When you are wildlife photographer the goal is to blend in with your surroundings so that you don’t scare off the animals
When you are wildlife photographer the goal is to blend in with your surroundings so that you don’t scare off the animals
Even though McKibben’s point of view was controversial at the time, it has only grown in popularity over time. When trying to get a prize-winning selfie or close-up of an animal in the wild, some photographers have hurt themselves or, worse, the animal they were trying to photograph. With the power of photography and the speed of social media networks, the relationship between animals going extinct and the number of people growing has reached a fragile balance.
Animal Rights Defense
Animal cruelty laws have been around since the 1600s, so the issue of animal rights is not a new one. In the 1800s, Charles Darwin’s book On the Origin of Species changed the way people thought about their relationship with other sentient animals. Around the same time, Britain and the United States started the first animal rights groups.
The effect of modern media on how bad behaviour has changed over time
The huge success of the Netflix show Tiger King is just the latest example of how wildlife ethics are put aside for mainstream entertainment in modern media. When thrill-seeking shows or unnatural images that normalise encounters with wild animals send the subliminal message that these animals are just props, there is a misunderstanding about what is ethical behaviour.
Ethics for Accuracy and Safety in the Field
A well-known wildlife photographer named Art Wolfe once said, “The first step to taking ethical pictures of wildlife is to learn about your subject. He says that wildlife photography has a bit of Zen in it.” It is important to stay calm and think things through.” Wolfe says that when photographing subjects, it’s best to keep a low, relaxed stance because it makes a much less scary profile than walking straight into a subject.
Photos of animals in the wild that are both real and staged
When taking photos or videos in the wild, the right thing to do depends on whether the images show something that happened naturally without human interference or something that happened because of something people did. Even though techniques like feeding animals to get them to do what you want can help you get an iconic photo, this kind of human behaviour can have serious consequences by changing the way the environment works or even putting an animal’s life in danger.
Camera Considerations
Pretorius says this: “Nature and the peace it brings fascinate real wildlife photographers. Unfortunately, the success of flagship DSLR cameras depends on how many pictures they can take in a second and how loud they are. Pretorius goes on, “Animals that aren’t used to it can be scared away by the noise it makes. Using a DSLR in “burst mode,” which lets you take pictures quickly, may help you get a better shot.”
You can use blinds, remote cameras, camouflage, or even camera traps.
There are many things that can help with photography. When taking pictures of wildlife, it is very helpful to be able to blend in with the surroundings. Lens skins come in a variety of patterns that fit over your lens and hide its black or white surface.
What are drones all about?
Using drones made for consumers in places where wildlife lives is a lot more unethical. Vitale says that the noise is what makes the animals run away. “Elephants and buffalo will run away, and there could even be a stampede,” says Pretorius.