Spring into Ethical Photography
On a beautiful spring day last year, my father and I walked through his backyard towards a small orchard he had started a few years prior. Filled with apples, plums and raspberries, this corner of the yard is a magnet for activity, both human and animal alike. As we strolled, chatting about the buds and blooms, we were surrounded by the serenity of nearly half a dozen dogs tearing through the yard under the warmth of the sun. Birds flew by, chirping happily, and the first bugs of the year buzzed towards new growth and sweet nectar. Always ready for a potential photo opportunity, I cradled my camera, a 200-500mm zoom align with its cropped sensor, in my arms.
“Look there!” my dad proclaimed, as the dogs ran past a short evergreen, dappled with fresh green buds.
I whirled around, camera at the ready, and saw, just over thirty feet, a robin nesting on a mid-height bow, eye fixed on me with cautious awareness. I took a quick snap and stepped back, lowering my camera as the dogs began to loop in our direction. I tensed as they passed inches from the incubating mother. She didn’t flinch.
“Let’s keep going,” I suggested. “It’s best not to linger near the nest.”
I saw that robin many times over the summer, but I never again walked close to her nesting site, nor did I return for another photograph once the chicks hatched. Once I was aware of her location, her well-being superseded my desire for another lovely shot.
A year later, the cold days of winter have finally receded, and the waters of spring have begun to flow. I noticed, just a few short days ago, that the robins have also returned once more. But there is something else in air, bedsides the odes of spring. There is a building energy rippling through the photography community, a sense of baited anticipation as more migrating birds begin to return home for the summer or stop by on their way to distant nesting sites. It’s this energy, more than spring storms and muddy boots, that has me on edge.
Excitement is contagious, and there are few things more exciting to a wildlife photographer than getting the perfect shot. When you add in endearing elements like blossoms and babies, excitement can become impulsivity, pushing past the thinking part of the brain into territories unknown.
Young owlets have already been spotted in my area, and soon fox kits will begin to emerge. Birds will begin nesting in the coming weeks as well, followed shortly by newborn ungulates and curious bear cubs. Sightings of these happenings are always wonderful, but they can also whip observers into a frenzy that pushes people beyond ethics and empathy.
As mesmerizing as it is to see the beauty of nature reborn each year, it’s important to remember the ethics of wildlife photography now, more than ever. Do research about a species before you engage with them. Learn their habits, how they express fear and anxiety, and ways you might minimize your impact on their habitat. Animals, especially those with young, can be appear alert for a multitude of reasons; the goal is to ensure that the reason is not you. Keep your distance from nesting birds and use a telephoto lens when photo opportunities arise. Never alter habitat, handle young, or remove eggs from nests. Consider the impact of your photography on the stress of being a parent, and refrain from approaching animals with their young. Also consider the cumulative impact of photographers on a particular subject and remember that the goal is not to habituate your subject to your presence through repeated encounters. Never flush, startle or separate wildlife, and be aware that predators are also watching for secluded young and abandoned nests. Most importantly, remember that the well-being of your subject should be placed above all else and that seeing other photographers break the rules is not an excuse to mimic poor behaviour.
Spring photography can be exhilarating and having an encounter with a newly born animal can be an incredible experience. There are also few things that bring engagement to your photography like a good photo of a baby. So, as spring unfurls and summer warms the days, I will be watching with excitement for my own wildlife encounters, tampering my excitement so as to keep a clear head when the time comes to raise my camera. Done with the care and consideration befitting the subject, photographing the miracle of life can be a wonderful thing.
