[ad_1]
There really is nothing more exhilarating than being witness to two bull elk brawling with antlers intertwined during the fall rut or having the clouds light up in dramatic fashion at the perfect alpine lake at sunrise or watching an osprey as its talons break the surface of the water as it dives for a fish.
As a photographer, capturing these moments in pixels extends that experience into a lifelong memory through a photograph for your wall or into a winning image in a nature photo contest.
But at what expense do you need to go while in the field when considering your fellow photographers or your subjects?
There used to be a time, before the invention of cameras in cell phones and the accessibility of digital cameras, that if a photographer was already at a location photographing a special sunset or a coyote curled up in the snow, the etiquette was to allow that photographer to have that moment.
Today, it isn’t unusual to have dozens of people with a camera set up on tripods photographing the exact same scene. Those images may be different depending upon what equipment you use and your own creative vision but more and more, having 20 people take the same photo has me thinking, how do I maintain my own style if I am photographing the same subject at the same time as 19 other people?
And beyond just questioning why I should take the same or similar photo, there are several other questions to consider when in the field:
- Am I blocking anyone else’s view of the scene?
- Is there an opportunity to teach someone about how to share the space?
- Can I take a different view without damaging the habitat or disturbing the animal?
- Is all of this attention stressing my subject?
- Is my safety or the safety of my subject worth this photo?
There are many situations that happen in the field that can cause stress to a photographer or to a subject:
- The person who insists on sitting in their car while not allowing anyone else outside of theirs to see the same scene. (Again, I have to ask myself, “Is there a reason they cannot be outside of the car, and should I even be outside of my own car because of safety or impact?”)
- The photographer with the longest lens insisting on being in front of everyone else with shorter lenses or cell phones.
- The aggressive photographer or cell phone user (they are different types of situations and therefore the terms should not be used interchangeably) who ruin a situation for everyone because of their single-minded desire for their own photo.
- The photographer who blocks wildlife from moving where they want to go so they can get the shot they envision.
- And my favorite, the person who stops to ask what you are photographing, causing the subject you are waiting for or already photographing to flee.
The last one in particular ties back to the original comment about etiquette before cell phones and digital cameras. On more than one occasion I have lost wonderful photo opportunities of birds feeding, porcupines eating, bull elk crossing a river and more because of unintentional requests for information. I really am not a curmudgeon, and I do like to share information, but when stopping at a location where there is already a photographer, assess the scene. Look at the situation and see if your actions might impact the subject they are photographing or what the photographer, who may be trying to put food on the table, hopes to capture.
For example, would walking up at the edge of the water or allowing a child to throw sticks into the water cause a ripple through the surface ruining the reflection in the lake? Would stopping where a photographer is using their vehicle as a blind to ask what they are photographing cause the subject to flee, potentially harming you, the photographer or the animal?
When out in the field, whether you are on vacation, working as a professional or fall anywhere in the myriad of situations in between, consider these things:
- Please don’t yell when out in nature. If someone is blocking your view, move over to them and politely explain that your view is obstructed and ask if they could move a little to the left or right. Politeness always goes farther than aggressiveness and understand that maybe they have an obstructed view as well or may not have seen you behind them. See if you can find a solution that works for both of you.
- Don’t move branches, snap off twigs or cut down grasses just to have a better view of your subject, especially nesting or bedded animals. In most situations, animals have selected those areas for exactly what is in the way of your photo. Having cover protects the animals from predators, wind, rain and hot sunshine, camouflages their location, and if the nest is no longer a viable location, may prevent future generations from nesting in the area. Trimming branches and grasses in a landscape image may cause the plant to not produce seeds for the next generation of growth.
- Learn about your subject before you head out into the field. The more you know about your subject — endangered status, nesting behavior, what they eat, when they mate, challenges the area already faces — will not only improve your photographs but can reduce the impacts on your subject.
- When joining another person or group that is already photographing, ask if it is okay to join them. Remember that they may be on a workshop or have a sensitive situation. They may be recording video and do not want unnecessary audio recorded in their content. Maybe they spent four, five or more hours waiting for a particular situation that may be changed or damaged by new movement and noise.
As Dr. Stephen Covey said in his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” It works in nature too.
For more information about ethical field practices and photography etiquette, visit the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) at https://nanpa.org/why-nanpa/ethics/, Nature First at https://naturefirst.org/en/ and Leave No Trace at https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/.
Dawn Wilson is the outdoor reporter for the Estes Park Trail-Gazette. She also guides in Rocky Mountain National Park, leads photo workshops throughout North and South America, sells prints of her photographs, and recently published 100 Things to Do in Estes Park Before You Die. To learn more about her work, visit www.DawnWilsonPhotography.com.
[ad_2]