Wildlife Photography Ethics & Philosophy
1. Wildlife Photography Ethics: The well-being of the animals I photograph takes precedence over any photo. I use the North American Nature Photography guidelines as a model. And I’m in permanent, continuing education on animal behavior and natural history, in order to better understand my effect on any animal I photograph.
I generally photograph with a long lens (600mm equivalent) and do my best not to disrupt the animals. If my presence causes distress in any way, I leave the area or move to a spot where I’m unobtrusive.
I am especially cautious about photographing young animals and nesting areas. I’ll take photos only if I can do so without jeopardizing the safety and well-being of both parents and young. Forcing them to change their behavior, unwittingly alerting predators to the nests, or creating other hazards is not acceptable. I keep my distance and avoid alerting humans or non-humans to the locations of young and their nests.
I came upon this article by Robert Winkler entitled A Wildlife Photography Primer. He discusses how even checking a Robin’s nest outside your doorway can leave a scent trail that marks the young for predators.
Unless otherwise indicated, all of my photos are taken of animals in their natural habitat. If I photograph an animal in a captive setting (wildlife rehab facility, animal park, etc.) I indicate “captive” in the photo description. I will only photograph in captive settings where I know the animals are treated humanely and where the well-being of the animal is ensured. If the facility sells animals to game farms or engages in any other unethical behavior (from my POV) I will not patronize them. My preference is photographing animals at sanctuaries or rehabilitation facilities.
I do not bait or lure animals for photos. Occasionally, I will take some images of songbirds in home garden settings, near existing bird feeders.
I posted some additional thoughts here on wildlife photography behavior and ethics
2. Comments: Feel free to comment, disagree, to challenge – I’m a believer in the First Amendment.
3. “Entertain the Possibility” … My three favorite words. I come at my subjects from the perspective of an observer and voyeur, so it’s all subjective, it’s all interpretation. But so is most of life.
4. On the Topic of Anthropomorphism: I don’t believe in stripping an animal of its individuality and personality simply because he or she is not human. We share some traits with non-human animals, and I respect that similarity as well as an animal’s unique and rightful entitlement on this planet. I love biologist Marc Bekoff’s term deep ethology: “Respecting all animals, appreciating all animals, showing compassion for all animals, & feeling for all animals from one’s heart.”
5. Truth: I’m not a scientist and I don’t claim pure objectivity in my ruminations.Taking into account that truth is often subjective, my personal truth and vision is what you’ll find on these pages. I don’t have any vested interest in promotions or cross-links or any other reciprocal relationship. So, if in my posts, I link out to or reference another website, commentary, product or event, it’s because I found that link pertinent to something I was thinking or saying. If there’s a potential conflict of interest, I’ll make mention of it.
6. Why I Don’t Disclose Wildlife Locations: You may have noticed that with many of my posts, I describe the location of my photos in most general terms. There’s a reason for this, and it has nothing to do with hoarding a choice photography spot. In fact, most places where I’ve photographed wildlife are quite open to the public and well-known by birders and photographers throughout the year. In those cases, I will mention the park, but not the precise spot.
My early policy was to never disclose the location of a nest or of young animals (birds or mammals) because, in my experience, drawing attention to wildlife during seasons when the animals are most vulnerable, can result in some bad outcomes. Last spring, a fellow photographer documented a guy encroaching on the habitat of burrowing owls, where he was catching them by surprise with a short lens that required him to be within feet of the bird. Those are the situations I try to avoid by being somewhat obscure with my disclosures. My blog is public and I’m cognizant of that when I post information.
As time went on and I began frequenting blogs and forums across the spectrum, from birding and photography sites, to outdoors blogs and message boards, I learned that some people will use birding sites for clues about where to chase down specific species once hunting season rolls around. One regular commenter at a waterfowling forum bragged about using Audubon birders’ lists to find the geese and duck species he planned to target.
A lot of the talk is just that … puffed up bravado and cynicism toward people who don’t share the same interests. But, I encounter difficult situations regularly enough to feel protective of the wildlife and birds I photograph. With many of these birds, I have what could be construed as a loose relationship, owing to my repeated forays into the field to capture the same individuals on ‘film.’ So I feel an obligation to contribute to their well-being, and not potentially detract from it.
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