Visual Rhetoric: Nature Photography

“Photographs direct attention to a particular reality” (Palczewski, 69)

In terms of visual rhetoric when using photography as the medium, this quote from “Rhetoric in Civic Life” is arguably one of the most important reminders to heed. Normally, people tend to view pictures, edited or not, to be pretty accurate close to actual life depictions of subjects. In actuality, images taken through photography are constructed to project the theme/subject/topic the photographer wants to present and to garner feelings and opinions (intentional or not) from the audience viewing the artwork.

In terms of wildlife conservation, nature photography has been used for this rhetorical strategic purpose in order to push for more awareness and impact from the general public towards all the ongoing issues various organisms have been facing. The following three photos all exemplify strong feelings on the level of concern, anger, sadness, and disappointment. These photos also are used to create more inspiration to help and intrigue more about the specific species and the situation in question.

This photo is of a hawksbill turtle being caught in a fishing net. Instantly the viewers eye is drawn to the center of the photo to witness a turtle struggling. Concerns are just as quickly arisen. The audience is made to wonder what happened to this turtle, which, thanks to the Arkive, has information pretty close by so the viewer doesn’t have to put much effort into researching. By catch is one of the many reasons why the hawksbill turtle population is dwindling. Unlike some other factors such as climate change which will take much longer to combat, by catch  is much quicker to prevent as it occurs when fishermen tend to catch other creatures than the intended species. The photograph does a very great job of showing how small the turtle is, by having the humans hands right next to it, making it appear how much of a significant effect we have on these turtles.

The Golden-Crowned sifaka, a colorful lively creature, is juxtaposed against a desolate land that has been devastated. The implications of reforestation of this animal’s habitat is clearly seen. The way the sifaka is holding onto the tree seems like it is holding onto dear life, and in some ways it is as it has to search for a new home before it dies from being hunted or lack of shelter. The photographer uses the framing of its subject in the forefront to highlight their argument of the devastation the logging industry causes.

Arguably one of the most powerful photos for me, bordering on even iconic, is ones of the guards whose jobs are to protect the black rhinoceros from poachers.  It tends to shows how dramatic and costly the situation has become for the much desired rhino horn. The photograph also gives a sense of alarm and danger, as the threat appears to be so constant by having someone whose job is solely follow and guard an animal. By not showing the face of the human, this photo does a great job at making sure that the rhino and its expression is the main focal point. Context is probably needed for these photos as different perspectives can be seen by the audience. For one reality, it could appear that the person with the gun is about to hunt the rhino, as the other reality, the one presented in actuality and by the photographer, is the gunman is helping protect this create from other humans.

Come check out some of the other photographs by accomplished photographers who highlight the dangers many endanger animals face here.

Credit due to all the photographers watermarked, arkive.org, and photoshot.com.