“Look deep into nature, you will understand everything better” -Albert Einstein.
I remember getting my first camera after I took a photography class senior year of high school; I chose a Canon Rebel T6i, a camera which was outdated enough even in 2014 that I had to purchase the display model. I bought a tripod and a 70-300mm lens and headed out to a local park as soon as I could. I remember taking photos of everything I could in that park, but as I walked through the wooded section, I came across a little pond. In that pond was a mother duck and one little duckling. I was elated. I switched to my 70-300 lens, zoomed all the way to 300, and I rattled off a bunch of shots. I looked at the preview of the photos on my camera’s little screen and was greeted by out of focus, blurry, poorly framed shots. All the noise from this process was enough to scare off my adorable subjects, but I wasn’t bothered. I had gotten my first taste of wildlife photography; for a moment I felt what I imagined all the photographers for National Geographic, Birds and Blooms, and countless other publications felt when they snapped a photo. Beyond that, I felt entwined with those ducks; I witnessed and participated in a moment of nature. Since that moment, I have worked hard on my technical photography skills and my knowledge of the natural world around me with the quote above as my guiding principle. I seek to look deep into nature, to understand its patterns, to bear witness to its spectacles, and most of all to capture its beauty and share it with those around me.
My Process
I believe in being transparent about what my process is to take photos of wildlife. The field of wildlife photography can be a highly competitive one, leading many to stage their photos. When done responsibly and ethically, this is a useful technique that can result in gorgeous photos; the trouble is that many fail to realize when they have crossed the line of unethical and ethical. Therefore, I do not stage my photos using food or artificially placed branches as to avoid the line entirely. I am first and foremost, an observer of nature; by letting nature be it’s wild self, I am able to take more intimate photos of wildlife. I respect the personal bubbles of my subjects and remain cognizant of their behavior to watch for displays of agitation, fear, or stress. This means that it is a harder and longer process with many failures along the way, but it is one that I deeply enjoy. When it comes to processing my images, I try to walk the line between creating a beautiful work of art and preserving the wild spirit of my subject in the photo. This means that I may clean up a few unideal sticks or specs of dust, but only if they distract from the subject of my photo. The wildlife community seems to be split on this topic as one side thinks that all processing in inauthentic and the other thinks that processing an image is no different than painting an imaginary landscape; the end goal for both sides is to create beautiful art. Whatever a photographers process, the most important things are transparency and a respect for nature.