Wildlife Photography: Ecological Tool or Invasive Practice? A Study of Wildlife Photography and its Practitioners

Abstract

Based on participant interviews this project describes and interprets the practices, self understandings, and motivations of contemporary wildlife photographers. It seeks to contextualize these practices within the history of animal hunting, the genesis of animal photography, and with regard to the contemporary surge in biodiversity loss. The central paradox of this work lies in the diminishing numbers of wildlife populations compared to the proliferation of images produced through animal photography.