In 2022 I was thrilled to be invited to the Xposure Photography Festival in Sharjae, UAE as a part of their Conservation Summit which focused on our world’s oceans. This was the talk I gave on the relationship between conservation and photography.

Jeffrey Garriock discusses the changing relationship between conservation and photography. What do you think of when you hear the word conservation? Beautiful unspoiled habitat? Majestic animals living in wild spaces? Often, what conservation really looks like is scientists, naturalists, and citizens doing incredibly specialised work – and a lot of conservation happens in boardrooms, courtrooms, and most importantly in communities. Conservation photography is changing all the time, and the focus needs to be broad, not just the animals and environments we want to protect, but to the protectors themselves, their tools, their efforts, and their ideas, to help inspire further efforts around the world. The marriage of science and photography has a long history, but now their relationship is closer than ever.