Practising ethical wildlife photography

The subject of ethical nature photography is close to Steve Dunsford’s heart and a controversial subject among those photographers who depend on stunning wildlife shots for their livelihood. “There are different trains of thought about wildlife photography,” he explains. “There is a group of people that think getting an amazing photo is what it’s all about. If you have an award-winning photo, how you got it doesn’t matter. Whether you bait animals with food, go to game farms or whatever it’s all about the photo and not the experience.

“Photographer Wesley Liikane is a good friend who thinks very much as I do about ethical photography. For us, it’s more about recording the experience we’re having, enjoying it while capturing good images to share. There are photographers who have no problem about baiting wildlife. Trying to have a reasonable discussion with them is almost impossible because they get so defensive. They justify it by saying they are doing it safely or are feeding the animals.”

Baiting means giving animals or birds food to make them come close or stop while photos are taken. By associating people with food, baited animals risk being hurt by running towards people or moving cars, or being injured when the food is thrown into a dangerous place like a road.

Dunsford says owls in general and snowy owls in particular are extremely baited. He cites one photographer who baits owls in an area before holding pricey workshops to guarantee his clients get owl photos.

Unfortunately, hikers and visitors to

Algonquin Park also habituate animals to seek out people for food. As with their pets, people want to look after wildlife by giving them something to eat.

“People think if they see a fox and throw it part of their sandwich, they are doing something good,” says Dunsford. “But what happens if those foxes get killed because they start coming to the road to find people? If they can get food more easily than chasing a snowshoe hare, they’ll do it. My main goal when I’m out in Algonquin Park is to have the least impact as possible on wildlife and the landscape. With wildlife, I don’t feed or bait them. I have taken photos of animals, especially foxes, that are obviously used to people because they get fed at campgrounds.”

In Algonquin Park, Dunsford took photos of a mother fox and her pups that were fine with people coming near them and feeding them. He took photos from a distance of the mother nursing and grooming her babies, then falling asleep with one pup curled up beside her. Though Dunsford likes the photos, he knew people’s interference could prevent the fox from getting food for her pups and disrupt the animal’s daily routines. Dunsford recognizes some nature photographers rely on selling stunning photos or getting award-winning images for their income. However, he feels photographers can get those shots without harassing or baiting wildlife by using patience and skill.

“If I see a wolf and throw food at it, I would be able to keep it around longer than normal because they don’t stick around very long,” he says. “To me, that’s cheating. After doing eight years of wildlife photography, I’m more thrilled getting something like my shot of the baby muskrat that swam up to me beside a road. I try to have the least impact on animals. To me that’s the ultimate – to be able to go out and take photos while watching animals do their thing.” on a frozen pond west of Lookout Trail. The wolves looked at Dunsford, but continued to sniff around without trying to enter the lodge.

“We knew that wolves visit beaver lodges, but no one had ever seen it,” says Dunsford, who took 74 photos before the wolves departed.

Dunsford also had a close wolf encounter while driving home in September. He turned a corner and there was a wolf about to cross the road. Seeing the car, the wolf stepped back and disappeared. Dunsford stopped where the wolf had been and howled, but there was no response.

“I got a weird feeling and turned to my left,” he recalls. “There was that wolf sitting beside a tree, no more than 30 feet away from me. I have no idea how long it had been sitting there. As soon as we locked eyes, it got up and left. I was so surprised that I didn’t even get a picture.”

Nature photos by Dunsford and landscape paintings by his good friend David Kay will be showcased in the Algonquin Room at the Algonquin Park Visitor Centre from Sept. 2 to 28. Dunsford says having his work selected is an honour considering all the amazing artists and photographers who applied for their work to be featured in this exhibition.

For amateur photographers and tourists wanting to photograph Algonquin’s wildlife, Dunsford has this advice.

“Selfies aren’t a good idea when it comes to wildlife,” he says. “I see people along Hwy. 60 walk right up to moose with their iPads and phones. They need to be aware that wildlife really is wild.”

For more information about the Howl Photography Convention on Oct. 21 to 23, 2022, please call 613-553-1500, email howlphotocon@ gmail.com or visit www.howlphotocon.com.

Early one April morning, Dunsford took the first photo proving wolves seek out beaver lodges in the winter, a fact presumed but not proven before that time. (Photo by Steve Dunsford)