bmcdonough

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us Hannah! Long live the bees!

I love the messaging of storytelling close to home!

A key principle of iLCP's mission is to empower ethical conservation photography -- this means we regularly evaluate the ethics of community involvement, photo licensing, and even wildlife/photographer interactions. In our newest StoryMap, A Light Touch, iLCP Senior Fellow Doug Gimesy explores the ethics of photography with artificial light when photographing wildlife. Following a chaotic encounter with over-lit photography and the little penguins of Melbourne, Gimesy began to consider the impacts additional light could have on certain species. "What I saw that night started me thinking about the impact a photographer’s lighting could have on wildlife – whether using flash in the field or even on captive animals. Having been trained as a bioethicist, I really wanted to make sure I was doing the ‘right thing’." Check out the Story Map here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a2132c9f3a3945cc9fdbd8490338c291

I have to head out but this was lovely! Thank you Katie for sharing so much great info!

What's your go-to gear?

This is awesome, thank you so much!

Hey Katie, thanks for being here! I think vlogging would be fun but I always feel so awkward! Do you have any advice for getting over that and being more confident?

Hey everyone! It's been a minute since we've done a photo dump and I miss seeing what you all have been up to! Share your photos from March and the story behind them below! I went on the hunt for spring ephemerals in March, I was out nearly every week looking for wildflowers! I ended up being invited to a property where there were a ton in bloom. I got to see bluebells, bloodroot, twin leaf, and yellow trout lilys. Plus some nonnatives. Not everything was in full bloom so not all my photos are outstanding but I have a blast. This day I used my Sony A7RV and Sony 16-35 GM.

Hi everyone! It's been a while since we've done a photo dump and I'd love to see what you've been up to! For me, it's honestly been a quiet month of shooting, I got quite sick and spent most of the month holed up. I did photograph a conservation event at the beginning of the month, which was a cool event - though not that thrilling to photograph 🙂 Let's see your shots from this past month!

Wahoo! So excited to be here!

There are so many skills and techniques to be successful in conservation photography. What is one you're looking to improve on? We'd love to learn more about how to support you!

This is awesome, thanks for sharing Susan! For those of you who might not know, Susan Norton is the Executive director of iLCP!

I'm so excited to teach this workshop again! Sam and I had a blast last time. We really put in all the info we wish we knew starting out. I hope to see some of you there!

The next round of National Geographic grants are due on April 11th. The storytelling grant is a fantastic way to support a passion project and conservation story. Many iLCP Fellows and other conservation storytellers have received this grant. There are three main factors I think is important to detail in your grant application: Why is this story important to tell? for this, dive into the timeliness of the issue, the impact a story could have on the issue, etc. Why are you the right person to tell this story? Make it clear that you are the one who should complete this project - this could be because of your past work and special skills, or the connections and relationships you've built. You may also point to the locality of the project - is its happening right in your community. Just making it clear that you are the best storyteller for this project. How are you set up for success? Have you made contacts / relationships with key characters? Have you done adequate research? They want to fund people who they don't see as a huge risk, so making it clear that you have put in some groundwork to be successful is very important. Another tip is to be very clear in your writing and your narrative. Don't leave anything up for assumption or interpretation - remember, they aren't experts in the topic like you are, so they will need more context! Are any of you thinking about applying? If so, what projects would you work on?

This looks like such an awesome project @Peter Mather! I'll give some thought to possible funding. Thanks for sharing the doc, it's so helpful to see how to put together a strong proposal.

This is going to be so great! I love Hannah's work!

I would love to hear (and hopefully see images) of any projects you are currently working on! Feel free to share below! 👇

I'm SO excited about this club! I love connecting with other photographers and filmmakers and geeking out about all things conservation storytelling. My name is Brooke, I've worked with iLCP for about 5 years now. Currently, my major roles with iLCP is to help run the ELP mentorship program. I'm also a photographer and filmmaker myself. I primarily focus on pollinators and human/environment interaction. Most recently, I've been working on a story on lawn culture in the US -- this work is supported by National Geographic. Here's my Instagram so we can connect more! https://www.instagram.com/brooke_mcdonough/

This shot is incredible!! What an epic moment you captured, I rarely see images of owls like this. How did you get this shot? Was it a lot of waiting around?

I'd love to see what you shot last month! With the holidays, I didn't shoot a ton but I did start off the month with a few family photo shoots. Here are some shots from one of my favorite ones! I used the Sony A7RV and Sony 16-35GM

Thank you @tonygale! I typically try not to shoot a ton with my family because I want to just be present, but you're so right - having these types of images is so special

Thank you Caroline! I had others that I was more technically proud of but this one holds a special place in my heart.

I loved reading this article on the Sony Ambassadors most meaningful photos of the year! It got me thinking about my most meaningful photo... This is a photo of my grandpa, Captain Jim. He has Parkinson's Disease and is declining pretty quickly. I took this photo when we were camping over the 4th of July and we were all sitting around the bonfire. Though it's not my most technically incredible photo, I think it really captures his personality. Every time I see him, he's changed a bit - either physically or mentally. I've spent the past few years taking a ton of photos of him as my way to capture his personality and presence. This is how I will always remember him - an outdoorsman who loved a good cigar. My family went camping all throughout my childhood, so this is a familiar sight. These types of reflections help me remember why I love photography so much. You can tell a story and make meaning through your camera. It's hard for me to face what's happening with my grandpa, and by focusing on taking pictures, it helps me stay in the moment with him and just let go of my fears, for a while. I took this with the Sony Alpha 7V and the Sony 24-70 GM. I also made a film about Captain Jim for the Michael J Fox Foundation. You can see it here: https://alphauniverse.com/stories/captain-jim-filmmaker-tells-a-personal-story-of-a-veteran/ What's your most meaningful image of the year?! I'd love to see them and hear about why they stand out!

I love this! It really does give it that "hero" look. How far away were you when you took this?

Wahoo! I'm loving these opportunities to speak to photogs I really admire! 🙌