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Wildlife photography: capturing nature without causing harm

RSPCA Australia
Tuesday, 21 July 2026

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Photographs of wildlife can have the remarkable ability to connect people with the natural world. A powerful image of a kangaroo at dusk or a young turtle making their way out to sea can inspire awe, encourage conservation, and remind us of the incredible diversity of the wildlife we share our environment with.

But wildlife photography also comes with responsibility. Many have heard the phrase “take nothing but pictures, leaving nothing but footprints” and while this phrase is a good general guide, it’s a little too simplistic. There are often things even the most well-intentioned people do while ‘taking nothing but pictures’ that can have a harmful impact on wildlife and their environment.

Ethical wildlife photography doesn’t mean missing out on the wonder of viewing animals in the wild, it means keeping animal welfare as the overriding consideration, observing carefully and making choices that respect animals as wild individual beings with their own needs and boundaries.

Getting too close can cause real stress

Photography is often viewed as a non-invasive activity as it doesn’t involve directly touching wildlife. However, the process of capturing an image can have significant consequences if it disrupts an animal’s natural behaviour. Many species depend on predictable patterns of feeding, resting, breeding and caring for their young. Even a brief disturbance may force an animal to abandon a feeding opportunity, waste valuable energy fleeing from a perceived danger, or leave offspring vulnerable to predators or harsh weather elements. These impacts may seem small in isolation, but repeated disturbances can also accumulate in their impact over time, particularly at popular wildlife or nature destinations where animals may be approached by numerous photographers each day.

A useful rule to follow is: if your presence changes an animal’s behaviour, you are too close. Use a zoom lens rather than attempting to get close, stay on marked paths, and give animals space to move away. If an animal notices your presence or appears alert, tense or agitated, stops feeding, or tries to leave, that is a sign to step back.

Respecting habitats matters too

Capturing an image ethically isn’t only about the animal(s) in the frame, it’s also about respecting the environment they depend on. Trampling vegetation, moving branches or rocks, or entering restricted areas can do more damage than meets the eye, and significantly affect the species who rely on these spaces for food, shelter and protection. A fallen log may be home to insects, reptiles, or small mammals, coastal dunes may protect nesting birds, and native vegetation may provide food and refuge for wildlife passing through.

It’s also important not to disturb or manipulate wildlife for a photograph. Offering food, using bait, or playing calls to attract animals can place them at risk by disrupting their natural diet and feeding behaviours, encouraging them to approach people or roads (which can place them in danger and weaken their natural hunting/foraging/defensive behaviours), or cause distress – particularly for birds during breeding season.

The most respectful images are those that show wildlife behaving normally, without disturbance or interference. Leave environments as you found them, embrace the scene as it is, and allow the animals in focus to choose whether they stay, move, rest, feed, or disappear from view.

When everyone wants the same shot

Even when one photographer keeps a respectful distance, repeated attention from many people can create ongoing stress for animals, especially when they’re approached or surrounded by multiple people over time. Crowding around the same animal, nest, den, or space can disrupt animals performing the natural behaviours that are important to them. It can also prevent animals from resting or feeding and can make it harder for them to court, breed, and care for their young, or move away safely.

This risk can be amplified by the ever-growing popularity of social media, where animal images are widely shared and creators may compete to capture a ‘viral shot’. While tagging a location may seem harmless, sharing details that identify the exact place a photo was taken can unintentionally direct people to a rare, nesting, injured or vulnerable animal or species. This, in turn, increases the risk of animal and habitat disturbances, harassment, excessive visitation or even poaching.

A good rule to keep top of mind is always remember the animal’s welfare first. Try to choose less popular destinations for wildlife photography, and if choosing to share an image online, keep the location broad, such as the region rather than the exact site, or leave location details out altogether.

The problem with wildlife selfies

Selfies continue to be popular for people of all ages, and there may be temptation to include wildlife in a selfie. Many people genuinely love animals and desire to be close to them and have that once in a lifetime moment captured. While it may create a memorable keepsake to share with friends and family for humans involved, capturing a wildlife selfie can cause real harm to animals and is certainly not in their best welfare interests. An image of a person touching, holding, restraining, or approaching an animal too closely can risk normalising close contact with wild animals and can send the inaccurate message that these kinds of interactions are acceptable and safe. Even when the person in the image has specialist training or permission to handle wildlife, that context is often lost when the photo is shared, which can encourage others to copy unsafe or potentially illegal behaviour.

For the animals involved, these encounters can be frightening and stressful, and may lead to distress, injury, or defensive behaviour where the animal reacts with protective or fear-based responses and a human is injured. In some settings, animals are captured, confined or handled so people can pose with them; in others, wild animals may be crowded, followed or pressured for a photo. Sharing these images can also encourage others to seek similar experiences.

A simple rule is: if getting the photo requires touching, holding, chasing, crowding or moving closer to a wild animal, don’t take it. Native animals such as koalas, wombats, kangaroos, birds, reptiles and marine wildlife should be admired from a safe and respectful distance; not treated as props for entertainment or a better shot.

When photography helps wildlife

Wildlife photography can play an important role in conservation. Images can capture rare behaviours, bring attention to threatened species, and help bring attention to the impacts of habitat loss, climate change, and human activity. For many people, photographing local wildlife is also a way to connect to nature close to home, and that connection matters as people are more likely to feel moved to protect wildlife and environments when they feel connected to them.

However, a photograph is only a positive force if the circumstances in which it was taken does not compromise animal welfare. The goal shouldn’t necessarily be the closest shot, the most dramatic reaction, or the most shareable moment. Often, the most meaningful images are the ones that show an animal safely behaving naturally in their own world, without pressure or interference.

Australia’s wildlife is unique and remarkable; it deserves our admiration but also our restraint. By keeping respect for the lives and habitats of animals our first priority, we can celebrate the beauty of our natural world while helping to ensure animals are left at peace to live their lives.

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