We share this earth with all the flora and fauna about us, this life has as much right to exist as we do. My rules are to do no harm; I do not think it trite to say “take only photos; leave only footprints.” My promise is to do nothing that will unduly stress any animal, plant, or ecosystem. I do not cut trees or even their branches to improve a photo; I do not bait, I do not lure; if an animal appears stressed or anxious I will leave.

I would like to tell a story. My husband and I were photographing on the Atnarko River. The salmon were spawning. A Mom grizzly brought her triplets to within four meters of us – it was we who were stressed but she put us at ease with her calm demeanor. I truly hope that my demeanor is equally calm and puts nature at ease.

While on the subject of ethics in photography I would like to say a few words regarding digital manipulation. Visitors to my gallery have asked about “photoshopping,” “enhancing”, or “manipulating.” Do I do it? The short answer is yes and no.

I shoot in RAW. The average person, an amateur, will shoot in JPEG which automatically applies a generic edit to the photo; I am a professional and wish to control those edits myself through the RAW format. The RAW format does not give a direct realistic image but it does gather far more information – the resulting “edited” image is more true to reality than the simple JPEG. So in general are my images manipulated? No – they are faithful reproductions of what you would see with your own eyes if you were in the field with me at the time of the photo.

I do however also present “enhanced” images and when I do so I make it obvious. For example abstracts of multiple exposures, or the addition of a vignette, or a time lapse exposure of a water fall or Milky Way.

I hope this short essay on ethics is helpful. Please feel free to contact me with questions.