Photography That Protects: An Introduction to Conservation Photography
Using visual storytelling to raise awareness for wildlife, habitat, and the natural world
A young Mountain Gorilla moves into a farmers corn crop and feasts - Available as fine art print or editorial licensing
Conservation photography is many things, but it's also not many things. In this article, I hope to provide clarity.
You can look at Wildlife Photography as being in one of three lanes:
1, Aesthetic Wildlife: The focus is light, composition, presence and beauty with primary buyers being collectors.
2, Advocacy Conservation: The focus is crisis, urgency and a call to action with primary buyers being NGO's and campaigns.
3, Conservation storytelling: The focus is species, habitat, human contact and human impact. The tone is observational, intelligent and restrained, the primary buyers being editors, publications, conservation outlets and serious collectors. With this model, you do not need to shout, but rather demonstrate understanding and knowledge.
I am believer in #3 above and I have learned that Conservation credibility comes from knowledge and understanding, not labeling and sounding the alarm bells. For example, there is a very real fight in Yellowstone National Park currently raging between the ranchers and Park Management/activists. This is not the forum to delve into this topic but suffice it to say, the ranchers lose income when wolfs attack their livestock, whereas the Park Management wants wolfs for the ecosystem and the benefits thereof.
The question becomes: Can you write articles and take beautiful images that show an ongoing struggle without taking a side? We live in a world where what is really needed is correct unbiased information so that the reader can learn and act appropriately. As I have studied the Yellowstone wolf issue I had to learn both sides of the story. In doing so, I learned that asking the wrong question in a Yellowstone restaurant leads to fighting words because opinions run deep on this subject and the world is full of these types of scenarios.
Rescued elephants and Rhinos are cared for at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya - Available for editorial licensing
When writing articles or preparing to create storytelling photography, you must ask certain questions for each location: Here are a few example questions:
What are the pressures on this ecosystem?
Is the species stable, recovering, declining or is it unknown?
Is the species currently being managed?
What human communities share this landscape?
What are the tensions, i.e., economic, policy driven and culturally driven?
What is changing over time and how rapid is this change?
If you can't answer questions like these then more study is needed before you market your stories and or photography.
Conservation Language Principles:
As I mentioned before, Conservation credibility = restraint and I believe not taking sides helps you to learn more about the issues. I believe you can add conservation through:
Habitat specificity
Season stress
Management context
Ecosystem relationships
Coexistence dynamics
Things to avoid:
Alarmism
Overstated claims
Politicized tone
Unverified statistics
Taking sides
Proper care and feeding is provided at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya - Available for editorial licensing
Build themes, not random images.
A good mindset would be to choose 3-5 conservation themes you will own over time such as:
Human-wildlife conflict (wolves, ranching, livestock)
Habitat pressure (development, water scarcity)
Protected areas including impacts of tourism
Species management and recovery
Photograph these themes over the years and repeatedly return to them to update. This will enable you to become an authority on the subject and that builds credibility.
In summary:
Conservation Photography is not chasing a trend or sounding alarms. It is also not being louder but rather reaching deeper. Remember the story of the Girl Who Cried Wolf? In the end nobody listened to her. I believe methodical, valid, and unbiased information over time will educate and move the needle more than being an alarmist, just my 2 cents.
However you choose to proceed with your Conservation journey, I wish you good fortune and good light.
About David Williams Photography | PPA Master Photographer specializing in African wildlife, indigenous culture, American Southwest landscapes, and LDS Temple fine art prints, using photography to celebrate beauty, storytelling, and conservation.
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