This article is based on and includes material from the Nature First Alliance Website with their permission.
It’s increasingly important for nature photographers to adopt, support, and disseminate an ethical and responsible approach to their photography. Whether you are a landscape-flora-wildlife photographer, it’s to your benefit and nature's benefit to have an ethical and responsible approach. This will help to counteract the increasingly negative pressures faced by nature resulting from human interaction.
I chose this topic for my first article contribution to Canadian Outdoor Photography as I truly believe in and support having some basic principles to guide me in my interaction with nature. Yes, In some cases this has caused me to miss the shot or choose to not even try to get it as I knew that doing so would mean having a negative impact on nature and in my case, the wildlife that I so love to photograph.
Canadian Outdoor Photography has elected to support and advocate for ethical nature photography and has joined the Nature First Alliance. Nature First is built on a set of core principles that help communicate how each of us can enjoy nature photography responsibly. These principles were developed to help educate and guide both professional and recreational photographers in sustainable, minimal-impact practices that will help preserve nature’s beautiful locations.
Let's go through them and I will try to illustrate through practical examples how they can be applied.
Prioritize the well-being of nature over photography
As guests in nature, we should always be concerned with minimizing our impact on it. We can do this by threading lightly in our environment and ensuring that our actions do not disrupt natural animal behavior. Take this capture of a Red Fox mousing in a farmer's field. It was taken from my car, used as a hide, with a long lens (600mm). When I first saw the fox, it was way too far so I just parked myself and waited for him to come to me. It took him an hour to get close enough to me so that I could capture this photo. He was completely focused on his hunt and never paid any attention to me. It’s a long shot, that is cropped and not as sharp as I would have wanted, but it’s my best fox photo so far showing the animal's natural behavior. Had I gotten out of the car and trespassed on the farmer's field to get closer, I would have interrupted his hunt and I would have been left with a classic shot of a fox running away.
Educate yourself about the places you photograph
Taking the time to research and educate ourselves on the locations we will be visiting is also to our advantage. Knowing ahead of time the particulars related to the type of flora, sensitive or protected areas, and expected wildlife is always good information to have. This takes some effort but most parks and natural reserve areas have information readily available on their websites.
Knowing things like the topography and location of trails; the importance of staying on trails due to the existence of sensitive flora species; nesting seasons and locations that are off limits for the protection of the little ones; and the existence of large predators and how to behave when you encounter them. As well, informing yourself on the behaviors and habitat of the area's wildlife will serve you well in your efforts to find and photograph them.
This Black Bear was photographed last spring in the Kouchibouguac National Park in New Brunswick. This park is well known for its native bear population and spring is an excellent time to find them grazing in the Park. However, some precautions are necessary as some bears have become habituated to humans and will show no fear. Knowing that, when I visit the park from spring to late fall, I will carry Bear Spray with me as a last resort. In this case, I had just left my car to head to one of the trails when I saw it about 50 meters away. I took a few shots and then it surprised me by coming directly at me. He was not aggressive but had a determined look that I was not going to challenge, so I retreated back to the car and left the area. I did not want to have to use the spray or encourage him to follow me further. This bear was probably heading to the garbage cans in the parking or looking for a handout. Had I not been informed and ready, this could have turned out differently.
Reflect on the possible impact of your actions
We need to consider that some actions will have negative consequences. Going off trail or through sensitive areas may not seem like an issue, but if everybody does it we end up with damaged dunes, trampled flora, and loss of habitat. This has resulted in loss of access and further restrictions in some areas.
How we behave with wildlife is equally important. In their quest to fill the frame, some often get too close or use practices such as baiting and calling. Coming back to Kouchibouguac National Park; last year park management closed off access to a significant part of the park for the whole winter due to people feeding foxes in one location. This resulted in a loss of enjoyment and opportunity for everyone due to the actions of a few. Think also about that bear I was discussing earlier, if he is fed by humans he becomes a problem bear and that never ends well for the bear.
We also need to respect each other by not destroying the experience with things like drones, making noise, or crowding a fellow photographer who is already set up to do his photo session. I have stopped counting the number of times I wake up before dawn drive to a target location and find someone already set up there. I know that if I enter the area, he or she will lose all the work they have done to set up. The reverse has happened to me a few times with the majority moving on and respecting me, but a few just barge in with the questions – have you seen something or what are you looking for....
Another example that comes to mind is the visit a few years back in the Bouctouche area of the famous Steller’s Sea Eagle now affectionately called Stella. At first, I was so pleased as I got to take a long-distance photo of it interacting with one of our resident Bald Eagles, but then the hordes showed up and started behaving like paparazzi. There was a combination of photographers and bird watchers who were very well organized and communicating through social media. They reported every sighting in real-time and we ended up with several regrettable behaviors such as people going off-trail on the Bouctouche Dune and flushing the bird, hordes of folks racing up and down the coast in their cars chasing the latest sighting, people trespassing on private land and or blocking roads. A few got full-frame photos and to be clear, most of those who got good shots were not part of the mob. But, the majority of folks simply chased and saw nothing.
Use discretion if sharing locations
When deciding to share a location we need to consider the impact of that decision. When you capture that elusive owl, baby fox, moose or rare transient bird, it is important to not disclose the location as that will invite others to that spot, and not all will have ethics in mind as they try to fill the frame.
For natural spaces, some simply will not be able to survive the increased number of visits and the habitat can be destroyed. Think of the Stella situation; the negative behavior not only impacted the Eagle, it also impacted the dunes ecosystem as well as several private properties.
So, be selective in how you post locations online. In practice, I will not divulge the location of any vulnerable, endangered, or protected species or of habitats that would be sensitive. I will disclose the region but not the specifics. Even more so if it’s on private land. By keeping them off the radar we are not being selfish, we are protecting them. Take this Baby Seal basking on the beach in early spring. I kept my distance and got the photos from about 20 meters away and left without disturbing or attracting attention to it. When I posted the photographs, I only shared the County in which the photos were taken.
Know and follow rules and regulations.
As part of educating ourselves on the areas we visit for our photography, we need to be aware of and follow the rules and regulations for that area. These rules and regulations can be put in place by governments, local authorities, and private landowners. They are usually there to protect the natural area and its occupants and/or for safety reasons. Not doing so impacts our credibility as nature photographers and will only lead to further restrictions on natural areas for photographers.
Rules and regulations are usually designed for the well-being of wildlife and your safety. Most parks and managed natural areas will have them stated on their website. These will include minimum distances for viewing, approaching, or feeding wildlife.
For non-regulated areas and private land, it’s a good idea to follow good minimum distance practices and not trespass on private land. If the land is posted as ‘’no access’’ or gated it’s a no-go. Even when not posted, it’s never a good idea to barge onto people's properties such as farmer's fields or homes' yards to try and take a photograph. In some cases, I have been able to contact the land owner and obtain permission under the promise of not sharing it with others and that I would not negatively impact the land.
Always follow Leave No Trace principles and strive to leave places better than you found them
Leave No Trace is a widely recognized set of principles for outdoor stewardship that further supports the Nature First approach. Nature photographers, like all those who recreate in the outdoors, should adhere to these additional Leave No Trace Principles. We can all go a step further by striving to leave a place better than we found it by practicing these principles and doing simple things like picking up litter and reporting vandalism.
Actively promote and educate others about these principles
Regardless of the size of your audience, you can teach others about these principles and encourage their adoption. When you share your photos or stories about your travels, you can influence others to be good stewards of our public lands, thus amplifying these messages. If you are comfortable playing an advocacy role, use whatever platform you have to speak out about these issues and find appropriate ways to discourage actions that are in opposition to these principles. Bad behavior by photographers reflects poorly on the rest of us.
Humans have a natural affinity for and love of wildlife. However, the importance of all wild species and their habitats are often under-valued or overlooked by today’s societies. If wildlife is important to you as a photographer, then you should help its preservation by practicing responsible wildlife photography. Lead by example and teach others around you about the value of wild animals and their habitats.
I encourage my fellow photographers to familiarize themselves with these principles and put them into practice. You can also join the Nature First Alliance at no cost by visiting their website and signing up.
