Nolan Myers

UWRT 1101-017
Mr. Pope
11/22/16
For thousands of years, nature has been completely untouched by man. It hasnt been
until the past 200 years as the growth of industry and the mass use of fossil fuels that the
environment has seen massive decline. All over the world, countless amounts of ecosystems are
being destroyed and thus making it constantly harder for us to survive. This is where
conservation photography comes into play, the preservation of our environment is a very serious
issue and bringing this issue to the public eye is more important than ever.
As a photographer, there are many different fields and options in which I can choose to
work in. My particular interest is in the area of nature and being outdoors. One of the problems
with working in this field is the very apparent case of the declining status of the environment.
For centuries, the environment has been on the decline and it has not been until recent times in
which the human race began to take action against the problems that we have caused. Not only
can photography capture the beauty of nature and show how great it is, photography can also
expose the problems that are occurring and show the people that action needs to be taken to
preserve the world in which we live. The public opinion plays a big role in this debate, very few
see the problem thats at hand and are not willing to take action. Art can play a very large role in
shaping the opinions of the populous.
There is a very distinct difference between nature photography and conservation
photography. This is explained by Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier, she states that it is not just
about documenting the land for the sake of the photograph, it is what the image is trying to

convey to other people and what is in the image that is worth fighting for. Mittermeier believes
that conservation photography is needed more than ever and needs to be pursued more to spread
the case for the environment to more people.
Mankind has seen great expansion over that past few centuries, with great progress comes
consequences of the same magnitude. The world that we live in can only sustain so much before
action is required to help sustain the environments that we live in. Striganova Pavlov states this
very thing in his article, An Environment-Oriented Concept of Nature Use. Pavlov makes
clear the problems that the environment faces with the modern world. Our world is in very dire
need of assistance.
The topic of conservation photography is one of great importance to the topic at hand.
This field is not one for amateurs, Neil Osborne is a prime example of a well renowned
conservation photographer. Osborne gives an in depth description of what it is like being a
conservation photographer and the difficulty that undertaking this job requires. This field is not
one to be taken lightly and should be more revered than it currently is. The people who
undertake this line of work put large amounts of time into studying the issues that they are
focusing on.
A great example of animals in their natural habitats are some of the works of
photographer Michael Forsberg. His main focus is on the amount of wildlife in certain areas that
are dwindling quite rapidly. In his works, he shows the beauty of the wildlife in his focus but
also the problems that these animals face on a daily basis.
The public plays the largest role in the fight for environmental conservation. A large part
of the decisions that are made by governments are highly influenced by the will of the people.

The use of conservation photography plays such a major role in showing the people all the
horrors that have befallen on this world from the neglect of us as a society. It is meant to show
both the beauties that this world has to offer and show the terrible things that also happen in the
environment.
There are many different ways to look at the environment and all the small details that go
into it. Wei Hou, an advocate for environmental conservation, is an expert in the area of habitat
diversity. This is an expression of biodiversity at a landscape level in addition to the generic
species diversity. Hou gives an in depth explanation of how to keep ecosystems thriving in their
given situations and how we as a society can act to sustain these ecosystems. This is one of the
smallest levels in which the environment is affected on a daily basis by modern civilizations. It
is in these small ecosystems that conservation photography can be implemented.
Without the work of conservation photography, the cause for environmental conservation
would go way overlooked. The world is hurting and it needs our help to keep it alive and that is
ultimately up to the people to take action. Conservation photography gives all the information
needed to make a stand for our environment, because once its all gone, there wont be anyone to
look at but ourselves.

Works Cited
Blaen, PJ, L Jia, KS Peh, RH Field, A Balmford, MA MacDonald, and RB Bradbury. "Rapid
Assessment of Ecosystem Services Provided by Two Mineral Extraction Sites Restored
for Nature Conservation in an Agricultural Landscape in Eastern England." Plos One.
10.3 (2015). Print.
Breugel, Floris Van. "Art in Nature Photography." Art in Nature Photography. Web. 22 Oct.
2016.
Forsberg, Michael. "Projects." MICHAEL FORSBERG Photography. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.
Hou, Wei, and Ulrich Walz. "An Integrated Approach for Landscape Contrast Analysis with
Particular Consideration of Small Habitats and Ecotones" Nature Conservation. Joseph
Tzanopoulos, 13 Apr. 2016. Web. 22 Oct. 2016.
Mittermeier, Cristina Goettsch. "Conservation Photography: Art Born of Environmental Ethic
A distinct discipline within nature photography" NatureScapes.net. 1 Jan. 2006. Web. 22
Oct. 2016.
Osborne, Neil. "Conservation Photography | Evermaven." Evermaven. Canadian Wildlife
Magazine, 6 Mar. 2015. Web. 22 Oct. 2016.
Pavlov, Striganova, and Bukvareva. "An Environment-Oriented Concept of Nature Use." Herald
of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 80.1 (2010): 74-82. Print.
Schaffer, Grayson. "The Impact of Conservation Photography Garth Lenz." A Photo Editor. 06
Feb. 2012. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.