Is Conservation Photography Right for You? 5 Ways to Know if It’s a Fit

Episode 140: Is Conservation Photography Right for You? 5 Ways to Know if It’s a Fit

Shownotes: ConservationVisuals.com/140

(Digitally transcribed, please forgive any typos)

Jaymi Heimbuch:
[00:00:00] Jaymi: Welcome to this episode of Impact, the Conservation Photography podcast. And Joe, I'm so excited that you're back for another episode.

[00:00:07] Jo: I'm so excited to be here. As always, I just love coming and doing this stuff.

[00:00:12] Jaymi: Well good, because we have an episode topic that I think you are gonna have opinions about and I love hearing your opinions so

[00:00:19] Jo: opinions about everything, you know that,

[00:00:23] Jaymi: well. We're talking today about, Is conservation photography right for you? So if you're someone who's thinking, you know, I'm, I'm interested in this conservation photography thing, but is it really what I wanna do? We're gonna dive into like, well, what are some of the ways that you could know if it's a fit for you or not?

[00:00:40] Jo: Ooh, okay. This could be interesting. All right, I'm ready.

[00:00:44] Jaymi: I think that it'll be interesting. as an episode because I'll probably be like, everybody needs to be a conservation photographer because why wouldn't you be it so amazing and fun? And you'll be like, well, let's, bring it back to center. Let's think about, some personality types and how that comes into [00:01:00] play.

[00:01:00] Jaymi: So it's gonna be a really fun conversation.

[00:01:02] Jo: We're ready to go.

[00:01:03] Jaymi: okay, so there are at least five different sort of, preferences or ways of looking at the world that I think. Is a telltale sign that you might be great for conservation photography or rather, conservation photography may be a very fulfilling field for you as a photographer, whether you're a hobbyist, whether this is something that you wanna think about as maybe part of your career as a photographer.

[00:01:31] Jaymi: And one of those things that, and this is really near and dear to me cuz this is how I got into conservation photography, is making images, is really. But I'm not okay with just piling up a whole bunch of images on a hard driver, sharing 'em on social, like I want them to do something. I want them to have a purpose.

[00:01:49] Jaymi: And so if you're a photographer who's thinking, I really enjoy making images, but what do I do with them that matters? That makes an impact, that makes a difference. [00:02:00] Conservation photography is probably a great fit for you because it's all about what you do with your images to create awareness, to create understanding, to create action around issues that affect nature and the environment and communities and people around you.

[00:02:17] Jo: So, so basically that's sort of the root. Of conservation photography is that you're taking it to make change. You're doing it to make change.

[00:02:30] Jaymi: You're creating imagery that is intended to do something more than just look pretty on a. And I mean, sometimes looking pretty on the wall is the first step in doing something because it then creates conversation. Maybe it's about a gallery exhibit that has really informative captions that get people, , talking.

[00:02:50] Jaymi: Conservation photography can look like all different things, but really at the heart of it is let's have these images created and then [00:03:00] put them to work to actually make a difference for

[00:03:03] Jo: Okay. I got, I can't, I, it's just like on the tip of my tongue. You mean make an impact?

[00:03:08] Jaymi: Making an impact. I know the word impact is so overused to the point of being cliche in, you know, conservation fields, but Yeah, exactly. Impact, impact, impact.

[00:03:21] Jo: Well, sometimes the cliche got there because it was a useful word,

[00:03:25] Jaymi: It is the perfect word. Absolutely. So if you are someone who's a nature photographer and you're thinking, man, I am making all kinds of images and it's really fun, and now I've got thousands of images on my hard drive, and I just kind of feel like.

[00:03:41] Jaymi: That's not enough just to take the photo. Like why? What can I do to make them matter? What can I do to bring people into conversation? What can I do with these that actually makes an impact? Conservation photography is a perfect outlet because then you get to say, okay, well I'm gonna do. [00:04:00] A gallery exhibit that will bring a topic to light in my community, or I'm going to create a photo story that will get into publications and in front of readers that will educate them about an issue.

[00:04:11] Jaymi: Or I'm gonna take my photos and put them into a presentation that I give at different camera clubs or different organizations that I'm with and really educate people about something that's going on or even how interesting a species is. And that's where you can start to say, I've got the images, I'm gonna put 'em to work and actually like, get people involved in something that can make an impact for the environment.

[00:04:37] Jo: Okay, cool. All right. Got it. So it's fun, but not enough. Got it.

[00:04:44] Jaymi: It's not enough to just have it be fun, we've gotta do that.

[00:04:47] Jo: fun.

[00:04:48] Jaymi: So that's, that's one, one way that, you know, if okay, this conservation photography thing, that that might be right at my alley. A second thing that I hear pop up a lot from folks [00:05:00] who kind of enter my sphere, whether they become podcast listeners and then reach out to me on email, or maybe they enroll in conservation photography 1 0 1 and I didn't know them very well before, and so they, they let me know why they enrolled.

[00:05:11] Jaymi: A common thing that I hear is especially from those who are using photography as a second career or they're retired now and, and getting really into photography, is I wanna leave a legacy. I want to have used my photography in a way that leaves a mark or makes an impact, or leaves a legacy in some way so that I know that with my photography, I'm gonna leave the world hopefully a little better than it was when I was here.

[00:05:40] Jaymi: Or you know, it kind of sounds like impending doom, but we all

[00:05:44] Jo: No, no, no. Because you want to, you wanna be able to have your, your memory go on the memory of you go on in some way, and that idea that you can, like, for instance, it's, it's, there's a woman that I used to work with and, and she was [00:06:00] just this amazing woman and she left us way too soon from cancer, but she worked in a.

[00:06:07] Jo: Conservation area here on, on our coastal live oak area. And she's just someone who left her mark. And so, you know, people will always remember rose, and that is just a great thing. And so if you can do that with your photography, why not, you

[00:06:24] Jaymi: Yes. Yeah. And I think there's a lot of ways that you could make that mark or leave that legacy with a conservation cause. But one really great example of someone who is actively doing this now that h. His legacy will live on for I'm sure centuries is Joel Sartori and his project photo arc. So he has been for years and years on this mission to photograph endangered species before they disappear.

[00:06:53] Jaymi: And he does that in zoo settings. So all of his imagery is done with a black background typically. Black [00:07:00] background. I think maybe sometimes it's a white one, but you like, you know, photo arc shots because they are a very studio style image of a really incredible endangered species, typically in all black background.

[00:07:13] Jaymi: And he really wanted to be able to make sure that these species that may not be here very soon. That they have a, a memory, like we will be able to see that they were here, that they existed, they matter. And so photo arc I think is a great example of leaving a legacy when, when Joel leaves this world, and hopefully it won't be for a very, very long time.

[00:07:35] Jaymi: That legacy will still be here and it will really matter.

[00:07:39] Jo: That's a great, that's a great way of thinking about, especially when you're retiring or getting close to retirement or, you know, you've always had something churning in the back of your, of your heart or your brain, and now you'll have more time available to, to devote to something like that.

[00:07:56] Jo: That's a perfect time to think about it from that stand.

[00:07:59] Jaymi: [00:08:00] Yeah, absolutely. I have one student he's in his early seventies and this is where he's coming from, is I wanna leave a legacy when I, when I go, you know, I. I'm on the latter half of my life. There's only so much time left and now, and he is so busy, like incredibly busy staying out there photographing the issues that matter to him and he's kind of in the Rocky Mountain range.

[00:08:25] Jaymi: And just making sure that as he uses his photography, is something that he simply enjoys doing. He's focusing on issues that really matter in his area because he wants to leave that legacy and I feel like he's. When we've talked, he's mentioned his age quite a bit, but I'm like, you say that you're this older person, but you feel like you're in your late thirties to me, like just with this energy and this passion that you have to get out there and go make images that matter.

[00:08:53] Jaymi: And so I feel like that brings so much drive and motivation and energy to him when a [00:09:00] lot of other people who may might not have that, you know, they're sitting in a rocking chair watching tv,

[00:09:04] Jo: Yeah.

[00:09:05] Jaymi: just like, go, go, go, go.

[00:09:07] Jo: Yeah. Well, I will say that some of us in our later years our brains still feel like we're in our thirties. It's just our bones aren't letting us do what we used to do. So that's terrific. That sounds like an amazing thing that he is achieving with leaving that legacy that he's working on.

[00:09:29] Jaymi: Yeah,

[00:09:29] Jaymi: okay. Another one that pops up a lot. This is a personality type that I see so often make their way into conservation photography, and that is someone who loves connecting puzzle pieces about the world, loves connecting the dots. They're very curious about nature, and so when they look at something like maybe a bird eating a seed, they're like, Oh, what is, what is that seed that they're eating?

[00:09:55] Jaymi: How did they get it? Are they a seed disperser? Where are they going with that? Do they make ca like, you know, you [00:10:00] start putting all these pieces together and thinking about like how a species works inside of a ecosystem, or how a community is changing or affecting, improving or harming an ecosystem. Like there's all of these different threads in this story or pieces of this puzzle.

[00:10:15] Jaymi: Love seeing them and putting them together, and you love inspiring that type of curiosity in other people too. Oh my gosh, yes. It's so fun. I think that I might be part of that personality type for sure. But that makes you a perfect fit for conservation photography, because conservation photography, a lot of what you're doing with that is trying to use photos to illustrate.

[00:10:43] Jaymi: Complex interactions or what's happening somewhere. And so oftentimes it's not just about. Okay, I'm gonna take a couple pictures of these portraits and kind of explain it or whatever. It's like, well, no, I'm gonna make some photographs about what's happening and how things are connected, and how things are interrelated, and then [00:11:00] that can spark that curiosity of other people.

[00:11:02] Jaymi: And conservation, photography, especially when you're looking at photo stories. That accomplish that, and that really help take a complex issue that you're excited about and engaged in, and then illustrate it for other people. That's a lot of what we do in conservation photography, so,

[00:11:19] Jo: I love that idea because I also remember you talking about a lot of conservation, photography stories and. Images that people have come up with that reflect both sides of why something is the way it is too. So not only just the interconnection between the system that's there, but also why it's there and the complexity about why.

[00:11:46] Jo: It's not easy necessarily to change. So for instance, you know, you might have ranchers who are trying to make a living doing one thing, but then there's a species that is impacted by the livestock or [00:12:00] something like that. And I loved. Hearing the both sides of it, because nothing is simple. And, and so then, you know, then hearing, for instance, clever ways that then the ranchers have come up with ways to support the environment that the li that the other animals are trying to live in and still have this livestock, not necessarily just decimate everything or something like that.

[00:12:24] Jo: It just brings out awareness around those kinds of stories. I love those ones too. I think that's so cool.

[00:12:30] Jaymi: absolutely. And I mean, you bring up a great point of how conservation photography is used as well, which is helping other people be seen who often aren't seen, whether that is someone working inside of conservation, maybe it's like a biologist or an activist or someone, or it's people who Tend to be villainized by maybe in conservation stories , for instance, I think ranchers can be a great [00:13:00] example.

[00:13:00] Jaymi: A lot of ranchers might feel like, well, no one understands how hard it is to do the work that we do and what it takes, and that we're, you know, multiple generations into this, and this is who I am as a person, da da da da. Well, a conservation photographer has an opportunity to photograph.

[00:13:15] Jaymi: Who that rancher is and what it takes to run the ranch and why they feel that this is a problem. And then also, okay, well what's going on with, you know, the, the wolves that are there and let's photograph like the threats that they're facing and let's photograph the complexity of that interaction.

[00:13:33] Jaymi: What are the solutions? Who's working on solutions and how do we photograph that and show how. A, a level of harmony or coexistence can be reached, and then can we use that to show other ranchers like, Hey, here's this rancher who's just like you, who's figured out this way to do this and coexist with wolves.

[00:13:53] Jaymi: Think we could try that, . Do you think that, you know, this other rancher next to you installed wildlife friendly fencing and that really helps pronghorn in their [00:14:00] migration and that they're actually seeing a financial benefit from it? What do you think? Like you can actually use conservation photography to say, here's all these different puzzle pieces so that you can really feel like everybody who's a party to this is seen.

[00:14:15] Jaymi: And then that helps other people feel like, oh, I'm not being told something. I'm being brought into a conversation. I see myself reflected in it in some way. I'm open to this. Like, see, this is why I think I'm this personality type that got brought into conservation. Cuz isn't that incredible that you could take all these P puzzle pieces that you're seeing play out and come together and then you can photograph it in a way that other people can be like, oh, I get it.

[00:14:41] Jaymi: I see what's going on. Okay, now I understand.

[00:14:43] Jo: and wasn't there something about wolves getting introduced? . Yellowstone or somewhere.

[00:14:49] Jaymi: That's a, yeah, there's another like complex ecosystem story so especially if you are someone who's really interested in. Ecosystem level stuff. Like, that's a great example, [00:15:00] Joe. So wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone and then there's that whole trickle down effect, right, of, okay, well now there's a predator back in this ecosystem.

[00:15:09] Jaymi: So the herbivores are impacted and so then the plants that the herbivores. Eat are impacted there's fewer elk or they are changing their behavior, which means that the plants that they were feasting on now can thrive in different ways, which means it affects erosion, which means it affects, you know, all of these things.

[00:15:25] Jaymi: You really see that complexity and so, Like if you're a nature photographer who loves digging into that kind of stuff, then you can find all kinds of stories playing out that you can photograph about ecosystem level complexity that you photograph, and then that can help. Explain to other people like, well, here's why this matters, or Here's how these play out, or Here's why this species is important.

[00:15:50] Jaymi: You're not just photographing that species, you're photographing all these other ways that that species is important to an ecosystem and all these different aspects, and you're digging into wildlife portraiture, and [00:16:00] macro and landscape, and you get to play as a photographer while also playing as a conservationist and explaining stories.

[00:16:06] Jo: Okay, let's go do that.

[00:16:08] Jaymi: I know. So there's three things so far. We've got if you're someone who loves creating images, but it just doesn't feel like quite enough to just make them like you want them to do something and you want them to do something important, you want them to make a difference, then conservation photography might be right for you.

[00:16:26] Jaymi: If you are someone who's really interested in using the love that you have for photography, nature photography, wildlife photography, photographing your community, and you wanna really leave a legacy like that matters to you. You want to leave a legacy through your photography. You wanna make your mark through that.

[00:16:42] Jaymi: This might be a really great field for you to dig into as a way to do that. If you are someone who loves to. The dots loves the puzzle, pieces of nature and how they come together in this hole, and you wanna be able to use photography to [00:17:00] inspire that curiosity and that interest in other people.

[00:17:03] Jaymi: Conservation photography is probably an excellent field for you to dig into and to explore if you are someone who loves to teach or connect others to the issues that are really important to you. If you're someone who's. I'm gonna go on a nature walk with my friend, and we're gonna just go into the woods and have fun.

[00:17:23] Jaymi: But you cannot hold back and then look at this lichen and then it does this. And look at that bird and see it likes to eat this. And then it migrates over there. And if you can't not bring your friend into that conversation, no matter what look they have on their face. Then conservation photography might be a really great field for you because you get to do that with your photography.

[00:17:45] Jaymi: You get to create these images.

[00:17:47] Jo: You basically just like talked about how when we go for hikes, you know, and all the things I get to learn from you.

[00:17:55] Jaymi: I am one of those people I know whenever Nick and I go on walks, we have to [00:18:00] predetermine, is this a Nick walk or is this a Jamie walk? Because if this is a Nick Walk, we're gonna actually have a nice pace and we're gonna, you know, enjoy the scene. But we're gonna continue to move forward. And if it's a Jamie walk, then Nick will bring his Kindle and put it in his back pocket because there's probably gonna be a lot of stopping and staring and waiting.

[00:18:17] Jaymi: And he's like, I just, I'm gonna bring a book because it's gonna take us three hours to go four feet. So,

[00:18:22] Jo: But see, that's great because when you have a Jamie, you get to say, well, Jamie, what's this and what's that doing? And, and why? Oh, and, and then you also have the Jamie who says, oh, Joe, don't touch that. Joe. Joe, no, that's too close to that animal.

[00:18:42] Jaymi: But look, doesn't it look interested? Too interested? We are backing away now,

[00:18:46] Jo: Yeah,

[00:18:50] Jaymi: but that, I think that that personality type is so valuable. It's a conservation and conservation photography because that love and that energy that you have [00:19:00] for nature and, and like interesting interactions of things and how stuff works and why it matters in your area, in your community. It's contagious.

[00:19:09] Jaymi: Like that brings other people into the conversation and gets them all excited and curious and then they go tell other people. And so I also think if you are this personality type and you are at that level of photography where maybe you're starting to lead tours or lead workshops, conservation photography can be a great fit for you because you can bring that conservation element into the tours and workshops that you do just simply by.

[00:19:34] Jaymi: What you talk about with your guests. So you might be showing them how to use their camera and getting them in situations where they can photograph wildlife, but you're also infusing that love of that place or that species into everything else that you talk about. And then they walk away not only with really cool images or skills, but also all of this excitement and energy to go talk about these issues or these species with other people that they know.

[00:19:59] Jo: [00:20:00] Yeah. Remember how when we were in Alaska and we're walking down the trail and I'm looking at the trees and I'm watching the salmon jumping out of the water, and you go, Joe, look at this. And you bring me way, way, way close down to the ground and you're looking at these little, little tiny mushrooms.

[00:20:16] Jo: And I was like, I would've never even seen that and seen that that was part of the ecosystem there, and understand that that. Feeds this and does that and grows on this wood and you know, does this thing. And I was like, Ooh. And then, you know, okay, so let's talk about macro photography and these kinds of things and a whole experience I would've never, never thought about.

[00:20:39] Jaymi: Well, and like a really engaged tour guide. I mean, I, I still remember going to a lake that was near our home, Lopez Lake and going on a docent led hike. I must have been like 18 or 19 years old and I still have vivid memories of that whole hike. It's the first time I learned about what a gall was [00:21:00] on a tree, and it was the first time I ever saw a pack Rat Nest.

[00:21:04] Jaymi: And you. This is in a place where I've lived my whole life, but having a docent there who was explaining things and who clearly enjoyed it, it just opens your eyes to so much. And so for a photographer, I think, who loves being that person who loves being someone who's like, well, let's look at this and let's talk about that.

[00:21:23] Jaymi: And did you know this? And let's get curious about this other thing. Conservation photography. Like, please, please come be part of this field because that level of excitement and love and joy that is I think what feeds into other people and, and makes them good stewards or aware or makes 'em wanna exp like that's how information spreads is because then they.

[00:21:47] Jaymi: Take that excitement and then go tell someone else who tells someone else. Who tells someone else. And so this field, I think, is a perfect way for you to satisfy that love of teaching people stuff that matters and, and to do that [00:22:00] in a fun, creative way with photography.

[00:22:02] Jo: Cool.

[00:22:03] Jaymi: Yeah. So, okay, there's four. So the, the fifth, and there's way, way, way more of these, but the fifth kind of personality type that I see in the conservation photography field that I think, you know, this field could be a really good fit for you if, if this is kind of in your personality is if you're someone who really just wants to celebrate the species or the places or the organizations that you think are just so amazing and are valuable.

[00:22:33] Jaymi: Need recognition, then I think conservation photography is right for you because this is a field where we do so much of that. I think a lot of times there's a misperception that conservation photography is about everything going wrong in the world and making sure that everyone knows about what's going wrong and that there's all of these threats out there and we have to find solutions and you guys need to know that this is happening over here and you guys need to know that this is happening over here.

[00:22:56] Jaymi: And yes, while that's true, conservation photography is [00:23:00] also. It's absolutely celebrating what is, whether that's an endangered species or a common species. If it's a habitat that's under threat or it's one that's thriving. Conservation photography is, is a field where you can photograph a profile, like you can create a story about a place that is absolutely.

[00:23:19] Jaymi: Thriving and talk about why that's able to happen, and then we understand, oh, those are characteristics that we wanna bring to this other place over here that might not be doing so well. So you can be very solutions oriented, very celebratory inside this field through your nature photography and make a big impact.

[00:23:38] Jo: Ooh. I like that idea. I would've never thought about it like that in the sense of, it's a, it's something where you're saying, look at, look at what's working

[00:23:46] Jaymi: Yes,

[00:23:47] Jo: and look at how that can be repeated.

[00:23:50] Jaymi: Yeah, I got an email from someone who said, I'm really thinking about taking conservation photography 1 0 1. I know that this is a field that [00:24:00] I'm, I'm really interested in learning about, but I have some questions. And one of the questions was, does conservation photography suck? All the fun outta wildlife photography? And I, and I thought to myself, I so appreciate your, Directness in asking that, and the answer is no. It absolutely doesn't. It's about your approach. Conservation photography is not. We gotta look at the doom and glue. Conservation photography is about bringing, understanding, awareness, and action around the issues that matter.

[00:24:37] Jaymi: And that can look like we're gonna look at solutions, we're gonna celebrate them. We're gonna take what we know about that and apply it elsewhere. We're gonna look at the heroes. In the conservation movement and celebrate them. We're gonna look at species that have made a comeback and celebrate that.

[00:24:53] Jaymi: We're gonna look at species that are critical to an ecosystem and talk about why that keystone species is so important and [00:25:00] like there is so much that you can do that focuses on the positive of this. And it doesn't have to be in a Pollyanna way, but it can be in a way that's like, let's just be super stoked on what's going on.

[00:25:13] Jaymi: Instill that care, that love, that excitement. And then with that, when you instill that in someone, then they're more likely to behave in a way that is more beneficial to their local environment or the, the planet in a, as a whole, because they care, they sell it. They're like, oh, there's this thing out there this organization that is so cool in my community that I'm gonna celebrate that.

[00:25:36] Jaymi: Well now I might donate to them or this other organization, or, oh, that species that now I just, I have. Now undying love for that one species. Well, I'm gonna behave in a way that is sure to not harm it. You know,

[00:25:47] Jo: I totally get that, and I love that idea because that is the thing that makes it exciting from someone. Who, there's enough downer stuff in the world so the idea that you can take it [00:26:00] and put the positive forward and have that be the message, I'd love that.

[00:26:06] Jaymi: Yeah, there's a lot in this field that can be very weighty and heavy and and tough. Emotionally tough, psychologically tough because we're looking at how is it that we can bring everybody aboard to making sure that this planet has a future? Making sure that. Everything on it has a, has a future. We talk about compassion fatigue.

[00:26:30] Jaymi: We talk about the emotional toll that it can take on you. And I think that if you someone who's like, I wanna make a difference, but I don't want that to be the only place that my head and heart go when I pick up a camera. know that it doesn't have to be at all, and you can make a huge impact for conservation and really help out the things that you care about in a way that's, and I don't mean this in a [00:27:00] Pollyanna way, but in a way that's lighthearted and joyful and not unrealistic, not through toxic positivity and, and, you know, rose colored glasses, but in a, in a way where it's like, no, we're gonna focus on solutions and we're gonna make that be something that.

[00:27:15] Jaymi: Gives people hope and keeps them wanting to move forward on conservation causes.

[00:27:20] Jo: Cool. I can go for that. Yeah.

[00:27:23] Jo: Okay. We could go do that

[00:27:24] Jo: too.

[00:27:25] Jaymi: yeah, I hope a lot of people can go for that. There's, I mean, honestly conservation photography is so big and diverse and the, it's, it's so basic too. At its heart conservation photography is simply using your images to bring attention, understanding, and awareness to environmental issues.

[00:27:46] Jaymi: And you get to pick what those are, how you approach them, how you photograph them. You get to really bring yourself into this field, and it does not have to look like any one thing. For instance, I wanna throw one example out there [00:28:00] I, that I think could be really helpful too in, in really underscoring that conservation photography can look like how you want it to look. You don't have to change your photography or anything. There is this really amazing woman that I'm lucky enough to have met.

[00:28:12] Jaymi: She joined my conservation photography membership a while back. Her name is Maryanne Karen, and she joined because she wanted to figure. How she could bring more attention to this really critical issue that's happening in her area, which is the drying up of the Great Salt Lakes. Well, Maryanne's photography is very just beautiful fine art, like this is her photos of birds.

[00:28:37] Jaymi: Out on the Great Salt Lakes would be in any, like, you could picture them being in the hallways of the Ritz Carlton or in the San Francisco airport like they are. Beautiful fine art images. So a lot of times people think, okay, well if I'm gonna make an impact, I have to like show doom and gloom and I have to like show the issue and it's gotta be, you know, photojournalism and duh da and maryanne's like, no, [00:29:00] I am, this is what I like to photograph.

[00:29:02] Jaymi: I'm I want to be able to make a difference, but this is how I photograph. What, what can I do? And. Inside the membership, we did these group coaching calls and stuff where we all kind of threw out ideas and brainstormed and, and really helped her in different ways, figure out paths that she could use her imagery to bring attention to this, this big issue.

[00:29:22] Jaymi: So she ended up doing a bunch of different things. She made this amazing reel on Instagram that got a lot of traction. She got her images in an article. She started working. Side, this nonprofit and so on and so forth without ever needing to change her style or her approach, or her love of going out and photographing this area.

[00:29:38] Jaymi: So here is someone who's this beautiful fine art nature photographer who is a conservation photographer. Conservation photography can look like anything you want. You get to approach it in any way you want. It's all about simply what you do with your images to bring that attention. That's it.

[00:29:58] Jo: Yeah, that sounds pretty [00:30:00] basic to me. And it sounds like really if you have that desire to make that impact, make that change, you could come at it from a thousand different ways.

[00:30:10] Jaymi: Yep. Sky is the limit

[00:30:12] Jo: Okay, I'm ready. View this to me every time. Every time you get me on these things and we start talking about a topic and the next thing I wanna do is I wanna go out and go do it all and got too many other things that I'm doing.

[00:30:25] Jaymi: Well then the next episode we'll have to talk about time management again. So, well Joe, thank you so much for, for talking about this with me. We started the episode. I thought you were gonna really kind of come back down and be like, yes, but, you know, personality types are also like this, so don't forget, you know, people work like this, Jamie, and so we'll, we'll, we're gonna kind of.

[00:30:45] Jaymi: Tone it down, but instead, I think that I got you all riled up

[00:30:48] Jo: Yeah, you got me all hyped.

[00:30:49] Jaymi: the different, so that's because it's just such a fun, exciting field. But I think that there are many personality types that are a [00:31:00] great fit for conservation photography beyond what we've covered here. Joe, can you think of any others that off the top of your head that I might have left out that are easy?

[00:31:10] Jo: I think the thing is, is that it's the idea of exposing the world to thinking about conservation and thinking about how we as human beings live in this world and what can you do with your photography to help deliver that message.

[00:31:27] Jaymi: Yes. However that might work for you.

[00:31:30] Jo: Right.

[00:31:31] Jaymi: Yeah. It's a pretty exciting field.

[00:31:33] Jo: Yeah. Okay.

[00:31:35] Jaymi: for everyone listening, if you can think of another personality type or trait that is perfectly suited for conservation photography, please don't hesitate to email me or find me on Instagram. I always like to hear about this kind of stuff and, and be thinking about it in a big picture way, and I always love hearing from you.

[00:31:54] Jaymi: So if you're listening and you've got ideas, don't be shy. Write in, tell us about it, and meanwhile, [00:32:00] we'll talk to you again next.

[00:32:01] Jaymi: