Outdoor photography has increasing popularity. It's a good thing that more people care about nature and go out in the field to take pictures. Outdoor photography can give you a better connection with nature. Many photographers want to be famous, and some photographers are trying to take

shortcuts to reach the goal. If fame is your driving force, you will not last very long. Fame is a driving force from the outside. A real driving force is from the inside. Think about what is your driving force in outdoor photography. Nature doesn't care if you are famous or

not, but how you behave out in nature can influence the nature. And we have to be careful in outdoor photography. There are no laws, but there are some ethical issues we need to be aware of, and the number one is field ethics. It is important not to harass the

wildlife. For example, if there is a bird nest in the breeding season, it is better to stay away. Photographers have done a lot of harm through the years by getting close to nests or dens. The parents will be scared away and might not return

to the nest or den, and the chicks or puppies will die. Some species are endangered too, and we can do a lot of harm to them if with our behavior and our presence. Stay away. As nature photographers, we must think of nature first and not our nature photographs. My advice

is don't take pictures of dens or bird nests. You must also think of your own safety when you are close to dangerous wildlife. Don't push the limits. Animals have their own safety bubble. Most animals will run away when you come into their bubble, but some don't, and you must learn to act

according to this, otherwise you can put yourself in danger. Everything in nature has a spirit. With that in mind, it is easier to find the right path. Everything is connected: rocks, trees, plants, wildlife, a river, a lake, coastline, or a mountain. There is an old saying: take only

photographs, leave only footprints. When I'm out in the field, I try not to step on flowers or an insect, for that matter. My presence will, of course, influence nature in a way, but I don't want it to be in harm's way.

We humans have a place in nature too, but we are the ones and the only ones who can destroy everything, not nature itself. Stop what you are doing if you think you harm a habitat or your subject. For example, stop using flash on nocturnal animals sensitive to light.

The flash can temporarily blind them and put the animals in danger. On one occasion, I photographed a caracara missile at night time in the cloud forest of Panama. After I learned that I might harm them with the flash, I stopped doing it. Many wildlife photographers

travel to places where they feed animals so they can be easier to photograph. For example, eagles, bears, and wolves. I think that is wrong because you are manipulating nature. The animals are losing their wildness when they are manipulated this way. Do not create situations and do not bait

animals for pictures. It is also wrong chasing animals or provoke them to get pictures. Chasing animals, for example, with a motor-driven boat or vehicle until the animals are exhausted is one of the worst things wildlife photographers can do. By doing this, you will harm the wildlife.

they will be in stress and pain. Other places they fancy in the wildlife, and many photographers take pictures of them and label them as wild. That is not good. If you are taking pictures of wildlife under controlled conditions, you must disclose that when you publish a photograph. Captured animals are not necessarily

negative if the intention is to secure the survival of a species. If you are a macro photographer working on, for example, insects, you must also think of the well-being of the small creatures. I have heard horrible stories about photographers using glue spray, eye spray, or putting the insects inside

the fridge to make them stand still for pictures. Horrible practice. Photographers, editors, organizers of photo competitions and stock agencies must increase their ethical standards. If they don't do that, the audience will be disappointed and photography will lose its power. We only believe in a story if we believe

the one telling that story. There are many animals ensues that have a horrible life. There is only one reason to photograph these animals and that is to document the bad treatment and make an end to the madness. Personally, I do not seek out false willingness to

take pictures, but you must make up a decision by yourself. In my own work, I try to seek authenticity. Nothing is better when I get good pictures of an animal after many days in real wilderness. That is real nature photography. Be patient, don't follow the crowd and

find your own secret places you go back to again and again. There are no reasons to cheat. Outdoor photography is a hobby for many and an industry for others, but we must try to avoid an industrial approach to nature. Being in the outdoors and the tour itself are the most

It's important when you develop your work on your computer, you must also be careful nothing is wrong by editing your composition and adjusting the elements in your picture that were there when you took it. That is development, but if you add something that was not there or remove something that was there, 

it is manipulation. If you publish these images, you must disclose them as a digital illustration. There is one thing you can remove from an image without telling anyone about it, and that is dust spots. When we are out in the field, changing lenses and working over longer periods of 

time, the lenses and camera sensor will attract dust that can be shown in the photographs as spots, and it is okay to remove them with a spot removal tool in the editing software. If you're a graphic designer or an artist, you might want to stitch and merge 

photographs together. That is okay if you disclose your work as art or illustration and not as authentic photography. In the end, as outdoor photographers, we do not have a license to kill. Owning a camera does not give us the right to destroy the environment. We have no more right to be in an area 

than others. There are no laws and regulations, but before you publish your work, you must think of how you prepared, took, and developed your photographs. Be honest to yourself and the audience. In the name of simplicity, you can think that you must not harm yourself, others, the nature, or the reputation of 

photography. With that in mind, it is easier to make the right choices. See you in the next video. You 

Ethical issues in outdoor photography | With Øyvind Martinsen

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