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learn more about wildlife, you will also discover where to find wildlife in your area that you can revisit on your own time with your camera in hand. Chances are that you will even make friends with people who share the same interest and find photography companions to join you on wildlife adventures. NANPA (National Association of Nature Photographers of America) is a great organization for learning about wildlife and wildlife photography, and for meeting other like-minded wildlife photographers. The association also promotes good field ethics to protect wildlife while you enjoy the opportunity to photograph it (see the section “Field Ethics” for more on NANPA). Wildlife conservation is another area where you can learn about wildlife and give back to the wildlife that gives you such photographing pleasure. Some conservation groups include National Wildlife Federation, World Wildlife Fund, and Defenders of Wildlife. An Internet search will help you find an organization in your location and area of interest.

Experts in the Field

Once you begin your research, you will be surprised at where it leads you. Knowing that mid-July is the best time to visit Florida to photograph Skimmers with their young (Figure 4.3), I make the trip there every couple of years. On one visit, an early-morning encounter with a couple of rangers led to an invitation to join them as they excavated a hatched-out sea turtle nest (Figure 4.4). Not only did I get some new images for my files, but I also learned that the turtles come ashore beginning in May to lay their eggs. The female drags her massive body out of the surf to the dunes at night and then uses her rear flippers to dig a hole in which she lays approximately 100 eggs that are ping-pong ball size. She then covers the nest with sand and returns to the sea, never to return to that nest again. Approximately 60 days later, the hatchlings dig their way out of the nest and scurry to the sea (usually in the cool, dark of night) where they remain until it’s their time to continue the reproduction process. I could go on and on, but I think you get my drift. Had I not met Ranger Mike, I wouldn’t have had such an interesting and educational morning. In addition to rangers, biologists, wildlife researchers, volunteers at various refuges, and so on are all great resources for information.

Figure 4.3 Using a wide aperture, especially with a longer lens, blurs distracting background details.

Figure 4.4 Working with experts provides excellent photo opportunities and learning experiences.

Field Ethics

As a wildlife photographer and observer you have a responsibility to enjoy your wildlife encounters safely and ethically. If you cause a subject to move away, you are too close. If your actions cause wildlife to flee, it could very well be the difference between life and death for your subject because the struggle to survive is great at certain times of the year. Keep in mind that you are not the only one your subject has encountered. Perhaps one small error on your part is no big deal in the overall scheme of things. But cumulative negative encounters by one person after another add up to learned behavior, and a once-tolerant subject may flee at the mere sight of the next photographer who comes along. Or, even worse, it may act defensively and attack.

My friend Moose Peterson has a quote on his website that states: “No photograph is worth sacrificing the welfare of a subject.”

NANPA has published the following guidelines for practicing good field ethics:

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Principles of Ethical Field Practices

• NANPA believes that following these practices promotes the well-being of the location, subject, and photographer. Every place, plant, and animal, whether above or below water, is unique, and cumulative impacts occur over time. Therefore, one must always exercise good individual judgment. It is NANPA’s belief that these principles will encourage all who participate in the enjoyment of nature to do so in a way that best promotes good stewardship of the resource.

Environmental: knowledge of subject