Quote:
Originally Posted by Senna4ever
I only used one exclamation mark...I don't think I'm the one being emotional.
Just because a guy is a pro and makes a living doing bird photography, it doesn't mean he's being ethical about going about his work. Now, I don't know him or his style very much so I'm not saying he does. It's just that I've assisted a few professional photographers who have made me think, "WTF?"  Like the wedding photographer who I second shoot for who likes to pose brides so their arms look very masculine. Aiyiyi~.
You wrote that he doesn't have a problem with using flash. Of course not - it's the nocturnal animal that will.
Here's how someone who works for O.W.L explained it to me: If someone pops a flash in your face in a dark room, it takes a while for your eyes to recuperate, right? The Human eye with pupils fully dilated is about f3.5 - a nocturnal owl's eyes are many stops more sensitive, as they can see well enough to hunt on a moonless night. One or two flashes won't hurt for an owl out in the wild, but if many people use a flash on a bird within a short length of time as they can at places like Reifel, then the cumulative effect of all those flashes can cause eyesight problems. It may prevent an owl from hunting that night - and if that continues for days on end, then the owl doesn't eat for many days. This is what I had in mind when I wrote my original post...I hope you understand now where I was coming from.
Why would you take what a government representative says with a grain of salt? If anything, I would take what other people say on the internet with a grain of salt, unless they are a trained professional.
No, I would never think you would intentionally harm an animal. If I came across that way, I apologize. |
Effects of flash photography on owls. - photo.net
"I heard from a well known bird photographer (name withheld for the
protection of the guilty) that they set up some flash units to
photograph an owl returning to its roost in a church spire. The
bird tripped the infra-red beam on approach and the photographer
got one of those shots to die for. The owl had its wings fully extended,
exposure and focus were perfect. But the owl crashed into the stonework at
some considerable speed and fell to the ground badly injuring itself.
Obviously the flash dazzled and/or frightened the bird to the point that
it could no longer see well enough and/or was too jittery to land
safely."
I agree with you Senna. If taking wildlife picture it's ethical to NOT disturb them in any way, in any way that could get their attention, and this includes flash. I don't know why it's even a 'debate'. We should agree just not to do it at all.