It takes a village to preserve wildlife and only one indifferent person to lay all the effort to waste. Most parks ask people to keep their distance during a wildlife encounter, but there’s more to it than just distance, especially if you plan on taking wildlife photos.
Seeing as we have an entire wildlife gallery, we know a thing or two about capturing wildlife ethically.
Capture the Story; Don’t Set the Scene
With one in four animal species on the brink of extinction, people need to start taking an interest in life in the ecosystems around them. While wildlife photography does a good job of creating empathy and interest in preserving wildlife habitats, it could also be disruptive.
It’s no secret that humans have an impact. Your attempts to make the scene more picturesque could stop the wildlife in that context from what they were doing (hunting, eating, or sleeping). It could also make them feel threatened and attack you.
Keep your distance while taking photos; take what you can get when you get it. Wildlife photography is a waiting game, anyway.
Do Not Feed Them
Wildlife cannot be domesticated. Feeding these animals for a quick photo op might give you the picture and acclaim you want, but it will have lasting effects on the subject. Many predators captured by Jardene Photography, such as bears and owls, learn to approach humans when they start seeing them as a source of food.
This could have deadly consequences because wild predators are programmed to be aggressive. A human messing with an animal might get off with a fine, but the reverse might get the animal killed.
Be a Law-Abiding Citizen
National parks have laws for a reason. Follow them to capturewildlife ethically. For instance, flying drones are strictly prohibited in national parks across Canada and the US, and you may require a special permit for other camera gear.
Respect the regulations and barriers to capturing wildlife at your location because they seek to protect wildlife whose habitat is more or less populated by humans.
View Nature at its Finest at Jardene Photography
Needless to say, wildlife photography is difficult to pin down. It is nuanced to the point where you may not know what you’re doing wrong. Instead of trying to photograph wildlife ethically, buy it somewhere that does it for a living.
Start with Jardene Photography, a photography print shop owned by an award winning landscape photographer who has made a career out of wildlife, landscape, and bison pictures.
Get in touch for more information or special orders.