Finding Value in Everyday Photographs — Nick's Photography Page

I am constantly battling two different “Nicks” in my head. The first Nick, just really enjoys all sorts of photography and loves documenting the world-especially animals. The second Nick-would love to win a photo contest or find other uses for his photography besides social media (the less gratifying hunt for followers, likes, etc). So how do we find value in our photographs? What do your photos mean to you? For me personally, I try to give my photos meaning. I, of course try to create art, you’ll often see photographers discussing photo techniques and ways to make their photos ‘pop.’ But what are some other avenues we can utilize to spread our images?

This blog will be about my trip to Bonaire and the ecological changes happening there and all over the Caribbean. This may not seem like an ‘everyday’ type adventure, but the message is true whether you’re on a dive vacation or perhaps hiking through your local park, it’s all relative. If you live in Bonaire, the status of the reefs are your ‘everyday.’ If you live in Montana your ‘everyday’ is going to look different. Learn to appreciate your local animals and plants as they’re very important to your local ecosystem.

An example of coral death via Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD)

Bonaire is probably the premiere shore-diving destination in the world. With a quick car ride you can be at a beach with a coral reef just offshore. This is what really attracted us to spending our Christmas on this quaint Caribbean Island. Aside from being able to practice my underwater photography, this trip highlighted an important issue plaguing the Caribbean.

Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) was first identified in the waters off the Coast of Florida in 2014. This disease affects many different hard corals and has a mortality rate of 66-100%. While in Bonaire we heard there was a treatment for the coral that has been created however I don’t know the likelihood of successful treatment after so many years of destruction and the vast spread of the disease. SCTLD is spread through the water column and through direct contact (divers, fish etc). As if warming ocean temperatures weren’t enough, hard corals have been fighting a huge battle over the last few years.

It is not 100% confirmed how this disease has travelled across the Caribbean so quickly however it is likely large ships such as cargo ships and cruise ships are contributors(read more here:https://coast.noaa.gov/data/coralreef_noaa_gov/media/docs/NOAA_SCTLD_Strategy_2020.pdf). Here is another study linking it to possible Cruise ship spread: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-21868-z.

In light of the tissue disease, it did seem the coral reef were still abundant with fish.

How can the average joe help out?

As SCTLD spread and continues to spread throughout the Caribbean there are a lot of people out there monitoring for signs of this devastating disease. Especially when word got out there was a new bad boy on the block that had potential to not only destroy precious coral reefs, but also effect local economies, there were a lot of people watching for SCTLD in Bonaire.

Diseases, population declines, invasive species can happen anywhere (look at domestic cats in the environment, Burmese pythons in Florida, Zebra Mussels in the Great Lakes). It’s important for YOU to also help out and observe your natural world. Photograph your subject, but also pay attention to it. Has your local bird population changed its dietary habits? Have your migrating birds declined in number this year? Have you noticed perhaps animals you typically see behaving oddly? Pay attention to signs and advertisements around your local state parks. There may be many uses for your photography in aiding in tracking and monitoring the environment.

You can also use your photos as a general call to attention to a particular issue, or heck, it doesn’t even have to be a problem, you could try and publish an article to help people appreciate local wildlife.

Social media is another important tool in conservation and calling to attention. Unless you have a lot of followers- more often than not your message may go unheard. Still post to Facebook, instagram etc, but see if you can publish in a magazine or a newspaper.