If You Photograph Nature, You Gotta Read This!

[Arthur Morris]

Field Etiquette for Nature Photographers

I was walking along a narrow path next to Little Estero Lagoon while scouting for a Southwest Florida IPT. About 50 yards ahead of me there were two American Oystercatchers foraging. The only problem was that 35 yards ahead of me a photographer was lying on his belly photographing the pair of attractive birds. They were catching big worms and the light was lovely… What to do? The guy was on the wet sand was facing away and was not at all aware that I was there. If I called to him (to ask if I could join him) I risked scaring the birds away. So I stood there for 30 minutes and watched with a bit of envy. Finally I decided that I would join him by starting my crawl from way back so as not to flush the birds.

I advanced slowly a few yards, remaining well outside of this species usual circle of fear. I slowly and carefully got down on one knee and the birds did not notice me, but as I lowered myself to the prone position, one of the birds (to my dismay) screamed its strident alarm call. Both birds leaned forward and took flight. I felt absolutely terrible and was about to explain that I had waited for half an hour when the photographer turned towards me and exclaimed, “Artie, it’s great to see you!” Then Tim Fitzharris—a friend, a well-known professional nature photographer and author, and one of the folks who inspired me early on, reached into an upper pocket, grabbed his walkie-talkie, raised his wife (who was in their small motor home nearby with their son Jesse), and said, “Joy, you would not believe whom I just ran into while crawling in the mud!”

Folks are usually not so glad to see you when you scare their subjects away…

You are walking down a desolate beach when you see a photographer working a beautiful Reddish Egret, a species you have dreamed of photographing. What to do? First off, as we saw in the example above, you need to stay well back. If you opt to leave the photographer and his subject, be sure to give both a wide berth while passing them. Many photographers think, “I will be polite and walk around this situation,” and then they choose a route that flushes the bird (or especially, a flock of birds; it is usually easier to approach a single bird than it is to approach a flock: scare one, scare all…) As a general rule, plan your route by doubling the distance that you think necessary to avoid flushing the subject(s).

If the photographer is aware of your presence, you have another option: you can ask as quietly as possible or gesture by pointing appropriately to indicate “Can I join you?” If they nod or assent, you need to be especially careful as to how you make your approach. First, you must consider your route. Approaching from directly behind the photographer is almost always best. You can actually hide behind the person who was there first as you make your approach. If the photographer is standing and you are going to approach while standing, you need to keep the front leg of your tripod low. It is often best to carry your tripod in front of you rather than on your shoulder. And you will need to move slowly, very slowly. I am often amazed at folks who think that “slowly” means to walk as if you were in a supermarket and were late for dinner… If you are walking through shallow water or muck or algae, listen to your footsteps. By doing so and placing each foot down carefully you can make your approach much less obtrusive.
If the photographer is kneeling you need to get down on your knees while you are well back and then again, make your approach slowly. If the photographer is down on his belly, you need to get down on your belly, again, while you are well back, and crawl your way in. Walking right up to a photographer who is either kneeling or crawling is unconscionable. In all cases your number one concern must be to avoid flushing the subject or the flock.

If there is only one flock of birds in sight and there are several photographers already in position then you have a bit more freedom; you can approach carefully without asking, make sure to go in low and slow. As always, you need to take great care to avoid flushing the flock. There are of course many grey areas here… In some situations, as with an obviously tame bird, you can simply approach without much concern. An example might be a fisherman-friendly Great Blue Heron that is used to being in close proximity to humans. As with all aspects of photography, knowing your subject is of paramount importance. If I came across someone photographing a Horned Lark while lying flat on the grass I would never even consider approaching as this species is notoriously flighty.

If you encounter a tour group that is photographing the only birds on the beach, then joining them would—in my opinion—be appropriate. If, however, they are tossing fish to attract the birds, then it might be inappropriate to join them unless you ask or are invited to do so. An option would be to take a position well behind the group while using a longer lens. And, by the way, if you are a member of a tour group, the restrictions on approaching birds or animals being photographed by another member of the group are greatly relaxed. That said, be sure to move slowly and to get low if need be. And if you are a member of a tour group, it is imperative that you be doubly considerate of other photographers who are not part of your group.

There is one exception to the above. If one of the group has split well off from the group and gotten close to a nice bird (or a nice flock of birds), I would suggest that you treat them as if they were a stranger, that is, with great respect.

At Homer, Alaska, when it was legal to feed the Bald Eagles there, I would routinely spend more than $1,400 on fish over a ten day period; herring is a relatively healthy eagle snack. Many photographers, certainly more than a dozen, followed my group around the Spit as if they were members of the group. They joined right in, often getting in front of the folks in my group. Though I did not say a word—except to those who carelessly stepped in front of others—I firmly believe that their behavior was inappropriate. When folks are paying for a service, it’s rude to intrude.

In all group situations, it is imperative to be aware of the position of the others in the group. If someone is looking through their viewfinder at a subject, you are not free to walk in front of them as you please. To do so is inconsiderate. You can either walk behind them or, you can ask them if it would be OK for you to pass. When I want to get by someone quickly, I often stand just outside their field of view and say “Say when…” implying that they should let me know when it is OK to pass.

If you want to walk in front of someone who is changing teleconverters or chatting with a friend then you can do so with impunity. I saw a woman at the Venice Rookery berate another photographer for walking in front of her tripod mounted lens (even though the complaining photographer was more than 10 feet away from her rig!) If you are photographing with or in the vicinity of a group and you opt to stay well back from the subject or the flock while everyone else is photographing the same subjects from much closer range, it is usually best for you to adjust your position in response to the folks up front changing their positions. I have seen folks photographing from hundreds of yards away chastise other photographers who were working a tame subject from much closer range. If you choose to stay well back and work with a long lens you are the one who needs to move.

If you have worked hard to get close to a great subject or a flock of birds—remember that working the edge of a flock is usually best, be sure to exit as carefully as you approached so that you do not disturb the birds. And that is true whether you are by yourself or with a large group. I have on countless occasions seen a selfish photographer who is finished working a bird or a group of birds simply stand up when they were done thus flushing the bird(s). That is like saying, “I am done and I do not care at all about you or the birds…”

If you are photographing migrant songbirds in wooded areas or edges such as The Tip at Point Pelee National Park near Leamington, Ontario or at the Convention Center on Padre Island, TX, the guidelines are quite different. If there are several photographers around, it is pretty much open season as the warblers, tanagers, vireos, and the rest of the cast are usually intent on feeding and are pretty much oblivious to our movements. Be sure, however, to move slowly, to be fairly quiet, and to avoid cutting in front of others. In such situations the birds move to the next bush or fly away pretty much when they are ready to… On the other hand, if there is a single photographer in the woods working a thrush—they are usually quite skittish, it is usually best to take another path and search for your own bird. Another option would be to stand quietly and hope that the bird moves towards your position.

Here are some guidelines to follow when photographing from your vehicle on a refuge tour route or a shoreline with vehicle access (like East Beach at Fort DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg, FL.) If the car in front of you is close to a skittish subject, it is best to either give them a few minutes with the subject before trying to get into position, or, if possible, to pass them by without scaring off the subject. If in doubt, it is best to give them a bit of time with the subject before you attempt to go by them. If you are positive that the bird or animal is tame you can approach at any time. When you do approach, do so slowly and with extreme care. On a related note, it is best to approach subjects with your telephoto lens in place on the window; raising the lens and sticking it out the window once you are close to the subject will often frighten it away. (Note: if you are photographing from your vehicle with a big lens it should be on a BLUBB.) Here’s another fine point: if you position your vehicle in front of the car that was on the scene first and the animal moves towards you position, you are not obligated to move your vehicle. If the other driver is savvy, they will simply pull ahead of you and hope—as will often be the case—that the subject continues to move in the same direction.

Under no circumstances is it permissible to leave your vehicle and approach a photographer working from their vehicle. At Merritt Island, I had just pulled up to a huge flock of White Pelicans doing their group feeding thing—they were herding and catching huge mullet--in a pool right next to the road when a car pulled up behind me. A guy got out with an intermediate telephoto lens and all the birds flew away, about two miles away… At East Beach at Fort DeSoto I had a group of five American Avocets right outside my car. Another photographer left his vehicle, walked several hundred yards towards my position with his big lens on his shoulder, and scared all the birds away. You gotta love it. When the inevitable occurs, it is fine—if you are comfortable doing so—to let the offender know politely that their behavior was inappropriate. No matter how egregious the offense, screaming or cursing will not help the situation at all.

It goes without saying that we all must follow the rules when working in controlled areas. If the signs say “Stay on the Path,” then we must stay on the path. If the sign says “Area Closed,” then we must not enter. To do otherwise gives all photographers a black mark. At present, because of the actions of a relatively few, many refuge managers consider all photographers criminals. If you encounter another photographer breaking the rules you might consider informing them as politely as possible that their behavior is improper. If the other photographer ignores your request, it is best to move on. You might consider jotting down a description or better yet, a license plate number, and letting the authorities know what you observed. Best would be to photograph the offending photographer in action and then photograph their license plate. When you do opt to report someone to the authorities you are—in my opinion—obligated to leave your contact information.

The suggestions above are guidelines based on my 28 years of field experience. There are of course lots of grey areas and close calls. At all times, however, it is best to obey the posted rules and to be considerate of others and the subjects that they are photographing.

All are invited to share their in-the-field tales or ask questions below.

If you come upon someone photographing in a situation similar to the one below, be sure to give them wide berth as you pass so as not to scare the birds away....

[Roger Clark]

Artie,

Very nice article. Over the years I've had experiences like you describe above with someone approaching and spooking the subject. Fortunately, my bad experiences have been rare, with less than one event per year. Most photographers are pretty courteous, those with big lenses, are generally quite helpful (e.g. pros, and advanced amateurs). Some of the bad experiences include those un-knowledgeable (very amateur photographers excited about seeing a bird/animal and rushing to get close, scaring them away).

Early one morning I had my 4x5 camera at Oxbow bent in the Tetons, set up and waiting to peal light, which was about to be ideal. I was the only one there when suddenly a car zoomed up and two people got out, moved in front of me and one started taking pictures of the other with the Tetons in the background. I protested, The person with the camera said she was a pro, that was her client and she had every right to photograph her client where ever she wanted. Somewhere I have pictures of this event (on slides). I should have gotten her name but I was so dumbfounded I didn't. There was plenty of room for her to wprk beside me and out of my camera view. I did tell the client she was a poor excuse for a pro. And I did not get the image I wanted in that great light.

This last spring at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park, I arrived with a photographer friend, my son and two non-photographer family members at 4:30 am to do some night images (I posted one on BPN in the landscape forum: http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...read.php/97958
We were the only ones there.

As sunrise approached, the usual crowds started arriving (many years ago I was often there by myself--oops that's dating me). What looked like a photo tour group showed up and proceeded to crowd in so close to me, they were actually touching my shoulders and placing their tripod legs where my feet were! I was unable to move, even rotate my body and camera to do my planned mosaic panorama. I protested and asked who the group leader was, and a Japanese woman touching my shoulder who spoke little English pointed to the leader. I talked to him and he said it wasn't a photo tour group, but his family. So what, they should not have been so close. Image of the crown is attached, with a pointer to my camera. I was doing panoramas, and the group members on the right side of the arch were too close to the arch, so my panorama was not possible. I did get some of them to back up, but not enough to do the panorama I had planed at sunrise. I still think it was a photo tour group. If not, it was an incredibly racially diverse international family of all novice photographers except for one, the leader.

On a positive note, on that same trip, I encountered another photo tour group at Balanced Rock at sunset in Arches National Park. One of the group members was moving in front of my son, and my son had his tripod set up, photographying the scene. The group leader called to the group member and told him to respect other photographers and because the other photographer was there first, he should not move in front of that photographer. Excellent group leader!

Roger

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Excellent article by Artie! I had read it earlier and still read it again. I can't think of a person, even a close friend, who will not get annoyed when a bird is disturbed. So Mr. Time Fitzharris must be avery nice person.

Do you think a tour group ought to be more responsible and the same principles doesn't apply to a family?

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks both for stopping by. I was beginning to think that this post was done in invisible ink. At the more crowded locations that I visit often for bird bird photography it is commonplace for other photographers to scare off the birds, usually out of ignorance..... And yes, common sense and decency rules should apply to all groups and individuals. The guy might not have had the required permits for a group.....

[D. Robert Franz]

Back when I began photogrpahing wildlife (way back) if you came upon someone photographing wildlife you never approached unless the photographer waved you in (which happend more often than not). In turn I would do the same with other photographers if I thought the subject would tolerate the approach of one or more people. To not do so was considered rude. With the huge crowds you encounter these days it's almost impossible the expect non photographers to act in that manner and most photographers don't seem to have that consideration either. I'm still old school if 1 or 2 photographers are on an subject I won't approach unless invited or I'll ask if it's ok to join them.. Most of the time they look at me like I'm nuts. I've been thanked by some for showing that type of courtesy. When leading groups I always tell my people not to walk in front of anyone photographing. Always pass behind unless impossible then ask to pass in front. They don't always listen to me but I call them on it if I see it. A few winters ago in Yellowstone while leading a tour a couple of photographers had found otters on the Lamar River a couple of hundred yards off the road in a small stretch of open water. It looked as though it was a great photo opp but I could not imagine tromping out there with a group and perhaps ruining the experience for them. I explained this to my group and I think they understood. Great little piece Artie... Thanks.....

[Kerry Perkins]

Sadly, common courtesy and mutual respect are rare today. If you expect this from other photographers you will be disappointed more often than not. Last year at Bosque del Apache NWR I had an interesting experience. I was parked at the pond at the southwest corner of the preserve, photographing snow geese. I noticed a group of photographers a little farther down the road with their tripods set up on the south side of the road, capturing something in the thicket on the other side of the road. I didn't think much of it, but I saw that they had not moved in at least a half hour. When I had all the geese I needed, I got in my vehicle and drove on down the road. When I got to the spot of interest, I saw that they were all photographing a great horned owl that was sitting in a tree on the north side of the road. I stopped next to the tree for about 15 seconds to make one capture of the owl. You would have thought that I had violated the Geneva Convention, as they all started yelling at me and one of them actually opened the passenger door of my vehicle and slammed it, driving his message home to me. I am pretty sure that this owl had not changed its pose much in the last half hour, so I am not sure what rule I violated, but I can tell you that I was not impressed by the demeanor of this group, organized or not.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Kerry. There are some bitter unhappy folks in all fields. In many cases what we perceive as rudeness is often simply ignorance of what is going on.....

Was this group in vehicles?

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Artie,

Greetings. Thanks much for the article. I've always wondered what the thinking about field etiquette was. I generally don't like shooting around others so naturally move away to other subjects.

I do have a good etiquette story. I was on a trip to Montreal & had a morning for shooting birds. I happened upon a photography group on a long boardwalk through an estuary. I worked my way past them a goodly distance and was shooting a subject that had landed just off the boardwalk. I heard someone approach but didn't really pay much attention... luckily they seemed to stop, creaky boardwalk that it was. When I finally looked up, I was a amazed to find the whole class had set up around me with a dozen tripods or more. I had no idea.

Cheers,

-Michael-

[Arthur Morris]

Some folks obviously have very good manners .

[Robert vanMierop]

Excellent points, and SO relevant these days more than ever. Fortunately, I've noticed that photographers are more aware/courteous around here. I usually shoot birds in and around St. Augustine, FL and there are tourists EVERYWHERE, many of whom are so focused on other things they don't notice a muddy, salty photog (me) down and dirty, and they'll walk right between me and the (lately) active Reddish Egrets that are so common around here. My experience with photographers however, is that they'll usually slowly walk up and sometimes even quietly ask, if they can shoot "my" birds. No problem at all. At the Alligator Farm it's not so much an issue as the birds really don't care about close proximity, but I spend lots of time on the beaches and along the intracoastal waterway where they can get skittish. Again, great post. Any chance that unleashed dogs will read it?

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Robert. YAW. Do realize that all the beach-walkers and the dogs off their leashes are a large part of the reason that the birds on the beaches are so tame in the first place.

Where around St. Augustine do you photograph Reddish Egrets????

[Robert vanMierop]

Hi Robert. YAW. Do realize that all the beach-walkers and the dogs off their leashes are a large part of the reason that the birds on the beaches are so tame in the first place.

Where around St. Augustine do you photograph Reddish Egrets????

Birds can get used to beach walkers, but unleashed dogs set them off like a rifle shot. Too bad...I'd love to be out shooting birds with my dogs taggin' along. What really tames the birds are fishermen who throw cast nets for bait, at times tossing a fish to the birds. A tossed cast net is a bird magnet. All spring and summer, and as of today, the area around Matanzas Inlet is very active with Wood Storks, Snowy Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Ospreys, and usually several Reddish Egrets, particularly around low tide when fish and shrimp are easy targets. If only the Reddish Egrets kept those awesome breeding colors year 'round. If you Google map it and check it out from above, look at the waterway north and east of the bridge and a1a. The early morning light is over your shoulder too. BTW, what's YAW???

[Kerry Perkins]

Thanks Kerry. There are some bitter unhappy folks in all fields. In many cases what we perceive as rudeness is often simply ignorance of what is going on.....

Was this group in vehicles?

Artie,

I didn't see enough vehicles to carry so many photographers, so I don't know where they came from! All I remember was rudeness. I can tell you where they were privately if it matters. I don't believe that it was an organized group.

[Arthur Morris]

Birds can get used to beach walkers, but unleashed dogs set them off like a rifle shot. Too bad...I'd love to be out shooting birds with my dogs taggin' along. What really tames the birds are fishermen who throw cast nets for bait, at times tossing a fish to the birds. A tossed cast net is a bird magnet. All spring and summer, and as of today, the area around Matanzas Inlet is very active with Wood Storks, Snowy Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Ospreys, and usually several Reddish Egrets, particularly around low tide when fish and shrimp are easy targets. If only the Reddish Egrets kept those awesome breeding colors year 'round. If you Google map it and check it out from above, look at the waterway north and east of the bridge and a1a. The early morning light is over your shoulder too. BTW, what's YAW???

You are missing my point. With dog and beachwalkers constantly around, their circle of fear is reduced.... Both will flush the birds of course, but not so quickly as on a truly wild beach where a dog or a person will send the birds flying at many hundreds of yards if not a half mile.

Thanks for the info. Are you talking about the vicinity of the Least Tern colony there? That's a pretty long walk to the inlet, no? You say "thank you." I say YAW...

[Arthur Morris]

Kerry, Maybe we can chat at Bosque.

[Jack Breakfast]

I once joked that YAW was AM's acronym for "you are weird" but I don't believe my dumb but self-pleasing joke was met with approval. I'll move on to say that this has been a good thread. Let me say "thank you" and hope that I am "W" in kind. Let me agree also that among bird photographers there are plenty of princes and scoundrels, perhaps in equal parts, as this is the way of humanity...dogs and "dog people" are another story entirely, but there's certainly no reason to open up that bad old can of worms...

[Robert vanMierop]

Point taken, and I agree. BTW, the area I shoot at Matanzas is .9 mi. north of where the Least Terns' nests are roped off. That's just a nice birding area. Today while shooting some surfing, I witnessed a nice Bald Eagle vs. Osprey "dogfight" out over the ocean. Again, valid topic and I hope it reaches a lot of people.

[Arthur Morris]

I once joked that YAW was AM's acronym for "you are weird" but I don't believe my dumb but self-pleasing joke was met with approval. I'll move on to say that this has been a good thread. Let me say "thank you" and hope that I am "W" in kind. Let me agree also that among bird photographers there are plenty of princes and scoundrels, perhaps in equal parts, as this is the way of humanity...dogs and "dog people" are another story entirely, but there's certainly no reason to open up that bad old can of worms...

Thanks Jack. Do note that my late-wife Elaine was a very good dog person :).

[Arthur Morris]

Point taken, and I agree. BTW, the area I shoot at Matanzas is .9 mi. north of where the Least Terns' nests are roped off. That's just a nice birding area. Today while shooting some surfing, I witnessed a nice Bald Eagle vs. Osprey "dogfight" out over the ocean. Again, valid topic and I hope it reaches a lot of people.

Thanks Robert. Can you confirm that that is a long walk from the nearest lot?

[Steve Kaluski]

Well from my perspective, be courteous and respectful to your subject and they will, in turn, be respectful to you and give you what you want, although you may need to be patient. However, once you have the shot(s) in the bag then quietly leave and give your subject their 'own' time and never harass your subject by getting too close, so others may have the same opportunities in the future. If you are in a group, be courteous and swop places if you have a good vantage point, providing it's at the right time and would not disturb the subject and others taking shots. Difficult I know in a vehicle or on safari though.

[Arthur Morris]

Well said Steve. As we have been saying, it is all about common sense and courtesy with a bit of awareness thrown in.

[Robert vanMierop]

Thanks Robert. Can you confirm that that is a long walk from the nearest lot?

At either area, the walk from the parking area to where the birds are is less than 50 yards. Once you get to the water's edge, the walk is as long as you want it to be. If you, or any others who read this, head this way, I'd be glad to provide a little local knowledge.

[SeEttaMoss]

As an amateur nature photographer, I too have experienced some of the inappropriate actions described by Mr. Morris--and likely, especially when getting started, committed some of them. Since nature photography has virtually exploded in the past several years due to the availability of long zoom/telephoto lens on/for more powerful digital cameras, often at well under a $1,000, this discussion is very timely.

Thank you for this Field Etiquette article. I have posted about this on my blog and included a link. I intend to post a little about it on a few facebook pages where many post nature photos. I hope many will do so also so this will be widely disseminated.

SeEtta Moss

[Arthur Morris]

At either area, the walk from the parking area to where the birds are is less than 50 yards. Once you get to the water's edge, the walk is as long as you want it to be. If you, or any others who read this, head this way, I'd be glad to provide a little local knowledge.

Thanks Robert. I am glad that I kept asking. Where is the lot that you speak of? I have obviously been missing something.

[Arthur Morris]

[QUOTE=SeEttaMoss;847879]As an amateur nature photographer, I too have experienced some of the inappropriate actions described by Mr. Morris--and likely, especially when getting started, committed some of them. Since nature photography has virtually exploded in the past several years due to the availability of long zoom/telephoto lens on/for more powerful digital cameras, often at well under a $1,000, this discussion is very timely.

Thank you for this Field Etiquette article. I have posted about this on my blog and included a link. I intend to post a little about it on a few facebook pages where many post nature photos. I hope many will do so also so this will be widely disseminated.

SeEtta Moss



YAW SeEtta. Good on you fro spreading the word.