bringing photography to conservation research.
There are many applications for digital photography in conservation science, which is a bittersweet situation; the many opportunities for jobs for conservation photography does not suppress the reality of abundant issues we are currently experiencing. Some example areas that deem appropriate for digital photography include:
- wildlife management
- conservation restoration
- conservation of resources and ecosystems
- conservation activism (sp. used to create awareness and motivate change)
- illegal practices (e.g. logging, mining, poaching)
- movement or migration of species
- destruction/construction activity within protected area
- habitat fragmentation
- vehicle collisions with wildlife
- forest fires
- new roadways and/or wildlife corridors
- impacts of tourism
A prime example of conservation photography in action is through the lens of Brian Skerry, who has been a contract photographer for National Geographic Magazine since 1998. His focus lies mainly on underwater photography and issues relating to the biodiversity of the ocean. He has found himself in an array of situations, such as being threatened by approximately 60 hungry, hunting gray reef sharks in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (Warne, 2014) or diving beneath polar ice. Through his dedication to photography and determination to bring awareness to the sea, conservation scientists continue to address marine issues endangering the oceans and its inhabitants.
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Regardless of the focus for conservation photography, there is a great and sometimes unknown importance behind having both current and past images of the same area, ecosystem, or species. Heimbuch (2013) emphasizes this, stating that older photographs not only used in establishing awareness for present-day issues, but allow for a comparison of the same topic from two separate time periods. A prime example of this could be photographs of pre-Yellowstone National Park by Ansel Adams; his pictures helped establish the park and can be compared to current-day photographs taken by biologists and other park-goers. Through these photographs, we are able to observe significant changes in the landscape and flora diversity.