Photo ethics

These are the rules Ophelia uses when reviewing every photo. Photos that break them are declined, with a note explaining why.

We don't accept

• Baiting. No food, lures or live bait used to draw animals in. (Ordinary garden feeders are fine; say so in your caption.)
• Nest disturbance. No moving branches, getting close to active nests, or flushing birds from them.
• Call playback. No recorded calls or songs used to attract or provoke birds.
• Harassment. No chasing, cornering, or repeatedly flushing animals, and no flash on owls and other night animals.

Good practice

• Keep your distance and use your lens, not your feet. If an animal changes its behavior because of you, you're too close.
• Stay on paths and boardwalks, and follow any site rules and seasonal closures.
• Say in the caption if a photo was taken in captivity, at a rescue center, or with a hide or blind.
• Keep editing natural: no adding or removing animals, and no misleading composites.

Sensitive species and places

For nests, owls, roosts and rare species we show location only to region level, never the exact spot. Ophelia can hide a location entirely if it needs protecting. Camera details are kept, but GPS is stripped from every file automatically.