Wildlife Photography Ethics & Philosophy

Short bio & photo methodology

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 and observe. My ethics formed over time, in part because of the negative effects I’ve witnessed in the field. I’ve become extra diligent in an effort to avoid the worst practices I see — in a domain where more and more of us now have the gear and the potential to be disruptive if we’re not careful.

I photograph with a telephoto lens (600mm equivalent, four-thirds Olympus system) and do my best not to disrupt natural behavior. My preferred method is to set up at a distance from the animals and remain as unobtrusive as possible. I watch for signs of agitation and back off if I see them. Many times, patience is rewarded with animals like shorebirds growing accustomed to my presence and tolerating some clicks of my shutter. If a blind is available, I will use it. There are obviously times when all of us accidentally flush birds from trails or cause a bird to fly, even from a distance. But I don’t intentionally move into areas where my presence will cause these effects. I try to give all animals wide berth, even when out for a stroll.

Young and Nesting Animals

I am especially cautious about photographing young animals and nesting areas. I generally don’t do it because I’m concerned about interrupting feeding behavior or alerting predators to the nest area. There are certain situations,however — like Cliff Swallow colonies or Osprey nests, where with adequate distance, the birds don’t seem disturbed by an occasional photograph. Again, I use my best judgment and err on the side of safety in all circumstances.

Unless otherwise indicated, all of my photos are taken of animals in their natural habitats. If I photograph an animal in a captive setting (wildlife rehab facility, 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 dubious practices, I will not patronize them and would encourage other photographers to avoid these places as well.

No Baiting or Staging

I do not bait or otherwise lure animals for photos with devices like audio recordings. Occasionally, I will take some images of songbirds in a home garden or park setting, near existing bird feeders. If so, I’ll note this in the photo description. In macro photography, I don’t stage, move, or otherwise manipulate insect life for any shot. All photos are taken as I found them, in their natural setting.

Related Ethics Posts: Wildlife Photography Ethics in Practice | First…Signs of Snowies | Wildlife Photography Ethics Matter | Marine Mammal Viewing From a Distance | Ahimsa at the Tidepools | Of Towhees, Tripods and Trust

The Feel-Free-to-Comment Policy

Feel free to comment, disagree, to challenge – I’m a believer in the First Amendment.

“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. I love taking on a topic from someone else’s point of view and challenging my own.

On 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.”

Truth and Subjectivity

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.

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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