Wildlife Photography over Nature Photography

Abstract

Wildlife photography is one of the most popular genres in photography. Although the history of wildlife photography goes back more than 100 years, until recently there was no internationally accepted definition for it. Since 2015, a number of leading photography organizations around the world have filled this gap, establishing the wildlife photography genre as a more consistent subject area, subject to a common international definition. The main purpose of this article is to identify the exact shape of the wildlife photography genre by considering the specific newly introduced definition with referring to existing sources.

Full text

International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI)
ISSN (Online): 2319 – 7722, ISSN (Print): 2319 – 7714
www.ijhssi.org ||Volume 9 Issue 9 Ser. II || September 2020 || PP 49-52
DOI: 10.35629/7722-0909024952 www.ijhssi.org 49 | Page
Wildlife Photography over Nature Photography
D. Randula Podduwage1, R.M.Patrick Ratnayake2
1, 2 – Drama & Theatre and Image Arts Unit, Department of Fine Arts, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
ABSTRACT
Wildlife photography is one of the most popular genres in photography. Although the history of wildlife
photography goes back more than 100 years, until recently there was no internationally accepted definition for
it. Since 2015, a number of leading photography organizations around the world have filled this gap,
establishing the wildlife photography genre as a more consistent subject area, subject to a common
international definition. The main purpose of this article is to identify the exact shape of the wildlife
photography genre by considering the specific newly introduced definition with referring to existing sources.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date of Submission: 10-09-2020 Date of Acceptance: 25-09-2020
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. INTRODUCTION
Capturing nature and wildlife images is an exclusive subject area of photography. It consists with the
collaboration knowledge of few subjects like Photography, Art, Technology, Wildlife and Environment.
Presently nature and wildlife photography and filming has been established as a one of the leading genres of
photography and as a recognized profession. Also it‟s been a trendy popular hobby among worldwide
photographers(theartcareerproject.com 2014).
There are many of photography competitions and publications regarding the nature and wildlife
photography genre from local to international levels. Among them, “Wildlife Photographer of the Year“
photography competition, which has been annually organized by the „Natural History Museum of London‟ and
„BBC wildlife‟ is regarded as the most prestigious nature and wildlife photography competition in the world
(Nicholls 2014). In 2014 the contest has received nearly 42000 entries from 96 countries(nhm.ac.uk 2014). It
proves the popularity of the competition as well as the popularity of the wildlife photography subject around the
world.
In Sri Lanka, the annual photography exhibition named as “Young Eye on Nature” is the longest
running nature and wildlife photography event of the country. The exhibition has been organized by Young
zoologists‟ Association of Sri Lanka through the last 25 years with the participation of both amateur and
professional Sri Lankan photographers. However in the presence many annually holding wildlife photography
exhibitions and competitions (like “Nethadara” wildlife and nature photography exhibition organizing by the
University of Moratuwa) can be observed in the country. These facts are clear evidences to prove the
progression of the popularity of wildlife photography in Sri Lanka as well.
Consequently today many people are engaged in the nature and wildlife photography field. They are
pompously calling themselves as wildlife photographers while eagerly wandering through forests and natural
environs to capture nature and wildlife to their cameras. However, it is not fair to call all of them as „wildlife
photographers‟ merely due to this reason. We cannot either annotate a photographer as a „wildlife photographer‟
quite because they use telephoto lenses to capture the nature.
DEFINING NATURE AND WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
According to the Collins dictionary, a wildlife photographer is, “someone that specializes in taking
photographs of wild animals, especially in their natural habitats, and plants” (Collins English Dictionary 2015)
But this definition is also not a complete definition to outline the character of a wildlife photographer or to
delineate the wildlife photography subject.
In 1st of June 2014, a new sound definition for nature and wildlife photography was established to
fulfill this huge gap of defining the wildlife photography subject. The new definition was found through a
collaborative effort of few international photographic associations (RPS 2014);
“Nature photography is restricted to the use of the photographic process to depict all branches of
natural history, except anthropology and archaeology, in such a fashion that a well-informed person will be
able to identify the subject material and certify its honest presentation. The story telling value of a photograph
must be weighed more than the pictorial quality while maintaining high technical quality. Human elements shall
not be present, except where those human elements are integral parts of the nature story such as nature
subjects, like barn owls or storks, adapted to an environment modified by humans, or where those human

Wildlife Photography over Nature Photography
DOI: 10.35629/7722-0909024952 www.ijhssi.org 50 | Page
elements are in situations depicting natural forces, like hurricanes or tidal waves. Scientific bands, scientific
tags or radio collars on wild animals are permissible. Photographs of human created hybrid plants, cultivated
plants, feral animals, domestic animals, or mounted specimens are ineligible, as is any form of manipulation
that alters the truth of the photographic statement.
No techniques that add, relocate, replace, or remove pictorial elements except by cropping are
permitted. Techniques that enhance the presentation of the photograph without changing the nature story or the
pictorial content, or without altering the content of the original scene, are permitted including HDR, focus
stacking and dodging / burning. Techniques that remove elements added by the camera, such as dust spots,
digital noise, and film scratches, are allowed. Stitched images are not permitted. All allowed adjustments must
appear natural. Color images can be converted to grayscale monochrome. Infrared images, either direct-
captures or derivations, are not allowed.
Images used in Nature Photography competitions may be divided in two classes: Nature and Wildlife.
Images entered in Nature sections meeting the Nature Photography Definition above can have
landscapes, geologic formations, weather phenomena, and extant organisms as the primary subject matter. This
includes images taken with the subjects in controlled conditions, such as zoos, game farms, botanical gardens,
aquariums and any enclosure where the subjects are totally dependent on man for food.
Images entered in Wildlife sections meeting the Nature Photography Definition above are further
defined as one or more extant zoological or botanical organisms free and unrestrained in a natural or adopted
habitat. Landscapes, geologic formations, photographs of zoo or game farm animals or of any extant zoological
or botanical species taken under controlled conditions are not eligible in Wildlife sections. Wildlife is not
limited to animals, birds and insects. Marine subjects and botanical subjects (including fungi and algae) taken
in the wild are suitable wildlife subjects, as are carcasses of extant species. Wildlife images may be entered in
Nature sections of Exhibitions.” (RPS 2014)
DIFFERENTIATING WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY OVER NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY.
The new definition came in to effect from 1st of January 2015 and now it is being majorly use globally
as the definition for nature and wildlife photography category. However, at present people seems to use the term
“Nature photography” as a synonym for wildlife photography genre. It is not untrue in general conditions as
Wildlife photography and Nature photography are considered as very compatible genres. Both have many
similarities and only few differences. Hence the definition covered both wildlife and nature photography genres
underneath a common category, it used the common term as “Nature Photography” to call for both nature and
wildlife photography genres.
Earlier there were many commonly used definitions for “nature photography” (Ex: FIAP definition of
Nature photography before 2014). But these definitions did not consider wildlife photography as a specific or a
related section. However this defect was corrected through this new nature photography definition by discussing
nature and wildlife photography as two different sub categories.
“Images used in Nature Photography competitions may be divided in two classes: Nature and
Wildlife”.
In this case the definition respectively outlines and clarifies about “nature photography” as a whole.
The first requirement of any nature or wildlife photograph is that it must be a result of any photographic process.
It means that images have to capture on a light sensitive surface like a film or a sensor.
It defines nature photography has to depict all branches of natural history, except anthropology (the
study of humanity and modern humans) and archaeology (the study of past human life and culture). Natural
history is a vast field consisting with many subjects like botany, zoology, geology, and ecology. In dictionary it
defines as the study of animals and plants in wild state or the study of all natural phenomena (Collins English
Dictionary 2015). As an advocate for natural history, Dr. T.L.Fleischner has explained that natural history spans
disciplines, it flows through science and painting and poetry and photography and literature and walks in the
woods. So he believes that natural history as the search for, and description of, patterns in nature which can be
either biotic or abiotic (T.L.Fleischner 2002). This means nature photography doesn‟t restrict to plants and
animals only. There are many more subjects found in the natural environment to consider.
The photograph has to be an honest presentation to get respected as a nature or wildlife photograph.
This means the image must not be a result of any unethical effort and has to be suite according to factors given
by the definition. Meanwhile the story reveal through the image is considered more important than its pictorial
quality in nature photography.
Any of human elements or any artifact should not be consisting in a nature photograph, but it is
considerable when those human elements enhance the nature story. Photographs of artificially produced hybrid
plants and cultivated plants are not considered as nature photographs. The common meaning of the word
“Cultivate” is to grow and/or improve by labour and attention (Collins English Dictionary 2015). The general
biological meaning is that cultivated plants are those that exist because their ancestors were taken from the wild

Wildlife Photography over Nature Photography
DOI: 10.35629/7722-0909024952 www.ijhssi.org 51 | Page
and grown under some form of controlled conditions that may have included careful breeding and selection.
Therefore any plant that is the principal subject of a nature image should have germinated and grown without
any human assistance and images (Killen 2014).
Further the definition elucidate that images of „Domestic animals‟ and „Feral animals‟ are also
ineligible. Domestic animal refers an animal, as the horse or cat that has been tamed and kept by humans as a
work animal, food source or pet (Collins English Dictionary 2015). Feral animals are animals that has escaped
captivity or domestication and gone on to survive in wild without assistance (Marrow and Boulter 2015).
Introduced animals are not ineligible. Moreover nature photograph must be truthful, from capture to
presentation. If an image does not appear “natural” to the viewers, it risks being disqualified as a nature
photograph (Davis 2009). Therefore nature photographers should always be cautious to select the exact shooting
techniques and should know the limits of after processing as well.
The definition has adduced points to differentiate the two sub categories of Nature photography and
wildlife photography. Basically Nature photography is a vast field which is consisted with many elements while
wildlife photography genre is positioned inside this vast arena with a very specific depth. For example some
photography competitions of present day have both nature and wildlife sections. In such occasions it is
permissible to enter any wildlife image in to the nature section but any nature image will not suit to enter for the
wildlife section. This means the images that satisfy the nature criteria do not necessarily satisfy the wildlife
criteria. An interpretation issued by Australian Photographic Society has described factors that have to be
considered to decide wildlife photograph from the nature photographs. Nature photography allows images of
captive or restrained zoological plants and animals. Therefore images of animals or birds in zoological gardens,
game farms or other similar enclosed areas are permitted in Nature. This includes situations in which the animal
or bird is totally dependent on man for food. Images of plants in botanical gardens are permitted provided they
are not hybrid plants or plants that they have been cultivated. Images of marine species in aquariums and similar
enclosures are also permitted.
But in relation to the definition, Wildlife photography requires subjects to be free and unrestrained in a
natural or adopted habitat.
Natural habitats are considered as any area where the subject of the image (any organism) lives or
grows without being forced to do so by humans. Adopted habitat means the habitat does not have to be a place
where animals or plants usually live or grow. It may be an unusual environment to which the particular animal
or plant in the image has adapted of its own free will. Such adopted environments might relate with human
influences. In such conditions human elements, artifacts might regard as the integral part of the nature story
requirement. Also the subject (Organisms shoeing in the image) must not be under any direct control of humans
nor should it be dependent upon humans for food. Natural influences must determine its life, behavior and death
(Killen 2014).
In addition to the above base followings, there are some other major considerations when defining a wildlife
image;
1. Environments such as aquariums, Zoological gardens, Game farms or other areas in which animals are
enclosed or confined are not considered natural environments for the purpose of wildlife photography.
(However images taken in these environments are acceptable as Nature images)
2. Animals in wildlife images should be free to come and go from the location in which they are
photographed.
3. It is unacceptable to temporarily relocate or restrict the freedom of animals (including insects and reptiles)
for the purpose of Wildlife photography.
4. National parks are considered natural environments because the plants and animals there are not considered
to be in “controlled conditions”.
5. Areas such as regenerated forests or parks in urban areas are considered natural environments for the
animals and plants that occur in them without human intervention.
6. It is unacceptable to relocate plants for the purpose of wildlife photography.
7. It is unacceptable to use techniques such as cooling or the application of chemicals to temporarily restrict
the movement of animals (including reptiles and insects) for both nature and wildlife photography.
8. Images of animals of birds that show scientific bands, tags or radio collars are permitted in both Nature and
wildlife photography.
9. There is no requirement that the animal or plant being photographed is indigenous to the country in which
the image is captured.
10. Images of exotic plants (plants that do not naturally grow in the area where they are photographed) are
acceptable provided they are not hybrid or cultivated.
11. Images of exotic animals are acceptable provided they are not feral or domestic animals and have to be free
and unrestrained.

Wildlife Photography over Nature Photography
DOI: 10.35629/7722-0909024952 www.ijhssi.org 52 | Page
12. Carcasses of extant species are accepted.
13. Landscapes and geological formations cannot be the primary subject matter in a Wildlife photograph.
14. In after processing stage, techniques that combine different images are not permitted.
15. Stitching as a means of increasing the subject matter covered by the image is not permitted.
16. Adjustments such as Contrast, Saturation and sharpness must not be excessive.
17. The application of filters that produce images that appear unnatural is not permitted.
18. The final nature image must appear realistic.
19. It is acceptable to use any in camera technique to capture a nature image (Ex: Slow shutter speed that blurs
movement is acceptable)
20. It is acceptable to use flash or other forms of artificial lighting to assist in the capture of nature and wildlife
images.
21. It is acceptable to capture Nature images with remotely or automatically triggered cameras.
(Killen 2014)
II. CONCLUSION
Referring to the definition and discussed clarifications it is clear that wildlife photography and nature
photography are very much similar in shape. Meanwhile wildlife and nature photography genres can be separate
cleanly and they have different characters as well. Briefly In both genres allows anything to do with natural
history except anthropology or archaeology. Different is that nature photography allows all extant organisms,
landscapes, geological formations and weather phenomena and the wildlife photography only allows images
which its main subject has to be relate with extant organisms like plants and animals that are free and
unrestrained in a natural or adopted environment. So it‟s explicable that wildlife photography is more specific
and has an exact shape than nature photography genre.
REFERRENCES
[1]. Collins English Dictionary. 2015. English Dictionary. In Collins English Dictionary.
[2]. Davis, Jr. John M. 2009. "Working With the PSA Nature and Wildlife Definitions." Photography Society of America Journal.
[3]. Killen, Roy. 2014. INTERPRETATION OF THE FIAP/PSA/RPS NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY DEFINITION 1st January 2015.
Australian Photographic Society Inc.
[4]. Marrow, Sherilyn R., and Stephen K. Boulter. 2015. Toward An Understanding of the 'Feral Family' : Its evolution, Existence,
Rewards and Threats to western Civilization. In Hawaii University International Conference. Hawaii
[5]. nhm.ac.uk. Revealed: four Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014 images (26 August 2014 ) [E News]. The Trustees of the Natural
History Museum, London 2014. Available from http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2014/august/revealed-four-wildlife-
photographer-year-2014-images.html.
[6]. Nicholls, Will. Wildlife Photography Competitions You Should Enter. Nature TTL team, 2014 2014. Available from
http://www.naturettl.com/prestigious-wildlife-photography-competitions/.
[7]. RPS, Royal Photographic society. 2014. Nature definition agreed Royal Photographic society RPS 2014 [cited 01/06/2014 2014].
Available from http://rps.org/news/2014/may/nature-definition-agreed.
[8]. T.L.Fleischner. 2002. Natural history and the spiral of offering. Wild Earth 10.
[9]. theartcareerproject.com. 2015. Take a Walk On the Wildside with a Wildlife Photography Career theartcareerproject.com
20142015]. Available from http://www.theartcareerproject.com/wildlife-photograph/946/.
D. Randula Podduwage. "Wildlife Photography over Nature Photography.”International
Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI), vol. 09(9), 2020, pp 49-52.
Journal DOI- 10.35629/7722