As I reported in my last blog post, Edin won the wildlife category of NZ Geo Photographer of the Year. In relation to this I overheard a comment about a photo of a dead bird winning a wildlife photography competition. I didn’t hear the full context so chose to interpret it as an observation rather than a criticism but it got me thinking and highlights some of the challenges conservation/wildlife photographers have in communicating messages. NZ Geographic’s role is communicating and educating in this space so a photo with a message is more important that just a pretty picture

It is said that responses to photos say more about the observer than the photographer and I think that is true. I know what I am trying to say with my images but whether the viewer sees that or not (or even something completely different) is up to them. Edin’s image of a deceased Antipodean albatross which was being predated by 2 (alive) skua is a lot more than a photo of a dead bird but to fully appreciate that requires a little more knowledge and insight.

Those involved with birds and conservation would likely recognise it as an Antipodean albatross, probably the most at risk albatross in the world. They would appreciate that this chick is the result of 2 years of the parent’s time and the loss to the population devastating. Seeing that recycled into the environment through the skua is the cycle of life but the impact of this event to the survival of the species is significant.

How do we convey these messages in a single image so that people who don’t have that background can understand and care enough to help? The risk with a powerful but confronting image is that people will look away and move on without taking the message onboard. I know that some who felt obligated to vote for the image in the People Choice category would have preferred a more attractive image to support.

I can share the thought processes behind my finalist image of Hoiho/Yellow-eyed penguins. These are probably the most threatened penguins in the world and are becoming more and more difficult to see on mainland New Zealand due the range of threats they face. My aim with my photo was to try and portray the birds looking a little bewildered with a deluge of threat descending on them. I chose to use a slow shutter speed to create a sense of motion in the spray. The end result is a pleasing enough image with a subtle message that most people, even those with insight to their plight, may not even see. Viewers wouldn’t turn away from it but it would need a caption to make the message clear.

That is the fine line we need to walk – show a message with subtlety or risk people looking away when the image is too confronting.

After writing this piece I spoke with Edin and asked permission to share her image in this post. This was her comment;

“Nature photography should reflect nature as it is – beautiful at times and horrific at others. Both sides are important. Telling the stories of our human impact on the wild world is also important. Sometimes a pretty picture cannot do justice to a thing, cannot tell the true story. It is confronting and it should be. Too many horrific things are out of sight out of mind as it is. To want to look away is natural, but it is also choosing to ignore the problems that humans are causing.” – Edin Whitehead