Why I practice photography
Photography is my creative outlet, but it’s also so much more than that. I may have started out in photography because it was what my dad was doing on vacation, but as I grew into the art, I realised that I can tell my and nature’s story with my photography. It has connected me with my surroundings, made me fall in love with wildlife and made me want to fight for this beautiful planet we get to call home yet are unfortunately making uninhabitable for so many and soon us too. While conservation is not my main goal with my photography I do wish to show how beautiful this planet can be when we take care of it. And to which it will return whether we live or not.
Photography is my way to creatively show you why conservation matters and why we need to keep fighting. Planet earth is too beautiful to not experience.
My ethical practices
In wildlife photography
I keep my distance from the animal I’m photographing for both mine and the animal’s safety. If the animal does decide to approach me I will let it as to not turn my backing away into a game. However when it becomes too dangerous for me I will take the according steps. When going on tours I research companies that do not feed or aim to get you as close to the wildlife as possible.
In nature photography
Our planet is more beautiful without our trash decorating fields and mountains. I dedicate myself to leaving no trace and picking up the trace of others when I have the means (a trashbag on hand). While photographing I aim to work with nature and not against it which is why I will never wilfully disrupt nature by trimming plants. I follow park-orders if not allowed to veer from the path because elephant paths and veering of the trail can harm the nature which I have sworn to preserve.
In my editing process
Editing is where I let my creativity flow and bring my vision to life. I don’t claim that my photos are exact prints of what was taken; they’re prints of my vision when I was there. However I will never alter the photo by using generative AI aside from getting rid of dust or perhaps some person’s trash I missed. My photo’s are merely cleaned up and traditionally edited to bring my art to life.
Remember that ethics are personal and fluid. Your ideas of ethics can be different from mine, there’s no right or wrong. My ideas of ethicality can change and evolve over time as I experience & learn from life. I will regularly revisit my statement of ethics to keep it authentic to me in that moment.
