Impacts Of Photography

All of the articles for class today discussed how simply taking photos of an animal in it's natural habitat can actually cause harm to the animal.  I liked the point made by the scientific article that even just a little noise from a shutter can change the animals behavior.  I'm not exactly sure what an anole is but they acted as if the shutter sound was a predator.  By just being in their habitat we have changed their behavior.  

Another impact of eco-tourism is the construction of buildings or tents that the tourists stay in.  Parts of the habitat are greatly disrupted just so we can have a place to stay while we are not taking pictures of the animals and plants.  On things like photo safaris we are also driving vehicles through their habitat.  This may not seem like much, but what if the dust and smell left by the vehicle cause a parent to abandon their offspring?  

The timing of the tourism can cause a difference in the effects felt by the wildlife. If tourists are getting to close during a sensitive time of the year they can cause disruption to a behavior pattern such as breeding or feeding.  These both affect reproductive success of the animals and therefore cause changes in the population that would have otherwise not happened.  On the flip side of this issue is the fact that humans are animals too and this is our planet too.  We are going to have an affect on environments no matter what.

Eco-tourism offers a way to educate the general population about problems we have caused in other regions of the globe.  This helps conservation efforts around the world both accomplish their goals and continue further work.  Without the money from eco-tourism many conservation projects could not be done.  

Africa Safari Ideas

After reading the articles about Safari trips to Africa and the recommended gear I have composed a list of the things I think are the most important:

1.  A lens cleaning kit and small tool kit including screw drivers and Allen wrenches.
• two of the three articles stressed that you will need to be able to clean all the dust out of your camera and that the bumpy ride in the safari vehicles will inevitably loosen things on your camera
2. A DSLR and two lenses for it (as long as they can be afforded)
• All of the articles talked about needed at least some zoom power and preferably a super-telephoto lens too.  (a 100-400 mm and a 500 mm or 600 mm)
• No matter what the lenses and camera need to have Image Stabilization of some kind because of the terrain and shooting situation
3. A small tripod and a beanbag tripod
• Sometimes the beanbags work well but sometimes you need something more stable in order to get the shot as sharp as necessary
4. A computer, external hard drive and power converters.  
• It's not only a good idea but almost necessary to empty your memory cards everyday to prevent loosing images by loosing a memory card.  To do this a computer is necessary and external drives are helpful.
• The power supply in Africa is around 220V instead of the 110V we are used to here in the US.  A power converter in necessary so that charging devices will be able to plug into the wall.  It is also important to make sure that your devices will be able to handle the extra voltage.
5. Having a private vehicle/guide
• with too many people in the vehicle shooting becomes more difficult.  The other passengers can get bored and want to move on before you are done taking your pictures.  You may want to wait around for the action but everyone else gets bored.  Other passengers can also get in your way when you are trying to position yourself to take a picture.  With more people in a vehicle there is less room for all your equipment.  
• A guide that is serving less people can cater more to those in the vehicle.  They may be able to move the vehicle into a better position instead of just moving onto find more game.  The guide will be able to stay longer at a certain location if asked because there are less people to be kept happy.  

An African Safari is expensive by itself but wold not be nearly as valuable without the correct gear.

Fox

This was a picture I came across on Google today.  The picture was taken by Mark Graf of Detroit, Michigan.  He has been photographing wildlife for 15 years and published work internationally.  I do like the use of the rule of thirds in this photo of a fox and the animals eyes are in focus, however I also feel as though there is a lack of contrast in the photo.  The line of darker fur on the fox's back helps draw the viewers eye into the picture and towards the animals eye (the focus of the picture).  I don't like the blurry stick in the foreground in the bottom left corner of the image either.  Below is a link to the picture:

http://www.grafphoto.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=73&pos=4

Winter

I absolutely love snow fall and the landscapes of winter.  For my blog this week that I was actually able to remember to do, I wanted to find some pictures of winter in the spirit of the weather this week.  I really liked the composition of this photo and the way that the curved lines of the ice help keep your attention on the face of the sea lion (or seal).  The facial expression of the critter adds emotion to the picture and caused me to pause while scrolling through the photographers blog.  I do think that this picture could be interesting in black and white if there was a little more contrast between the seal and the water to its right.  It may have helped to increase the blues in the water and ice to create some more contrast in the photo.

Here is where I found the Photo:
http://www.webdesignmash.com/2010/11/winter-wonderland-fantastic-winter-photography-gallery/