How I photograph wildlife

Every animal on this site is wild, and every photograph was taken on the animal's terms. The picture never matters more than the subject. These are the rules I keep in the field.

I keep my distance.

I work with a long lens so the animal can go on doing what it was doing. Many of these photos look closer than they were.

I watch for the signal to back off.

If a bird stops feeding, an otter stops and stares, or an animal moves away because of me, I'm too close, and I give ground or leave.

I don't bait, lure or call.

No food, no recordings, no tricks to bring an animal in or make it look my way. What you see is what the animal chose to do.

I protect nests, dens and sensitive species.

I stay well back from nests and young, I don't linger, and I don't publish exact locations for animals that could be harmed by a crowd.

I tell the truth about the picture.

Captions say where and when a photo was taken. I don't photograph captive animals and present them as wild, and I don't add or remove anything that changes the story.

The best guide I know is a simple one: treat wild animals and wild places as if you were their guest. If you carry a camera or binoculars on the trails, I hope you'll do the same.

For more, see Audubon's Guide to Ethical Bird Photography and the North American Nature Photography Association's Principles of Ethical Field Practices.