Is this wildlife photography or not?

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Manglo

Manglo

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I found this comments under a YouTube video and would like to hear your opinions.

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Does it be wildlife photography if you take pictures from a hide where the owner placed food for the birds of prey? Does it be wildlife photography, if you take pictures in a local park, where a part of the park between ponds and the islands is a bird protection area, but the animals are used to people? If the heron can fly away any time he wants and you could also take pictures of him then, in a nearby field outside the park? But does it be wildlife photography then, if you travel to a national park in, let's say Africa, hire a local ranger who knows where lies a dead zebra from the day before and lions can be exspected. It's just a bigger park. ;-)
I'ld really like to hear your opinions.

Greetings
Manuel
 
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Hi Manuel, below is not an opinion but it's what I'd use as a reference:

wildlife
  • n.

    Animals that have not been domesticated or tamed and are usually living in a natural environment, including both game and nongame species.
  • n.

    animals living and plants growing in their natural environment

pho•tog•ra•phy
  • n.

    The art or process of producing images of objects on photosensitive surfaces.
  • n.

    The art, practice, or occupation of taking and printing photographs.
  • n.

    A body of photographs.
 
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First, PLEASE, I'm begging anyone who replies to this thread, please keep it civil. This can be a great discussion but one that can easily go off the rails. As you know, as soon as it does I'll lock the thread.

Also, keep in mind this isn't a black and what topic - there is a LOT of gray area. After all, most of us wouldn't have a problem with someone photographing songbirds at a feeder, but most of us would balk at the idea of baiting owls.

Let's make this a productive discussion :)
 
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'Does it fit in the definition' questions are often very difficult to answer. I think this is a hard one that is open to interpretation.
I don't have a fixed opinion about what can and can't be considered widlife photography. A good starting point for this discussion might be to look at the exact meaning of the words, so I shared it. I wasn't trying to suggest there is a simple answer. Sorry if it came across that way.
 
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I just love to shoot, whether it is considered a wildlife photo with or without bait and or captive photo, does not matter, what does matter is that said photo is identified as such. If you pigeon hole yourself into what is and isn't you are going to miss a lot of good shots. If you are not a pro, who cares what niche it was taken in. If you are a pro, than I think to maintain some sort of truth with your photos you need to be honest with your viewers.
 
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This is one of the topics I watch very closely in the Facebook group my wife and I run. Some topics just seem to bring out the worst in people. Personally, I think there are 2 different topics here. 1) shooting baited wildlife and 2) shooting from a blind / hide (depending on which side of the Atlantic one is located).

I don't see any problem shooting from a blind. In fact, it can be less stressful on wildlife.
Shooting baited in wildlife isn't my cup of tea. I make an exception for suburban / backyard birds at feeders. I know, seems illogical but just my personal thing.

With raptors, especially owls, I do not like to see people using live mice to bring them in. I think pet store domestic mice and rats run a huge risk of introducing disease to not only the owl but also the native rodent population which could cause starvation to the raptors if their food source is killed off by a human introduced plague.

What is legal vs what fits one's personal ethics do not always perfectly align. For the most part, the older I get the more I am of the opinion to live and let live. As long as a person is not breaking a law, who am I to tell them how to live their lives?

Horror of horrors, I used to be an avid hunter. I gave it up about 30 years ago in favor of shooting wildlife with my camera instead of a rifle or shotgun. I have nothing against hunting or hunters. It is just not my thing any longer.

Is it wildlife photography? Who am I to say? If I take a photo of a captive animal, I always clearly call that out when I publish the photo and I rarely take photos of such animals. I prefer to shoot photos of wildlife free to roam and try to capture them doing what they do naturally in their native environment. But that is a personal choice.

At the end of the day, if folks discus it with civility I will let it happen on our group, if it starts getting ugly, like @Steve, I will shut it down.

Jeff
 
I would check out the subject at The National Audubon Society on ethical bird photography. I myself do shoot birds of prey that visit my feeders and other wildlife as well. Pretty much anytime finches are congregate you will see a few hawks. I will generally indicate that in the description. I do not ever specifically bait animals but my bird feeders stay busy due to our location. I only put bird seed out.
I am not good at sitting still but I have set a blind in locations I know animals will pass, not much different really.... 🤷‍♂️
 
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i share the opinion of many others that if the animal is free to go, it’s wildlife. If it’s captive, it is not. Whether you feed/bait isn’t related to whether or not the animal is wild. Here in Florida, I can get quite close to many birds without feeders nearby. For bird photography, it doesn’t get much better than here. It is helpful to go where the desired subject is plentiful and allows you to be closer so research pays off. Last year, I had a Barred Owl fly down to the ground about 5 feet away from where I was standing. I couldn’t get any photos because it was too close.
 
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To me, anything not a domesticated animal is wild whether in captivity or not. Many will disagree with the captivity part of that statement. I would then point to the manipulation of images with today's editing software. At what point is it not photography? It is all about taking images with my camera equipment. If I enjoy myself capturing the images and it gives me pleasure viewing my images, I really don't get hung up on someone's opinion restricting what is or isn't wildlife photography or photography period.
 
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Honestly.. what difference does it make.. Wildlife or not, we photograph to enjoy the experience. Be it walking miles through wild forest (like I do) or setting up hides and perch branches (like my best friend does), we both enjoy it to the same degree and do it with the same motivation.

PS. I care even less what others think, as long as I am comfortable with what I do. Don't let others influence your mojo.
 
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Baiting is often declared but how about this: I know someone who not only is a great photographer, but has an intimate knowledge of his subjects from insects to birds and mammals. Sometimes he just observes from a chosen vantage point for a while looking for birds going to and from a nest, for instance. Once he has identified some regular activity he will often have a look round for a bolder that he can put on the flightpath to the nest. Once in place and he has retreated to his vantage point the birds start stopping off on the bolder! so he is not baiting, but is it cricket (as we say in the UK)?
 
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dabhand16 said:
Baiting is often declared but how about this: I know someone who not only is a great photographer, but has an intimate knowledge of his subjects from insects to birds and mammals. Sometimes he just observes from a chosen vantage point for a while looking for birds going to and from a nest, for instance. Once he has identified some regular activity he will often have a look round for a bolder that he can put on the flightpath to the nest. Once in place and he has retreated to his vantage point the birds start stopping off on the bolder! so he is not baiting, but is it cricket (as we say in the UK)?
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If he's big enough to move boulders I'm not going to be the one to argue with him :rolleyes:
 
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To me anything in a Zoo or in captivity is a photograph and should be labeled that way because it might encourage someone to try and get that close to an animal to get the same images. I don't mind seeing images like this and for someone who doesn't have the experience and resources like some of us have could teach them a lot about light and help them out, that way they don't put so much stress on wild animals. I have only been a wildlife photographer for a few short years but a avid hunter before that. I didn't think about things like this when I was young but not that I'm older I have learned to respect wildlife on a completely different level. I don't really agree with people who bait or call wildlife in because in a lot of ways I respect my work enough to really earn that photograph again I have seen a lot of people do different things but it does put a lot of stress on animals so it's just a no no to me just a personal choice.
 
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Tiago Cardoso said:
'Does it fit in the definition' questions are often very difficult to answer. I think this is a hard one that is open to interpretation.
I don't have a fixed opinion about what can and can't be considered widlife photography. A good starting point for this discussion might be to look at the exact meaning of the words, so I shared it. I wasn't trying to suggest there is a simple answer. Sorry if it came across that way.
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Not at all :)
 
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What a complex question and I tend to look at it from a purpose standpoint.

Is it a picture for a competition? If so, what are the published rules - whether I agree with them or not is irrelevant, the organizers elected a certain definition and that's what it is.

Is it for a specific forum or website (like here or elsewhere)? Again, what are the rules or guidelines for that forum?

For everything else that is up to me on how to classify things, my rules are simple - is the animal free to come, go and roam? Is the bait meant as an attractant or is it instead a significant part of their diet? If the latter, they are not quite "wild" anymore - their behavior has started to change. If one is simply taking advantage of a behavior to increase likelyhood of success (in a safe and respectful way) and the animal is not relying on humans for survival, then the animal is wild.

And if it is not a safe and respectful practice (like using shop-raised mice for owls and other examples mentioned above) - then it doesn't belong in my toolbox.

Just to give a couple examples - using decoys for ducks in my book is fine. The ducks might eventually realize they got fooled but if done in a safe fashion nothing bad will result from it and the ducks will continue to gather in the future as they have in the past.

Also, while shooting black bears in Quebec, I used to trap beavers, let them fester for a couple days and nail them in a tree to get the bears to climb. I'd use one beaver every week in an area with dozens of bears - definitely not upsetting their diet or how they acquire food (festering beaver is like desert for black bears so one has to be cautious to use them with moderation). Black bears climb trees all the time, I provided them a reason to do so in a predictable place. And it was safer for them and me, because I was in a blind perched in a tree myself and we didn't run the risk of colliding by mistake because I'd be roaming the woods looking for a shot.
Per the original post, some photographers would take offense to that practice, and I understand their position, but I am OK with it - those bears were as wild when I left as I had found them. But then the question of purpose becomes critical - I would not enter these shots in a competition where the rules preclude baiting.
 
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FB101 said:
And if it is not a safe and respectful practice (like using shop-raised mice for owls and other examples mentioned above) - then it doesn't belong in my toolbox...
while shooting black bears in Quebec, I used to trap beavers, let them fester for a couple days and nail them in a tree to get the bears to climb....
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I'm not sure that I understand the line that's crossed from one of these to the other. Is it wild grown bait versus farm raised? In other words if you trap wild mice is it then OK to bait the owls? But it would be off limits to bait bears as many hunters do with "ripened" store bought poultry rather than killing a beaver?
 
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Our fish and game department constructs blinds with walkways in sensitive areas to control the flow of people and protect habitat. In those areas, you can only use the blind and only follow the designated pathway. So, I choose to use the blinds and enjoy the opportunities. If someone finds that somehow impure, well they will probably find something else to not like in any case.
 
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