Wild Encounters

Working with wildlife you often don’t get time to compose your subject as you wish. You have to work with what you’re given, and this makes you a better photographer I’ve firmly believe.

Taking your images as seen, showing natural behaviour is something you should always strive for. Respect, subject knowledge and a sense of awareness must come before any photographs you take.

Ask nothing from your subject, behave like you’re a visitor in their world and let them be wild and free. The benefits of this will reflect in your images.

During the recent Red Deer rut in the Peak District National Park I’ve noticed an increase in people with cameras just simply trying to walk ups to the deer.

Which is completely the wrong approach and really dangerous at this time of year when the male stags are full of testosterone defending their territories and females.

In an age where wildlife and photography have become more accessible to everyone there should be a greater importance placed on wildlife first, photograph second. A lack of respect for the subject is a common patten now within wildlife photography.

Seeing our largest land mammal, the Red Deer in the wild is an incredible experience and one I was glad to share with many clients who have booked onto my wild Red Deer workshops. My hope is they all went away with nice photos but more importantly a better understanding of ethics and fieldcraft.

Do not destroy or alter habitat in pursuit of a photo, including traveling to and from a site. Do not disturb or distract wildlife to get its attention or to encourage certain behaviour. You could prevent the species from foraging, hunting or taking cover.

Avoid flash photography or the intrusive, dangerous use of drones. Do not set traps for the purposes of photography. 

Don’t go into a habitat or approach wildlife without sufficient knowledge of how to act sensitively and responsibly. Be aware of special reasons for caution or care, eg breeding season.

Know the signs of stress in your subject species. Check for any plant, tree, animal diseases that you must be careful not to spread. Consider any legal protections that apply to species you are photographing (eg dormice / bats) 

Follow ethical guidelines if putting food out for wildlife. Consider their health and the way you may influence their natural and safe behaviour, never live bait. 

Caption accurately and honestly. Misleading information about the circumstances of a photo can lead to misinformation about the behaviour or location of a species, or lead to inappropriate practice by other photographers seeking to learn from your technique.

The use of digital manipulation to present a false impression of wildlife location or behaviour is unacceptable. 

Some species may be the target of persecution, harassment or illegal hunting and revealing the precise location could put them at risk. Avoid giving away precise locations in the caption or photograph where doing so could put wildlife at risk. 

To read more about ethics, respect and working wild and how I’ve work as a professional wildlife photographer for the last sixteen years click here to read more on my website. Thank you to all the clients I’ve met over the last few weeks, many thanks.