Lingo7639

I really love the idea of this. Thank you for your hard work. I love the fact that you share; not trying to hold back the information, even though you have spent a lot of time and money on your experience. The price is every affordable and fair to pay considering of how much each photographer has to put work in. I’m stunned by how much selfish some people could be. Either don’t want to pay nor want to share what they know. That’s just so wrong. I hope you guys will grow stronger and thanks for coming with this idea. Right now there’s not a lot but if no one wants to support them now by paying for what you want to use then how could they grow?

by FatGuyWhoPlaysGames

Are you looking to explore? I was. On a recent trip to California, I was hitting the coast and making the drive from San Fran to LA. I wanted to take my time and take in the sights and really see and stop along the coastline and the unique cities that make it such a cool place. this app allowed me to plan and hone in on the places I wanted to see and photograph along the way. The user interface rocks and Explorest is so easy to navigate. All of the information placed at your fingertips, including the specific photographers tips and shot info for each picture, allows you to really see wherever your destination may be from a very cool perspective you may not have ever came upon. this app really changed my road trip into a journey. I’ll be using this from now on every time I travel or don’t know the local scene.

by Livetoseethebeauty

I know some people like the mysterious hidden landscape to be only found for those fortunate explorers but I think it’s more honorable to share these beautiful hidden areas for all of us. After all we are all homes to this beautiful earth. I think we shouldn’t be selfish but open to sharing. Anyways it’s impossible for everyone to explore all the nature so it’s good to see options. I have cancer patient friends and it’s nice to bring them to these rare locations because every day for them is precious. Truly thankful for this company and hope for more expansion and location. As secrets are open, it will never be enough because earth is full of more mysterious unexplored. And some of us don’t have the luxury to travel. You have no idea how it can be very difficult and money consuming to explore randomly. With Explorest, we save time and money and enjoy the nature peacefully :) thanks again!