Individual Study

This report is intended to explore the main aspects of Wildlife photography. I will discuss the marketplace, the career options, the equipment required and appraisals of leading practitioners work.

What is the market for the wildlife photographer?

“The five most common areas of work were weddings and other private commissions, business/corporate, news, stock photography and family and school photography, undertaken by between 20% and 40% of photographers. Areas where photographers were more likely to specialise included celebrity/paparazzi, wildlife and sport.”

http://www.skillset.org/uploads/pdf/asset_13234.pdf?5

This shows that wildlife photography is one of the most common areas for photographers to enter. This makes wildlife photography one of the most competitive fields to get into.

Photography is particularly difficult for women to enter. Based on Skillset’s Employment Census in 2009, out of 750 employees only 50 of these were women.

http://www.skillset.org/uploads/excel/asset_14505.xls?1

This shows that there is a massive gender gap within photography.

Although, it is difficult to enter as it is very competitive, it is easier to enter as a freelance photographer and stock photographer. As it is skill that then prevails, as with stock, buyers buy the best image that they need. There are also many grants to enable the skilled photographer to be able to achieve their dream project, which could then get them noticed through publicity and they would also create a strong portfolio.

What are the career options?

Wildlife photography can be used for conservation or just commercially.

Wildlife photographers both capture the behaviour of animals and document what animals look like. This can be used for conservation to see how animals behave, what they look like and where they live. As most wildlife photographers love wildlife, they use their photographs for conservation. However, some photographers also branch into landscape photography as well.

Wildlife photographers can either be freelance or work for a publication such as National Geographic. They can also offer workshops to photographers to further their skills.

Equipment?

The main equipment for a wildlife photographer is a DSLR camera. A telephoto lens is usually used for example, a 55-200mm lens. Another important lens used is a macro lens. This is used for close ups particularly insects. Filters are also used when a landscape is included in the wildlife photo. The main filters are polarising filters and graduated neutral density filters. Polarising filters act like sunglasses and allow more detail and colour in the photo. Graduated neutral density filters allow the image to be correctly exposed. This is achieved by darkening the sky to prevent over exposure and loss of detail and leaving the rest correctly exposed.

Who buys photography commercially?

The public buys photographs from a photographer’s website. Stock image websites also sell images. Photographers can add their images to these websites for their images to be sold. These images are bought mainly by graphics designers for websites and advertising. They are also bought for magazines, books, textbooks, greetings card companies, TV and film companies and non-profit organisations.

http://www.stockphoto.net/FAQ/Answer.php?FAQ=2

“In addition, photographers reported working for a wide range of clients, the most common being private individuals/general public, corporate/business, magazines and newspapers.”

http://www.skillset.org/uploads/pdf/asset_13234.pdf?5

Who are the successful practitioners and how do they survive?

Heather Angel

http://www.heatherangel.co.uk/galleries.aspx?galId=5&disId=120

This photo is a leopard in Namibia. She used a Nikon F5 with a 500mm lens. She waited two days in a hide to get this photo. There was a pool of light at the bottom of the rock face. The leopard happened to walk into the pool of light and just look at her.

The World’s Top Photographers and the stories behind their greatest images (Wildlife) p15 (2002)

This is a portrait of a leopard that captured what a leopard looks like in perfect light that could just be captured in that moment.

This photo works as the colours of the image show off the leopard. Also, the eye of the viewer is drawn to the leopard’s eyes and is fixed on the stare of the leopard.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/pictures/photos-01398/royal-photographic-society/1

This is a photo of a Giant Panda in Wolong, China’s largest panda reserve. This photo was taken using a Nikon F4 with an 80-200mm lens. This was another photo which captured a moment in time, but it shows the behaviour of the panda. She was looking in the opposite direction to this panda, when she heard a noise. She then looked over and saw the panda lose its footing and slide down the hill. She took about four photos of the sequence, but there was only this one with its feet in the air. She said ‘I knew I had captured a fun picture, which always get a positive reaction.’

The World’s Top Photographers and the stories behind their greatest images (Wildlife) p16 (2002)

In the image the panda looks like it is enjoying itself, it adds an almost comedic mood to the image. The panda has all its feet in the air and its mouth open, this appears to make the panda seem like it is laughing.

Steve Bloom

http://stevebloomphoto.com/blog/

This photo is of elephants walking in Kenya’s Amboseli’s National Park. This photo was taken with a Canon EOS 3 with a 70-200mm lens. The photo was taken from a micro light. He was able to photograph the elephants in one single pass.

The World’s Top Photographers and the stories behind their greatest images (Wildlife) p27 (2002)

This shows a different view to photograph elephants, as the focus is on the elephants’ shadows rather than the animals themselves. The image could only have been taken at that time, as at a different time of the day the shadows would be in a different place. The image shows what the animal looks like, even with the outline of the silhouette, and it also shows behaviour, as it shows a herd of elephants migrating. The viewer’s eye is immediately drawn to the centre of the image where the silhouettes are. The viewer then looks along the herd noticing every elephant.

http://www.stevebloom.com/index.php?page=single&id=001542-SB1

http://www.stevebloom.com/index.php?page=single&id=001543-SB1&lbx=&lbxn=&mii=1&back_link=%2Findex.php%3Fpage%3Dresults%26pageno%3D1%26keyword_options%3D%26submit%3Dsearch_theme%26keywords_search%3D%26animal%3D7%26theme%3D%26stxt%3DOrangutans%26rp%3D64%26lbx%3D%26lbxn%3D

These photos were taken in Borneo’s Tanjung Putting National Park. Bloom was covering orang-utans being rehabilitated back into the jungle by the Indonesian government. It was taken using a Canon EOS 1N with a 70-200mm lens and a 300mm lens.

The World’s Top Photographers and the stories behind their greatest images (Wildlife) p29 (2002)

Both of these photos show the behaviour of these animals. They show behaviour that is almost human like with trying to catch the rain and using a shelter for the rain. As the orang-utans appear human like, there is automatic appeal for the viewer. In both of the images the viewer is drawn straight to the orang-utans out of curiosity to see what they are doing in the image. Both of the images could also have only been taken at that one specific moment. Capturing the rain in the image also adds to the concept of the images, as with a faster shutter speed the rain would have been lost and so would the context of the images.

Jim Brandenburg

http://blog.graysofwestminster.co.uk/2010/05/07/jim-brandenburg-has-4-images-included-in-top-forty-nature-photographs/

This photo was taken in Namibia. It was taken using a Nikon F3 with an 80-200mm lens. He was on an assignment for National Geographic when he took this photo. At the time, there were droughts, which lead to many oryx dying of starvation. He had a vision of a photo of an oryx looking for food. ‘It was a very challenging environment within which to work.’ ‘You would take one step forwards and fall two back and the wind driving the sand around caused equipment to malfunction on occasions.’ Eventually, he got the photo.

The World’s Top Photographers and the stories behind their greatest images (Wildlife) p39 (2002)

It fulfils the vision, as the eye is first drawn to the oryx and then you see the dry arid landscape. The single oryx track and the single oryx with its shadow emphasises the loneliness of the oryx and therefore, fulfils the brief. The light and the shadows of the desert also helps to create an almost sombre mood. The line of light on the desert leads the viewer’s eye to the lone oryx.

Frans Lanting

http://www.franslanting.com/stock/index.php?module=media&pId=102&id=61757&category=gallery/Mammals&start=0

This photo was taken in the Masai Mara in Kenya. This is a line of wildebeest taken at dawn using a 600mm lens. The light makes a silhouette of the wildebeest and creates a red colour to the clouds. ‘The sky was incredible: mornings and evenings are classic times to take pictures in this area.’

The World’s Top Photographers and the stories behind their greatest images (Wildlife) p83 (2002)

The deep colours in the in the sky that go down into a light orange draw the viewer’s eye from the top of the image to the wildebeest at the bottom of the image. As the wildebeest are silhouetted this image isn’t necessarily what the animal looks like, but it shows behaviour, as it shows the wildebeest as a herd. The sunrise colours add to the appeal of the image, as they are warm pleasing colours, which also create mood in the image. The clouds also help add detail and more to frame the silhouetted wildebeest.

http://www.luzphoto.com/author.php?authorCode=lanting

This photo is of a toucan and it was taken in Brazil. It was taken using a 100mm macro lens. He used a habituated bird, as he wouldn’t be able to get that close to a wild bird. The photo not only emphasises the colours of the toucan, but also the textures of the feathers, the skin and the beak of the toucan. ‘…people know what a toucan looks like and so it wasn’t necessary to show the whole bird.’ ‘By just pulling out a section I was able to make the picture into a series of textures, and the combination of the feathers, the hard skin around the eye and the smoothness of the beak all worked together well.’

The World’s Top Photographers and the stories behind their greatest images (Wildlife) p86 (2002)

An image this close up first draws the viewer in as they wonder what the image is of. It is also unusual as not many people will see a toucan that close.

Andy Rouse

http://www.andyrouse.co.uk/index.php?page_id=7

This photo is of an elephant spraying mud. It was taken in Botswana using a Canon EOS 5 and a 17mm lens. When the mud wallow was unoccupied he set the camera up so that he could fit the whole scene in. He had to set it up with no elephants around. When an elephant came into the mud wallow, he took a few photos. When the elephant heard the shutter, it sprayed mud at the camera. He took the photo just as the mud hit the lens.

The World’s Top Photographers and the stories behind their greatest images (Wildlife) p134 (2002)

This image could only have been taken at that precise moment. The angle that the image was taken at makes it more dramatic and adds to the intended feel of the image. The image captures the playfulness and anger of the elephant at the same time. The sprayed mud also stops just before the elephant in the background. This means that the viewer’s eye is drawn to the elephant in the background. If the mud had spread further and covered the elephant in the background, the elephant would not be as clear and may detract from the image.

Kennan Ward

http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/discoverycentre/wild/biogeographic-regions/arctic/polar-bear/

This photo is of polar bears at Cape Churchill. This image was taken after the bears had finished sparring with each other. The bears lead down and Kennan then took the photo.

The World’s Top Photographers and the stories behind their greatest images (Wildlife) p152 (2002)

This photo was a moment in time as the bears are perfectly spaced, with three lead down and the closest bear looking at the camera. However, Kennan was only able to take this photo so closely through years of studying polar bears.

The colour of the sky, which is then reflected in the ice in the image, helps to create a calm mood to the image. This calm mood is in contrast to the usual nature of the polar bears. The eye of the viewer is immediately drawn to the polar bear that is sat up and looking at the camera. The eye then follows the polar bears that are lead down from the nearest to the farthest away.

What is funding?

Funding is when an organisation or an agency gives a photographer money to be able to join their dream project. This could be in the form of grants and competitions that are awarded to photographers for projects. These grants are differing amounts of money. They work like competitions. Many photographers enter and then the winner gets a grant to spend on a project.

Who funds environmental projects?

There are many grants that allow photographers money to be able to fund their chosen projects. This allows photographers to be able to continue doing environmental projects without having to have another job to be able to fund them. A few of the grants are:

The Photocrati Fund is a grant that offers the winning photographer $5000 for humanitarian or environmental projects.

IdeasTap Photographic award offers six finalists £1,500 for their dream projects. There are three categories Photojournalism, Environmental and Conceptual art.

http://www.david-campbell.org/photography/grants/

Organisations like National Geographic will also fund established photographers to take the photographs that are needed for their publications, like Jim Brandenburg’s Oryx.

Conclusion

Wildlife photography is particularly competitive. However, for the skilled practitioner there are opportunities to fulfil their ambitions within conservation projects through grants. Photography is also difficult for women to enter.

Wildlife images are mainly portraits of the animals or behavioural images, mainly used for conservation.

There are a large number of buyers for photographic images, particularly stock images. Therefore, there is the potential for the retail side of the wildlife photography market is to have a large number of sales.

There are many well established and successful practitioners within this field.

Bibliography

Terry Hope (2002). The World’s Top Photographers and the stories behind their greatest images (Wildlife). Switzerland. Rotovision.

Skillset http://www.skillset.org/uploads/pdf/asset_13234.pdf?5 [Accessed August 2011]

Skillset http://www.skillset.org/uploads/excel/asset_14505.xls?1 [Accessed August 2011]

Joel Day (2011) http://www.stockphoto.net/FAQ/Answer.php?FAQ=2 [Accessed August 2011]

Heather Angel http://www.heatherangel.co.uk/galleries.aspx?galId=5&disId=120 [Accessed August 2011]

Associated Newspapers Limited (2011) http://www.metro.co.uk/news/pictures/photos-01398/royal-photographic- society/1 [Accessed August 2011]

Steve Bloom (2011) http://stevebloomphoto.com/blog/ [Accessed August 2011]

Steve Bloom Images (2002 – 2011) http://www.stevebloom.com/index.php?page=single&id=001542-SB1 [Accessed August 2011]

Steve Bloom Images (2002 – 2011) http://www.stevebloom.com/index.php?page=single&id=001543-SB1&lbx=&lbxn=&mii=1&back_link=%2Findex.php%3Fpage%3Dresults%26pageno%3D1%26keyword_options%3D%26submit%3Dsearch_theme%26keywords_search%3D%26animal%3D7%26theme%3D%26stxt%3DOrangutans%26rp%3D64%26lbx%3D%26lbxn%3D [Accessed August 2011]

www.amazinginternet.com http://blog.graysofwestminster.co.uk/2010/05/07/jim-brandenburg-has-4-images-included-in-top-forty-nature-photographs/ [Accessed August 2011]

Franz Lanting Stock http://www.franslanting.com/stock/index.php?module=media&pId=102&id=61757&category=gallery/Mammals&start=0 [Accessed August 2011]

LUZphoto Agency (2011) http://www.luzphoto.com/author.php?authorCode=lanting [Accessed August 2011]

ARWP LTD (2011) http://www.andyrouse.co.uk/index.php?page_id=7 [Accessed August 2011]

MUSEUM VICTORIA http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/discoverycentre/wild/biogeographic-regions/arctic/polar-bear/ [Accessed August 2011]

David Campbell (2011) http://www.david-campbell.org/photography/grants/ [Accessed August 2011]