Location scouting for taking photos in a familiar city isn’t difficult. I usually scroll through Instagram, cross-reference forums, and check weather apps. Too much work, perhaps? Then I realized that Google’s Gemini AI and Maps can actually “talk” to each other. I have learned from expert photographers a few tips for using Gemini as a virtual location scout and Google Maps to plot it all. Things can go wrong when pairing AI with photography, but the combination can give us spot recommendations, a walking plan, and leave some space for serendipity.
How Gemini acts as a personal location scout
Find hidden spots based on your shooting style
Gemini, with the right prompts, can go beyond basic search queries. Instead of searching “best photography spots in [City],” I ask Gemini to act as a scout and request something like:
Find quiet riverside locations within 45 minutes of [Area] that work for sunrise reflections and long-exposure water shots, prioritizing spots with minimal crowds.
The AI can balance my shooting preferences, time constraints, and other needs simultaneously.
Gemini can combine Google Maps place data with traffic patterns and review insights. As you walk around, you can check its suggestions on the Gemini/Google Maps mobile app. I try to ignore the obvious tourist spots and look at locations like rooftop viewpoints and neighborhood corners that could go well with my subjects. I open each suggestion directly in Google Maps, save them to custom lists like “Market Spots” or “Blue Hour Architecture,” and suddenly I have a map-ready database of scouted locations I can refer to anytime.
Building itineraries that actually fit schedules
Gemini maps out timing, travel, and backup plans
Time management is a bugbear when photography is just a hobby. Sometimes, I take on too much and try to hit three locations but end up missing a golden hour entirely. Gemini is changing that by creating time-boxed itineraries from actual Maps data. I tell it exactly how much time I have and specify what I want to shoot. For instance, riverfront scenes, street life, or architectural details.
Gemini then structures a realistic walking or driving route with approximate arrival times, suggests where to linger versus pass through, and even offers backup options if one location turns out too crowded. Because it’s pulling from Google Maps, the travel times reflect real-world conditions, not wishful thinking.
I plug the sequence into Maps as a custom route, and during the shoot, I can use Gemini inside Maps navigation to ask hands-free questions like, “Is there a less crowded area 10 minutes from here?” Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but it leaves me with enough opportunities to improvise and discover something else. For instance, you can still make the best out of photographing in harsh sunlight with some creativity.
Use Gemini for strategy, Sun apps for precision
Gemini is brilliant at strategy but not precise about light angles and exact golden hour timing. That’s where dedicated sun-tracking apps like Golden Hour or LightPlan come in. You can check these apps to get exact sunrise, sunset, golden hour windows, and sun paths for a pinned location, then feed those numbers back into Gemini with a prompt like:
Here are the sunrise and golden hour times for [Area] on [Date]. Build me a shot list and timing plan for a two-hour morning session.
Gemini can provide hints when to shoot wide cityscapes, when to switch to silhouettes as the light changes, and when to walk to a nearby secondary spot while the light is still workable. This partnership between a photography app and AI can give you the best of both worlds without getting bogged down in manual planning. On that note, you don’t need the golden hour, as there are different photography moods and aesthetic styles.
Using Street View and Lens to preview compositions
Virtual scouting saves wasted trips
Before I commit to a location, I use Google Street View and satellite imagery to preview the scene. I can check sightlines, spot potential foreground elements, and identify distractions like power lines or billboards. In supported areas, Google Lens inside Maps (now enhanced with Gemini) overlays information on landmarks and building details when you point the phone camera. This augmented aid can help identify interesting facades you might miss otherwise
I don’t have the feature, but I can always ask Gemini for compositional ideas by describing the scene or uploading a photo. Here’s an example…
Given this [describe the photo] and an eastern sunrise in winter, suggest three compositions.
It’s not perfect, as Street View imagery may be old. Also, micro-climate conditions like haze, tides, or seasonal shifts still require in-person scouting. But it’s an experiment that can help train your photographic eye. And sometimes, saves you from a wasted trip.
Don’t let AI kill serendipity
The downsides you need to watch for
As much as this workflow has helped me, I’ve noticed the pitfalls. The more we optimize with AI, the easier it becomes to miss unplanned moments like the random alley, unexpected reflection, or spontaneous street scene that never appeared in a prompt. Then, if all of us start using similar AI workflows, we’ll all end up shooting the same popular spots from the same recommended angles. Above all, AI cannot observe or “see!”
Gemini’s suggestions are also limited by what exists in Google Maps data, so informal markets, unmapped neighborhoods, or “unofficial” viewpoints may never surface. The AI can occasionally suggest closed locations or misjudge access to rooftops and private properties, so I still cross-check everything with recent reviews and Street View. This cognitive dependence on AI for a mindful activity like photography is a danger, too.
Let AI handle research, but follow your photographer’s eye
I am not a professional photographer. So, I use these experiments to create approximate plans. Using Gemini lightly in the field helps me stay in a photographic mindset rather than a prompt-writing one. I intentionally leave gaps in every itinerary to wander off-route and keep training my own eye. After each session, I update my Google Maps lists with notes like “great for misty winter mornings” or “too crowded at 7 AM; try weekdays,” turning Maps into a photography journal. Used this way, Gemini and Maps become a sidekick, not a replacement for the immersive nature of photography I love most. After all, an algorithm cannot watch light change or react to scenes, nor predict them.
