The Alliance for Responsible Nature Photography

 

Mother Nature gives us photographers so much, therefore we need to care of her to make sure that pristine places remain unspoiled. We need to protect vegetation, animals and the local people. They are the ones that come first, it is not about you, nor about your photo. Nature First, The Alliance for Responsible Nature Photography came up with 7 principles to which every landscape photographer should comply.

Places like these are under pressure of mass tourism. To make sure that these places remain pristine, we have to take care of our footprint!

Why this alliance?

Photography and nature have gone hand in hand ever since the invention of the camera. More so, photography has played a vital role in environmental protection, the promotion of conservation, and the understanding of nature. Across the globe, photographers have made epic contributions which resulted in nature reserves, world heritage sites, and wildlife reserves. It is only more recent that photographers are causing an increasingly negative impact on the landscape and its inhabitants (both animals and humans).

There are several factors that cause this negative influence:

  • The rise of social media by sharing photos and location information online.

  • A significant increase in the popularity of photography since the launch of the digital camera.

  • Huge increase in tourism.

  • Lack of knowledge of basic practices and outdoor ethics.

My personal experience

I’ve seen and experienced quite a lot of these negative factors myself, and of course as a photographer, I am more or less part of the problem too. This made me think about what to do. I love photography, I love nature, and I also love traveling. Which, of course has an impact on the planet. Being outside gives me energy and it fills me with joy to explore new places. But if these places are flooded with hordes of people, all the magic disappears, and with it all the animals, plants, and authenticity. More often than not, those flooded places are easy accessible, close to roads and parkings. This causes an immense impact on the landscape, as well as on the infrastructure.

A good example of this impact can be observed on the Lofoten, a beautiful archipelago within the Arctic circle. Because of social media, certain hikes and locations are flooded with photographers. During winter, almost every morning, you will find at least 40 people at the bridge photographing Hamnøy, while another group of at least 40 people are photographing Reine. People are crossing the roads at will, parking their car everywhere, even when the carpark is full. This causes a lot of anger with the locals. And sometimes the behavior of photographers is outright dangerous; I had to stop quite a few times because someone parked at the middle of the main road to take a photograph. Last year during summer, local authorities had to guard the entrance of the famous Reinebringen hike, which is a construction site at the moment (als due to mass-tourism) because tourists were ignoring the signs and fences, putting themselves and others in danger.

Extremely beautiful but also under pressure by mass-tourism.

What should we do?

As photographers, we have the choice (and duty) to protect these places, to keep exact locations a secret (at least on mass-media) and to obey the local rules. If there are signs, or fences, stick to them! They are there to protect nature or in some cases even your life! Be mindful about what you are doing. If it doesn’t feel right, than it probably isn’t! Take your own garbage and if you find garbage, take it with you. And most important, enjoy nature and photography for your own experience, don’t do it for the likes, just do what you love! To help you in keeping your photographic footprint as small as possible, Nature First came up with 7 principles!

The seven principles of Nature First

Nature First is built on seven core principles that help communicate how each of us can enjoy nature photography responsibly. The Seven Principles of Nature First Photography were developed to help educate and guide both professional and recreational photographers in sustainable, minimal impact practices that will help preserve nature’s beautiful locations.

THE NATURE FIRST PRINCIPLES

  1. Prioritize the well-being of nature over photography.

  2. Educate yourself about the places you photograph.

  3. Reflect on the possible impact of your actions.

  4. Use discretion if sharing locations.

  5. Know and follow rules and regulations.

  6. Always follow Leave No Trace principles and strive to leave places better than you found them.

  7. Actively promote and educate others about these principles

Enjoy nature and photography for your own experience, don’t do it for the likes, just do what you love!

I fully support Nature First because our planet needs it! I really hope you will do the same and join Nature First, The Alliance for Responsible Nature Photography.

Thanks for reading

Thank you very much for reading! If you like my photography, please follow me on Instagram @harmenpiekema and Facebook. Please check out my YouTube channel to see behind the scene vlogs, learn how to use certain gear and follow me on my adventures. If you want an image as a signed limited edition print, check out my webshop. Your support means a lot!



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