Photo byCarleton E. Watkins (1829–1916) of Mt. Broderick and Nevada Fall (700 ft.) at Yosemite Valley in 1861Photo byAnsel Adams of Yosemite Half Dome, Apple Orchard, trees with snow on branches in April 1933
Photography has developed as a powerful medium to empower conservation. Photography has served this role since the 1860s, although not widely acknowledged as such.[1] A notable example are the powerful images ofCarleton Watkins which were successfully used to stimulate the establishment ofYosemite National Park in 1864 andWilliam Henry Jackson andAnsel Adams who advocated for expansion and continued funding of the park.
Renewed emphasis on photography-for-conservation arose at the beginning of the 21st century, primarily in response to the human-causedenvironmental crisis, recognizing that the global pattern ofecosystem degradation was not sustainable.
Photo of a vendor in Tanzania in 2000 selling to touriststhreatened speciesseashells which have been taken alive from the sea, killing the animal inside
Conservation and photography appear as two distinct fields, but their combined impact can be profound. Simply put, conservation photography is photography that empowers or enables conservation.
According to the photographer,Joel Sartore, "the typical nature photograph shows a butterfly on a pretty flower. The conservation photograph shows the same thing, but with a bulldozer coming at it in the background. This doesn't mean there's no room for beautiful pictures, in fact we need beautiful images just as much as the issues. It does mean that the images exist for a reason; to save the Earth while we still can."
The serious conservation photographer brings to their work a deep empathy for the natural world. Proper use of the resulting images has the power to bring about positive change.
Conservation photographs fall into two broad categories, both of which are equally valuable:
The snapshot: upon seeing a striking scene one pulls out a cell phone or point-and-shoot camera, and snaps some quick framed pictures without expending too much time or effort.
The carefully crafted image: one sees the same scene, but instead of quickly shooting it and moving on, they take a series of skillfully crafted, high-quality images that tell the story in a more powerful way. Dramatic framing enhances the influence of a picture.
Such photographs have a stronger impact on the audience. One may also proactively seek opportunities to take crafted conservation pictures. Determined effort can result in excellent photo stories that can move people's hearts and minds.[2]
In order to create an impact, conservation pictures should be put to work for specific causes. Though not every picture may find an immediate use, a carefully catalogued archive of conservation pictures can help increase impact of conservation related news stories, provide material for public awareness campaigns, includinginternet activism and sometimes serve asInvestigative journalism evidence in court proceedings. Images ofhabitat destruction, especially inprotected areas, can be important as legal evidence against the activity.
Specialty fields
Several specialty fields benefit from their use of conservation photography, these include:
There are manyenvironmental organizations that effectively use conservation photography to help advocate their goals. Just a few are:
ARKive is a global initiative with the mission of "promoting the conservation of the world's threatened species, through the power of wildlife imagery", which it does by locating and gathering films, photographs and audio recordings of the world'sspecies into a centraliseddigitalarchive. Its current priority is the completion of audio-visual profiles for the c. 17,000 species on theIUCN Red List ofthreatened species.[3]
Sanctuary Asia isIndia's first and one of its leadingenvironmentalnews magazines. It was founded in 1981 to raise awareness amongIndian people of their disappearingnatural heritage. The magazine is attractively packaged[4] with colored photographs. TheSanctuary Photo Library' is a melting pot of natural history visuals, information and resources used to produce some of the finest wildlife and nature calendars, posters, slide shows, exhibitions and other products available in India.
Sierra club maintains a publishing imprint,Sierra Club Books, publishing books on environmental issues, wilderness photographic essays, nature guides, and other related subjects. They publish the Sierra Club Calendars, perennial bestsellers, featuring photographs by well-known nature photographers such asGalen Rowell.
Media related toConservation photography at Wikimedia Commons
