Photography

Ricky Telg

Ricky Telg

Ricky Telg

This EDIS publication, focusing on the basics of digital photography and photographic editing, is the first of a three-part series on taking good digital photos for your local Extension program. This series includes publications on the basics of digital photography and editing as well as photo composition.

Brandon McDonald, B. M. Mason, C. T. Callaghan, Marcus Lashley, andCarolina Baruzzi

Camera traps provide a means to easily and unobtrusively view wildlife for a variety of purposes, providing information on the makeup of wildlife communities and sometimes animal behavior. While frequently used, there are currently many different cameras available with a variety of different settings. This publication discusses some of the ways cameras are typically used and provides recommended settings to get the most out of camera traps.

Lisa K. Lundy

This article discusses the important role that photographs play in science communication. Tips are given for enhancing photography using smartphones.

K. A. Carey, Brandon McDonald, A. Lahiri, B. M. Mason, Isaac L. Esquivel, C. T. Callaghan, andCarolina Baruzzi

This publication provides some examples of effectively using camera traps to teach ecological concepts related to wildlife feeding preferences, daily activity, human disturbance, ecosystem engineering, and pollinators. Written by K. A. Carey, B. W. McDonald, A. Lahiri, B. M. Mason, I. L. Esquivel, C. T. Callaghan, and C. Baruzzi, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, June 2025.

Ricky Telg, Jamie Loizzo, Carly Barnes, and Adrienne Boyette

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet.

Anissa Zagonel, Lauri M. Baker, Jarred Shellhouse, Cheryl Boyer, Hikaru Peterson, and Aly Morrison

Social media is an important piece of Extension outreach efforts. Across many different platforms, photos or graphics accompanying social media posts have repeatedly yielded greater results, in terms of engagement and success. Thus, it is imperative to include a visual element with each social media post because it would be considered a missed opportunity without one. This publication explores the question of whether stock images are as effective as natural images. Facebook posts from the Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement (CREE) team were analyzed to determine differences in engagement rates for stock images and natural images taken by the CREE team. Results indicate natural photos had significantly higher engagement rates than stock photos. Thus, it is recommended that content creators strive to create and use their own photos for posts; although, in times of need, a stock photo can produce better engagement than no photo at all.