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- Name
- Dale.
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Something that has been bothering me.
I'm introverted, I tend to avoid crowded places, I'd much rather be in nature. One thing I couldn't do well would be street photography, not my bag potentially confronting people. I have noticed a possible manifestation of this coming through to my willdife photgraphy. Some of the places I visit are semi rural but there is a potential for people to show up. This is something I've noticed at my kingfisher nest site. There are 2 footpaths nearby. I am reluctant to leave anything visible that might atrract attention to the site or even put perches/hides etc out nearby. This is mainly out of consideration for the kingfishers of course and I believe, rightly so but I have felt a certain uneasiness in myself lately. Wading into the river to put a perch out is right out of my comfort zone and I'm not sure why, apart from the obvious prior mentioned bird welfare. I am sure this has cost me images at and around the nest site. The birds will always come before an image every time but I've not been able to find that compromise. Maybe there isn't one.
A few years ago, I had a confrontation with some concerned parents as I walked though a nearby park with my camera and hefty lens. I was photographing snowdrops at the time but some kids noticed me, told their parents, the next thing I'm being confronted and told the police were on their way. I waited for the police as I was doing nothing wrong and the parents left with a ticking off from the police, the police were great with me, even telling me to 'enjoy the rest of my day' but I can't help feel with hindsight, that incident may be affecting my confidence generally with photography and public places.
I'd be a lot more comfortable photographing a species out in the wilds than I would be in semi rural or urban areas.
Or is it, as nature photographers, it's common to feel this way? Is it a mixture of concern for nature and our own comfort zones, or one or the other?
I'm introverted, I tend to avoid crowded places, I'd much rather be in nature. One thing I couldn't do well would be street photography, not my bag potentially confronting people. I have noticed a possible manifestation of this coming through to my willdife photgraphy. Some of the places I visit are semi rural but there is a potential for people to show up. This is something I've noticed at my kingfisher nest site. There are 2 footpaths nearby. I am reluctant to leave anything visible that might atrract attention to the site or even put perches/hides etc out nearby. This is mainly out of consideration for the kingfishers of course and I believe, rightly so but I have felt a certain uneasiness in myself lately. Wading into the river to put a perch out is right out of my comfort zone and I'm not sure why, apart from the obvious prior mentioned bird welfare. I am sure this has cost me images at and around the nest site. The birds will always come before an image every time but I've not been able to find that compromise. Maybe there isn't one.
A few years ago, I had a confrontation with some concerned parents as I walked though a nearby park with my camera and hefty lens. I was photographing snowdrops at the time but some kids noticed me, told their parents, the next thing I'm being confronted and told the police were on their way. I waited for the police as I was doing nothing wrong and the parents left with a ticking off from the police, the police were great with me, even telling me to 'enjoy the rest of my day' but I can't help feel with hindsight, that incident may be affecting my confidence generally with photography and public places.
I'd be a lot more comfortable photographing a species out in the wilds than I would be in semi rural or urban areas.
Or is it, as nature photographers, it's common to feel this way? Is it a mixture of concern for nature and our own comfort zones, or one or the other?
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