Belle Meoni

IR 3 / 12 AP

Conservation Photographer Interviews

Data Collection Summary

Part 1:
Topic:
- The topic is conservation photography and the researcher hopes to discover the individual
experiences of conservation photographers and how they feel about their work.
- The method of data collection will be interviews because they allow for in depth answers and a
personal connection.
Citations for Photographic Series Mentioned:
- Gimesy, Douglas. Melbourne’s Flying Night Gardeners. http://gimesy.com/melbournes-flying-
night-gardeners/.
- Houston, Jason. Amazon’s Isolated Tribes. June 2015, http://www.jasonhouston.com/amazons-
isolated-tribes.
- Schlyer, Krista. Borderlands Project. https://kristaschlyer.com/borderlands-2/.
Intended Audience:
Photography students and teachers in Howard County, Maryland

Distribution Plan:
✅Research conservation photography
✅Create and finalize interview questions
✅Create interview format
✅Complete 3 interviews with conservation photographers
✅Transcribe interviews
Part 2:

Jason Houston
Doug Gimesy
Krista Schlyer
Part 3:
To determine the perception of conservation photography by conservation photographers, three
interviews were conducted with active conservation photographers: Jason Houston, Doug Gimesy, and
Krista Schlyer. This form of data collection consisted of several standard questions about their work,
inspiration, successes and struggles, change, goals, and conservation photography as a whole.

The most significant discovery made is that change as the result of conservation photography,
does not always happen, and is difficult to measure. The photographers often cannot tell exactly what
their images are doing, but continue with their work regardless. In addition, the three interviewees did not
only photograph the issue at hand, but became activists in other respects. For example, Gimesy
photographed flying foxes, but also became a volunteer at a rescue organization and helped save them
himself. The photographers were asked to explain what conservation photography meant to them, and
although the definitions differed slightly, all three had the same theme of helping others understand the
natural world. Although these conservation photographers, and others around the world, are
photographing differently, they all desire for people understand the world in a deeper manner through
their work.

Conclusion:
Based on the information provided by the interviewed photographers, although conservation
photographers have different concentrations in their own work, they have a similar ultimate goal to make
a difference and drive behavior.

This data may be impeded by any of the following possible flaws:

a. The researcher only interviewed 3 photographers, and this small sample size may have altered the
conclusions, as it is possible that trends between these 3 are not trends between all or most
conservation photographers
b. One interview was conducted over the phone, and two were over email. The difference in
connection between interviewer and interviewee may have affected the depth of the answers
provided.