This is just a simple plea to all photographers out there who love the natural world that they are trying to represent through their photography. Please ensure that if you see anyone acting irresponsibly in and around the animals that they are trying to photograph, make them aware of their wrong-doing in a polite and calm manner. I read this thread with great interest, then dismay, at another forum (I hope that the moderators of WAB will appreciate that although this links to another forum, the theme is important enough to be read by all)
Anyone interest for Red Deer Watch in October - Rutting Season
I've only been taking photos seriously for about a year and even during that time I've had my own dilemmas, for those with longer memories, on this forum as to whether to venture out 'beyond the fence' at Donna Nook (Lincolnshire) to photograph seals. This meant a venture into an area of beach where the seals are not behind fencing and are at the mercy of photographers encroaching too close. I did venture out there and despite being well beyond 400mm range I still encountered several parents of pups that were only too vocal when I went what I considered to be even quite a distance from their young. Quite how many photographers it will take to eventually have a truly negative impact on seasonal breeding behaviour it awaits to be seen - but I spoke afterwards to more of the local conservation volunteers than not who wished that photographers simply didn't go anywhere near the seals that are away from the main viewing area.
The worst incident of 'at-all-costs' photography was at Skomer this summer. Those who've been will know that the main area to see the gorgeous resident puffins is the Wick. A path that runs along the cliff edge cuts the puffin burrows into two areas and some of the puffins have to cross the path once they've landed to return to their burrows. At the end of the day one chap clearly thought that he'd not got the shot that he came for and chose to repeatedly ignore a warden's attempts to get him to move away from a puffin that wanted to cross the path (they won't if humans are too close to them so I was told). An incredulous warden had a few increasingly harsh words with the (rather stocky) chap but to no avail - he was more concerned with poking his expensive lens up the puffin's nose than considering the welfare of the very animal whose beauty he was presumably trying to capture. The poor warden couldn't do anything other than say to me "many more photographers doing this and we'll have no choice but to close the area completely in a few years". I'm sure that many of you have stories to tell to and it'd be interesting to hear them just to hammer the message home.
Now I'm no angel and we've all been there in terms of picturing how that 'perfect' shot would look and the compliments we'll get should we get it. How lovely that would be. But first and foremost we should consider the wildlife, and secondly that it will only take a few idiots to ruin the fun of wildlife photography for all of us. I've no scientific evidence to prove it but it seems to me that more people are getting 'into' photography because of the digital revolution and the associated new-found accessibility of the medium. So all of us have to be increasingly vigilant to look out for those few inconsiderate individuals; just a polite reminder and at least if it doesn't work you can say you tried!