Wildlife Conservation through Photography, Conservation Photography

"Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land."
- Aldo Leopold

Conservation Photography

Conservation Photography has its foundation in nature photography, but beyond documenting nature, conservation photography answers to the mission of protecting nature.

It’s not so much that we photograph in protected areas, but that protected areas are created where we photograph. This is what nature photographers should strive for...

- Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier

While all professional nature photographers share one thing in common - the need for money to buy food and more hard drive space - beyond that there is a clear divergence of motives emerging. The “commodity photographer” is primarily concerned with filling the shelves with popular lines that they and their agents know have sold in the past.

Another group of photographers also believes strongly in eating but for reasons of conscience, principle, self-delusion or outright market ignorance pursue agendas beyond simply the creation of attractive imagery because they believe that in some ill-defined way their work can make a difference....The term “conservation photographer” has been coined to describe members of this group but I prefer the term, “photo-activist.”

- Niall Benvie