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Rodney O wrote:
Maybe this is a decent time to mention this:
Can we improve the "education" and knowledge level of people who are starting to get into wildlife photography? And thereby "nip some of the problems" before they become ingrained as habits? The thought is that if a person learns the good way of doing wildlife photos, they will be less or might be less likely to contribute to these problems.
I find that there seem to be few, if any, good places for newcomers to wildlife photography to get good information on how to do wildlife photography and what is acceptable practice. There are pages about aspects of "ethics", and the occasional how to photograph specific subjects. But not an overview with details for the beginner who is just getting outdoors or has just gotten a new lens.
While it may be a bit overly optimistic, I think we stand a chance to decrease some bad photographer behavior if there were a good "beginners guide" for new comers. it should include, info on how to shoot good shots, how to respect critters & what is disrespectful and dangerous to the critters, the importance of understanding "local etiquette", etc.
I would guess that each of us sees inappropriate behavior and actions on occasion. Some of us are hesitant to say anything. Some of us are not. So how often do you intervene to stop a problem and how often do you just walk on?
It's not all that easy to successfully deal with people in situations like that. One way to improve things might seem to be to be able to refer people to a web site or even a couple of web pages that address these issues?
If they are learning something that helps them take better pictures, maybe they will also learn how to be a better "citizen of the wild", so to speak.
Rodney...Show more →
On my website, I have a good number of articles that deal with technique, shooting philosophy, respect for wildlife and habitat, etc. Those articles are, because they come up high in Google searches, generally the most often visited places on the website, and I regularly get emails from people thanking me for making that information available. As many of those emails as any are from people who are thanking me for sharing the information about respect for wildlife and habitat. Unfortunately, I'm confident that most of them are from people who already share the same philosophy. I find, on the other hand, that those who feel that they have a right to do anything that they need to do to get their shots are the people who are not interested in even considering such information. And a good number of posts in this thread are a further indication of that reality.
Also, I do regularly talk with people at shooting locations. When I do so, I try to come across as an educator. Last summer, when I spent virtually every day documenting the progress at an eagle nest, I regularly came across people who wanted to walk right under the nest, people who wanted to exercise their dogs right under the nest, children who wanted to scream at the birds in the nest to make them fly, etc. Whenever any of these situations occurred, I tried to be educational. My approach was usually to try to explain things about the nesting process and what the birds were doing and then to slip in information about why it was important not to cause stress to the birds in the nest. Most often, people seemed to appreciate the information. On a couple of occasions, I was told to mind my own business. Sadly, in such situations, the people who are most likely to tell me to mind my own business are photographers who feel that they have the right to do whatever they want to get their shots.
Over the last decade, I've crossed paths with dozens of FM members at various shooting locations. The vast majority have been people whose approach to photography displayed ethical values that could not be questioned in any way. Unfortunately, there have been 4 or 5 or 6 (and, no, I will not name names) who were quite clear in showing that their attitude included the feeling that they had the right to get their shots regardless of its impact on the wildlife that they were shooting, and two or three of them even openly joked about not caring about what happened to the birds/animals that they were shooting.
Les
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Sorry Eric. Before I bow out I just want to say I stand behind Conrad's decision. There are way to many unknowns here to say what Conrad did was wrong. CT, you're not going to please everyone with your behavior, or the birds. Keep posting those kick-a$$ photos.
, see what baiting did for you! Got you a wife/husband/kids and all those things that get in the way of your hobby.
