Conservation Photography生态摄影

作者: 卢俊宇/译

Photography has the power to move people in ways few other mediums can. Photographs can make strong statements about our world and our lives. As a form of advocacy, conservation photography is a great way to use your photography skills to create a story and make a statement about a critical topic of interest in today’s society: the impact of humanity on our environment.

摄影能以大多数媒介无法比拟的方式触动人心。通过照片,我们可以有力地表达对世界和生活的见解。生态摄影是一种倡导方式,借助摄影技能讲述故事,表达关于人类对环境影响这一当今社会重要话题的看法。

What is conservation photography?

什么是生态摄影?

Conservation photography is nature photography1 to advocate for wildlife and our planet’s natural ecosystem. It can be a powerful tool to showcase the beauty of, and in some cases threats to, our environment. Environmental conservation organizations, photojournalists, those involved in environmental policy, and even private citizens are all able to affect change through conservation photography.

生态摄影是一种利用自然摄影来宣传保护野生动植物和地球生态系统的方式。它是一种有效手段,不仅能展现自然环境之美,在一些情况下,还能揭示环境所面临的威胁。环保组织、新闻摄影师、环境政策工作者,甚至普通公民,都可以通过生态摄影推动变革。

The intersection of conservation, photojournalism2, and wildlife photography

环保、新闻摄影与野生动物摄影的交集

As a conservationist photographer, you’ll wear many hats. You will not only think like a conservationist, but as a photographer, a storyteller, a researcher, an organizer, and a journalist.

身为一名环保主义摄影师,你将承担多重角色。思考问题时,不仅要像个环保主义者,还要从摄影师、讲述者、研究者、组织者和记者多个角度出发。

Conservationist photography is often used to communicate specific messages or emotions. When capturing your images, think about the story you’re telling, as well as the purpose you want your image to serve or elevate. You’ll want to organize with other conservationists, advocates, and environmentalists. Creating these bonds can help you amass important resources and funds, as well as create effective advocacy campaigns. Conservation photographers may also team up with environmental scientists, as these photos can aid in further research efforts.

生态摄影通常用来传达特定的讯息或情感。在捕捉画面时,要想着你所要讲述的故事,以及你希望所拍摄影像传递或升华的目标理念。同时,你还要与其他环保主义者、环保倡导者和环保人士合作,协同推动保护行动。通过这些合作,你可以积聚宝贵的资源和资金,开展有效的环保倡导活动。生态摄影师还可以与环境科学家合作,因为这些照片有助于进一步推进科研工作。

How photography can influence conservation efforts

摄影如何影响环保行动

Research has shown that people are more likely to remember pictures in more detail than they are words. This makes advocacy photography3 an incredibly powerful tool for raising awareness and inspiring an emotional response among your audience.

研究表明,相比文字,人们对图片的记忆更为清晰。因此,倡导摄影成为提高受众环保意识、激发情感反应的强大工具。

Photographs are also more shareable. Research from HubSpot4 on the Facebook algorithm has shown that photo posts receive 53 percent more engagement than text posts. And of course, there are photo-centric5 platforms, like Instagram and Pinterest, that require an accompanying image to make a post. With these social platforms, conservationists can easily and quickly share their messages to a wide audience. This helps awareness campaigns generate traction and bring little-known issues to the forefront.

此外,照片更容易传播。HubSpot关于脸书算法的研究显示,带有照片的帖子比纯文字帖子获得的互动多出53%。当然,像照片墙和Pinterest这样以图片为主的社交平台,要求每条帖子都配有图片。在这些平台上,环保主义者可以便捷地将信息传递给广大受众。这样有助于环保宣传活动获得更多支持,让原本鲜为人知的问题成为公众关注的焦点。

The ethics of photographing wildlife

拍摄野生动物的伦理

Many photography organizations have a code of ethics that shapes the way they interact with vulnerable populations. They need these codes to protect the rights and dignity of their subjects.

许多摄影组织制定了伦理守则,规范与易危种群的互动方式,以此确保拍摄对象的权利和尊严。

This topic is highly debated in the case of wildlife photographers. Some might argue that animals don’t need to be treated with the same dignity as humans, and therefore animals can be baited or disturbed for a shot. As demonstrated by Outside6 magazine, others strongly disagree with these types of practices.

在野生动物摄影领域,伦理问题颇有争议。有些人可能认为,对待动物不需要像对待人那样给予一定尊严,因此可以通过引诱或使用干扰手段来进行拍摄。然而,正如《户外》杂志所指出的,也有人强烈反对这些做法。

The argument typically comes down to whether or not your shot, or how you set up or capture a photo, involves endangering or harming the animal or its habitat. This is an especially important question for conservation photographers, as the destruction of the environment is the exact opposite of what conservation means.

争议的核心通常可归结为,拍摄的照片或拍摄方式是否会危及或伤害动物及其栖息地。对于生态摄影师而言,这个问题尤为关键,因为破坏环境的行为与影像环保的初衷背道而驰。

To be a conservation photographer, you have to practice elements of ethical wildlife photography to preserve the way of life of your subjects.

生态摄影师必须践行野生动物摄影的准则,保护拍摄对象的自然生活方式。

General best practices for photographing wildlife

拍摄野生动物的最佳做法

Photographing wildlife can be a delicate but rewarding experience. Even if you’re not a conservation photographer, you’ll want to keep environmental considerations top of mind when going out into the wild. This is important for the safety of the wildlife, and yourself.

拍摄野生动物既是一项细致的工作,也是一种富有回报的体验。即便你不是专职的生态摄影师,在野外时也要时刻关注环境因素,这对野生动物和你自身的安全都很重要。

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