Not untypically I began this blog post over a month ago, started meandering slowly toward an end point about which I was unsure, got frustrated and left it for a while only for a similar subject to appear in one of Niall’s more eloquent and considered blogs. I don’t want to labour over old ground and so I will keep this short or at least will try to.
A lot has been said recently about people paying for their images, the why’s and the how’s and whether or not it is a legitimate way to produce images, build a career as a wildlife photographer or whatever. I’m not usually known for my fence-sitting on such matters but on this one I guess that I fall somewhere in between the two sides. It is not something that I do readily, though I have paid to access both African, Indian and Alaskan National Parks so I could be perceived as having done so in a roundabout way, but it is something that I have done recently, enjoyed and would do again in a heartbeat.
I had previously seen some squirrel images produced by a couple of friends of mine, Jules Cox and laterly Danny Green at Neil McIntyre’s red squirrel site in Scotland and so I decided, as I was in the area for a couple of weeks, to give it a go. I had only ever photographed red squirrels before at Formby Point in Liverpool (introduced Scandinavian’s I believe, correct me if I’m wrong DW!) and the logistics of me trying to find my own, truly wild red squirrels in Scotland and then producing similar standard images to what was already in the market was very small indeed (partially tempted to drift into an inane Blackadder quote about Baldrick’s brain and a water biscuit but I wont as due to my non-blogging recent history I’m probably about to be sacked from this blog by my more organised co-bloggers!!).
I digress. Neil Mac has been feeding his squirrels for the best part of 20 years now and it was an absolute joy to spend 3 days with him and his squirrels and it is something I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend (other squirrel sites are available from Pete Cairns and probably a few thousand B&B’s around Scotland – you’re still paying for your squirrel images though!!).
It’s fair to say that my images wont set the world on fire and there’s a number that would argue that the marketplace is already super-saturated with red squirrel images and that there is little point going over old ground. I absolutely understand this viewpoint but as I am primarily experience driven this doesn’t apply to me. Strip out all of that familiar comment about time spent, money earned blah blah etc etc and what you’re left with is a wonderful wildlife experience with a cracking fella. And you end up, hopefully, with a few half decent squizza images. Bonus!
What I would say with absolute certainty however, harking back to previous blog posts etc is that, in the unlikely event that one of my squirrel images won or was recognised in a competition (zero chance!) then I’d absolutely give credit to Neil or whomever else’s hard created site that I was enjoying.
In my opinion professional (top) nature photographers should lead from the front. I could go now to several top UK photographers websites and see images that I know are taken from such ‘site setups’ as the above without mention of the ‘site setups’ or expertise of the person/people who has created, nurtured the site…over a period of time.
I think these ‘site setups’ are good but its down to the creativity of the photographer to produce new work from these locations (as with any photograph). It also allows you to see something that you may have thought about photographing but don’t necessarily have the skills or understanding/fieldcraft to do yourself…at that specific time within your photography experience.
For a lot of new photographers it is like a ‘bodybuilding supplement’ that is going to give you the best muscles in 30 days…people want the ‘quick and easy’ approach without the hard work. You could go to several such sites in a year and get a number of images of different species…and a lot of new photographers work is made up entirely of this kind of photography.
Professional Photographers IMO need to set the example and credit ‘site setups’ on their own photos (if you think you would credit an image in a competition why not on your own website). This should be the norm to include this information on your own photography (where applicable or not from a specific setup), much in the same way some photographers use the caption of ‘controlled conditions’.
Ian
Great images Andy.
re Formby origin, some were introduced from the German/Austria area circa 19thC and mixed with the local Red population – hence why most have a very dark colouring, more typical of Central European reds than Scotland and Northern Europe.
Like you say that amazing experience will last a life time and to me that is what it is all about and credit the person who has made it possible.
All the best
Dave
Hi Andy,
You do have a true gift for capturing character in your subjects. Lovely!
I am all for sites such as you mention for it provides opportunities to people who are interested and is ultimately good for the survival of animals too. Where I mount the barriers is over large scale commercial operation run by cynical exploiters of nature and lauded by certain photographers of the same ilk. Yeah, maybe we are too idealistic but spheroids to that, I do not care.
Like you I go back to the same subjects time and again…in my poppy fields, bee orchids butterflies…its primarily for MY pleasure. I have found my vision changes as I change and new aspects do come through – it is not a case of been there done that…
What is needed is honesty about where and how images were obtained – it is good for everyone and even photographers who pretend to be the Great White Hunters do not look to be such prats when those ‘in the know’ recognise the pet animals and birds!
Paul
I think it’s a great learning experience to go to places like these – I’been to Formby a few times – and the depletion of the squirrel population there from squirrel pox, made it all but impossible to get any photographs at all. I’m told they are recovering, and will venture back in the Autumn. Bait sites are probably the only other places I would be capable of getting to, and obtaining some images.
Red squirrel images may be ‘supersaturated’ – but to someone like myself, it’s an experience just to be where they are…. plus, it doesn’t seem to snow much at Formby !
Cracking images Andrew : )