At what point can wildlife and landscape photography become something more than documentary work?

Were someone to evaluate my career and academic background, they’d likely conclude that I lean towards empiricism, objectivity, and certainty. Let’s face it, I’m a trained field ecologist and evolutionary biologists who enjoys statistical analysis. I am a fervent believer that nature has a stronger influence on life than nurture. I understand and embrace the role of DNA in gene expression, and how discrete environmental events can influence the way the genetic code impacts biology. I see the world clearly through a scientific lens. So, while I acknowledge my empirical cognitive frame, I also see myself as a creative.

*Crow and its Kitchen Scraps - February 2023*

The popular view of science and scientists has been shaped by TV shows like “The Big Bang Theory” and “ Star Trek.” In each case, the scientists' are portrayed as quirky, logical, and unimaginative. The characters speak with a dogmatic cadence that borders on robotic, and appear to lack empathy. Emphasizing logic and objectivity, pop culture misses the essence of science; specifically, the creativity required to think differently. While the tools for science are engineered for precision, accuracy, and repetitive application, the questions we chase and the pursuit of answers are a purely creative endeavor. There is no programmed methodology for asking questions and making discoveries. In fact, the act of science looks more like play than anything else. Scientists are manipulators, they look for something to change, something perturb, or something to do differently. Beginning with “What if I…,” they seek to push on the boundaries of what is known to find something new. Developing these questions and designing ways to test them are as creative as imagining a character in play or constructing an abstraction from reality. To learn from what we know is an objective frame of reference, to create an unknown from the known is leap into subjectivity, exploration, and creativity.

Nature photographers and their photography often suffer from the same perceptions that plague the scientific community. We are often portrayed as clinical and objective observers of reality who point the lens to document what is there. The field is fraught with technicians who obsess about optics, sensors, flash angles, and realism. While brute knowledge is useful, relying solely on knowledge limits the potential of a photograph to resonate with the viewer. Great nature photography is more than the skill to work the tools and subject. Great nature photography is about a story, and it is in the story where creativity resides. When the technician finds the strength to break the “rules” and envision something more than reality, their work has the power to evoke emotion and inspire the imagination. It is at this point when nature documentary begins to touch creativity.

Thinking about Creativity

12 Months in the Midwest

Photo Diary - Points North and Beyond

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