Why Photographers Love Wildlife Photography

Sandhill Cranes, Platte River, Nebraska

Wildlife Photography appeals to photographers for many reasons – here are a few:

• Wildlife Photography allows us to return to our “Caveman state”, which brings us back to that age-old interaction with nature – rivers, wild oceans, phenomena like the northern lights, and of course wild animals. Instead of hunting them for survival, we “hunt” animals with our cameras.
• Humans are at the mercy of nature – there are many forces such as the weather and the animals themselves which present a peril (sometimes death) to photographers. Many animals are also elusive, hiding in plain sight with camouflage and those very aspects of nature make it enticing to photograph.
• Wildlife photographers make huge sacrifices, spending time in uncomfortable locations at odd hours, waiting patiently for the moment when all the research about the animal and its habitat come together to create the memorable image that was envisioned.
• Because we are overwhelmed with data in today’s society, nature is really the only place left where we can experience solitude and see the truth. Many of the things we see and encounter are artificial, fabricated, manipulated and dramatized with augmented reality, which leads us to wonder what is real and what is not. Nature does not lie and it allows us to have solitude and find the truth we seek.
• Wildlife photography allows the photographer to live in the moment, interacting with the subject, sometimes up close, which requires the use of all one’s senses.
• Wildlife photography also allows the photographer to bring awareness to the plight of some animal species by memorializing them, bringing the disappearing wilderness and possible extinction to the forefront of the conversation.
• A wildlife photographer trains his/her eyes to find beauty in everything, by experiencing the special moments when a wild animal allows the photographer to be present in its world and share a moment with it, creating feelings of appreciation and exhilaration.
• Wildlife photography provides the opportunity to capture the amazing and the unexpected, allowing us to share our encounters with wildlife with others.

If you would like to learn more about wildlife photography, join WPS photographer Sean Quintillian on one of his upcoming wildlife safaris! Sean has curated some wonderful trips to locations where you’ll fall in love with wildlife photography (if you haven’t already)!