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Ecological photography, telling the story of nature through lens. A good photo tells everything, and so does a good ecological photo.
Through the pictures of animals, viewers can know more about their appearance, behaviors, and interaction with other animals or environment, understanding their risks of survival. Some may feel impressed with their beautiful appearance, and some may sympathize with what they've experienced. Some people are hence willing to give them support, making some changes in preservation or environment policies.
The core value of ecological photography is to deliver beauty and genuineness of the natural environment. The producer of the News Division of PTS, also the director of the ecological documentary, Ke Chin-Yuan, said that ecological photography demonstrates the survival of animals and plants, encouraging more people to understand the environmental issues. When people care about environmental issues, actions can be taken to impact the policies. And that is the hope that all living beings count on.
Ke Chin-Yuan, aka Master Ke, has over 30 years of experience in ecological photography. He carefully observes the land of Taiwan, conveying the idea of environmental protection. He pointed out that understanding and respect are the two most important guidelines in ecological photography. Animals and plants are the main shooting targets, so it is important to understand the ecology of the creatures. For instance, when shooting birds, one has to familiarize their habitats, seasonal migration, and behaviors. The photographer needs to record them with respect and in a humble manner. When entering the mountain areas, one has to follow the rule of "Leave No Trace;" When shooting the creatures, a certain distance needs to be kept and intervention should be prevented. When making a presentation, correct information should be delivered. Don't make an excessive explanation. Don't twitch the fact, and don't mislead the audience. If a species encounters survival risks and its habitat must be protected, the photographer should point that out.
Looking back on his works, Director Ke presents his topics, inner values, and presentation skills with an interval of 10 years. The works from the 1980s to 1990s depict a sense of aesthetics, which was a pure pursuit of creative art. After 1990s, Director Ke realized there were plenty of environmental issues in Taiwan, and few of them were being dealt with. Therefore he turned to documentary photography to record the problems, monitor the policy implementation, and criticize the pollution makers. The works during this period of time were more vibrant and energetic.
In 2000s, online media became the mainstream. Director Ke started to record ecological issues through filming. He focused on environmental protection and initiatives. Since 2010, mobile devices and social media became viral. One's recording can be uploaded to social platforms immediately. Live streaming even appeared. This led to more records on environmental protection.
Images have tremendous power and important social values. Director Ke gave us an example. At the end of 1980s, The photograph of Lai Chun-Piao disclosed the deforestation in the Ludun vatan mountain area, which caused a forest initiative. Forestry Bureau, therefore, prohibited the forestation of Grade-one woods. In 1990, Earth Trust recorded that fishers hunted penguins. The footage was released and damaged the global image of Taiwan, which urged the Taiwan government to protect penguins from the legislation. Director Ke highly encourages those who are doing the same thing to contemplate any possibility they can make to change the environment from their works.
To Chen Yu-wen, the contracted photographer of “National Geographic”, ecological photography is a pure happiness and emotional deed.
Mr. Chen not only captures animals and plants, he also records people, cities, landscape, and commercial shooting. He emphasized, “ecological photography gives me the most happiness.” When in college, he told his parents he had assignment to do for ecological photography. Then he would grab his camera to record. Originally, he knew nothing about insects. Yet through photography, he learned each insect and butterfly from the pictures he took. Thus, photography is a crucial approach for him to know this world.
Mr. Chen also brought up his story twenty years ago at Guandu Nature Park. A pair of black-winged stilts visited Guandu Nature Park and bred there. “National Geographic” therefore came to the park to shoot the birds. Mr. Chen did a lot of surveys and inquired about the volunteers in the park. He listed out several spots where the stilts might appear. Later on, he built three tents. Every day at 5 o'clock in the morning, Mr. Chen climbed into the tent and waited quietly to take photos of stilts.
It's hot and damp inside. Quite uncomfortable. Mr. Chen said that it was around the end of August, and Guandu Park is a swamp without any shield. On the first two days, he recorded nothing. It was a tiring process. On the third day at three and four o'clock in the afternoon, just when Mr. Chen wanted to give up, the stilts flew to the front of the camera lens. They were so close that the camera couldn't capture them. Mr. Chen said that it was all worth it after putting so much effort into seeking the spots they might appear in. “It was happier than winning a lottery!” said Mr. Chen.
It is normal to fail but Mr. Chen sad, “if you are willing to wait patiently, you will see how ecology evolves in front of you. No disruption.” The waiting was hard, and the environment was rough. Half of the body was in the mud. Yet once you get a good photo, happiness is nowhere can be found.
In recent years, staged photography has been widely discussed. Director Ke pointed out that the photographer should set a proper boundary between human beings and animals. People shouldn't interrupt animals' living environment, including birds’ nets, trimming the twigs from the nets, or disturb the nestlings. Mr. Chen also discovered that there are some photographers who are so eager to take good photos that they create scenes on purpose, aka stage photography, which loses the true meaning of ecological photography. He recommended that beginners first relax, observe, and appreciate the surroundings, and don't rush to get good results.
“2022 Taiwan Photo Contest” is held by “National Geographic”. This year, the purpose of the contest is to discover the beauty of Taiwan, so the works submitted should be somewhere in Taiwan. The due date of registration is March 18th. The contest is divided into two groups, teenagers and adults. The topics for the teenagers group are not limited. For the adult group, other than portraits, landscapes, and natures, a new topic is added this year, which is called “the story of ecological sustainability.” Each work consists of five pictures, describing the stories of creature preservation, water, land and wetland ecology, marine preservation, and climate change. The winner of the ecological sustainability will not only have prizes and money, but he or she will also have a chance to learn from Director Ke on ecological photography.
Three forums will be held as well, where George Steinmetz, master of aerial photography at “National Geographic”, Director Ke Chin-Yuan of environmental documentaries in Taiwan, and top 100 underwater photographer Yorko Summer in the world were invited to the secrets behind their works. Chou Wen-Ling, the CEO of the Wistron Humanities Foundation will share her experience in ecological preservation.
Ecological photography is a dialogue in the natural environment. Through the lens, photographers gracefully observe the living beings and capture eternity in the best moment.
Special thanks: Contracted photographer of “National Geographic”, Chen Yu-wen, who provided the photographs.
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