Wildlife research tag alongs for photographers

[geddert]

Hello, as I am sure many of you dream of doing, I would love to

devote year of my life to African wildlife photography. Of course

going on a touristy safari for one full year is a very expensive

proposition. I was wondering if it is possible, and if so how one

gets to travel around with animal researchers?

 

As an example, wildlife photographers in national geographic often

tag along with a research group doing research on their particular

subject of interest � like this month they did an article on the

Tsavo maneless lion. Having the name national geographic attached to

you would certainly help, but I was wondering if it is possible to

tag along with these groups as a hobbyist, in exchange for

photographs for their research project - or something like that.

 

Or, alternatively if there are others ways of doing an extended

photographic project for personal enjoyment, without having to absorb

the potentially huge costs associated with being on a touristy Safari

the whole time, short of working in the kitchen in a tourist lodge.

[ellis_vener_photography]

<I>... wildlife photographers in national geographic often tag

along with a research group doing research on their particular

subject of interest � like this month they did an article on the

Tsavo maneless lion...</I><P>Nat Geo photographers and film

crews can do that because National Geographic underwrites a

great deal of the researchers funding. And because exposure

through the magazine and TV shows does a great deal to

publicize & llegitimacize the research, that makes easier for the

researchers to raise more money for more research or the next

expedition. it also helps generate tourism dollars for those

countries, which helps further the cause of conservation and

protecting habitat (because it becomes part of the financial

infrastructure. In many cases the photographers are also part of

the research team.<P>So here is the solution: pony up some

real big money!

[markci]

Or work in the kitchen of a tourist lodge.

[ryan_taylor1]

Ellis is right. But there are alternatives if you're willing to stay closer to home. Most universities have web sites listing the biology faculty and their research interests. Go to your local university's website and look for the things that interest you. Contact these professors and tell them that you would be interested in tagging along to take some photos. Many professors will have grad students that are often in the field a lot and they can put you in touch with their grad students. Offer to give them some photos of their research and many will be happy to have you come along. If you've ever sat through a talk on biology research you know that many biologists are notoriously bad photographers!

 

You will likely encounter some folks who can't be bothered. However, be polite and keep looking, you will likely find some folks that will be happy to have you along and will be pleased at getting some nice shots of their work.

[robert_kennedy]

You may want to look into projects where they need some help. Chances are you won't be going to Tsavo or the Masai Mara, but I know there are a lot of different projects where they need some manpower. Things similar to the Audobon Bird Count they do every Christmas. Hook up with the right people and you can tag along and help out and see some great things.

[karl_lehmann]

Africa is pretty cheap once you get there. If you just go on your own and you don't mind a bit of discomfort you will be able to travel for close to a year on what many tourists pay for a two week safari! And you'll have a wonderful experience that money can't buy. The cost of living is extremely low in most countries, though park entry fees can add up.<p>You could start by picking up the Lonely Planet guide "Africa on a Shoestring" (get a new one, things change fast at African borders, etc.). Then just go. And whatever you do, don't book any safaris in advance.<p>Karl Lehmann <a href="http://www.lostworldarts.com/new_page_3.htm">Lost World Arts</a>

[mbeebee]

As one of the aforementioned grad students doing wildlife research (birds, in my case), I would also suggest volunteering as a field assistant. Researchers (grad students, especially) often need help in the field, but can�t always pay a lot, if anything. By giving them some of your time, you could potentially gain access to the research subjects for photos, provided you won�t have any impact on the research. (I�m afraid I don�t need any field assistants this year, sorry.) Just make sure to be upfront about what you�re proposing�depending on the nature of their research project, some researchers will be less inclined to having their study species bothered than others. You might also check with wildlife biologists with the various federal and state fish and game departments.

 

Good luck!

[alex_p._schorsch]

I might be able to swing you a tag along spot on the Carnivores Project in Iguaçu National Park in Brazil. They're pretty hard up for funding, I'm pretty sure I could get you in in exchange for you helping them out at the supermarket!!!!! This would be a first. It's definately not Africa, but they do work with Pumas and Jaguars. Visibility is next to zero in this jungle. Check out Frans Lanting's book called Jungle and you'll understand the problems involved in this type of photo location. Once you get your foot in the door we could probably get you in a tag along program in the Pantanal. Much better visibility there in the World's largest wetland.

[geddert]

Thanks to everybody for your responses. This is great advice. It looks like i will need to get in on the "bottom" floor... I am a computer network/system engineer right now, and i bet lots of research stations would need technical help... This will probably be the way i will try to get in the door. I guess it is time to start calling universities.

[robert_kennedy]

Don't worry too much about your qualifications. A lot of field work is pretty easy, but boring. Counting this, or sorting that... That kind of stuff. You are probably pretty qualified to do it, it is just getting in a doing it that will be the tough part.

[dave_cattell1]

Matthew,

 

I am currently traveling the world at the moment at a similar thought has occurred to me a number of times. At the moment I am enjoying visiting many different places rather than concentrating on any particular wildlife area.

 

At www.earthwatch.com they organise unskilled labour for research projects. The normal setup is for the participant to pay rather large sums of money for a relatively short period of time. In the region of $1200 for a week or two. I've had the opportunity to talk to a few of the researchers on the other side and they have their frustrations with the setup which may be to your advantage. Typically if unskilled labour turns up only for a week or two then a high proportion of the researchers time is spent training and then the participant leaves anyway. Thus the researchers often feel it costs them more in effort than they receive.

 

Thus if you could offer yourself up for a much longer period then I'm sure some of the researchers would be delighted to have you along. It would be more cost effective for both of you. The problem I've found with this is that when you dig around on the earthwatch website it is quite difficult to dig up direct contact info for the researchers, this is probably deliberate. For some of the stuff it is possible to find more info elsewhere on the web.

 

As others have said independent travel as espoused by The Lonely Planet etc (I'm a great fan) is typically way way cheaper than taking tours. Maybe that would be a good way to get out there and find the kind of researchers you are talking about.

 

Good luck, if you find any good leads let us know,

Dave.

[arthur_morris_birds_as_art]

Moose Peterson has made a career of working with wildlife researchers. He did an article in a BT Journal that detailed his strategies for getting invited. Check out his web site and see what you can find. Best, Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

ps: If it works in North America, it most likely would work in Africa too...