Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
leopard and hyena hunting at night. Using large metal traps placed nearby,
Schillings also caught many of the same animals, most of which were shot. By day
Schillings operated his camera like a 'photographic gun' following moving animal
targets (Schillings 1906). Schillings described his photographic and specimen
hunting expeditions as attempts to shed 'new light on the tragedy of civilisation', in
order to help stem the destruction of big game in Africa and to promote
conservation along lines drawn up by British authorities. His work was highly
influential within British conservation circles and had a lasting influence on animal
photographers (Shiras 1906).
Another convert to camera hunting was Arthur Radclyffe Dugmore, an
enthusiastic nature photographer (Dugmore 1903) who undertook a four-month
expedition in British East Africa in 1908 as well as several subsequent expeditions in
Africa (Dugmore 1910, 1912, 1925). Following his first expedition, Dugmore
(1910: xvi) argued passionately for the cause of hunting with the camera, claiming
that 'unquestionably the excitement is greater, and a comparison of the difficulties
makes shooting in most cases appear as a boy's sport'. Dugmore argued that camera
hunting was more exciting, skilful and dangerous than shooting, since the camera
hunter had to get his cumbersome apparatus within close range of a wild animal,
while often remaining unprotected (Dugmore 1925: 9-10). Part of the appeal of
such photographs lay undoubtedly with this effect of close spatial proximity between
hunter and animal. However, other photographs reveal Dugmore to be armed with
both camera and rifle (Dugmore 1910: opposite 204).
Much of this points to an important redefinition of the codes and conventions of
'sportsmanship' as the language and practice of conservation gathered hold.
Advocates of conservation thus continuously asserted the 'sporting' and 'manly'
nature of camera hunting. Much stress was also put on the quality and genuine nature
of the resulting photographs. Schillings (1907, Vol. 1:88-89) emphasised the
accuracy of his photographs, insisting that they were 'authentic, first-hand records
revealing secrets which the eye of man
[sic]
had never before looked upon …the first
to show really wild animals in full freedom'. Critical of any attempts to alter or 're-
touch' images, Schillings (1907, Vol. 1:99-100) argued that his photographs were
'true to nature'; absolutely trustworthy 'nature-documents' of African wildlife.
Likewise, camera hunters such as Dugmore (1910: xvi-xvii) were equally keen to
stress the genuine nature of their photographs and the absence of 'faking' or 're-
touching'.
These were important facts to be underlined, given that the value of photographic
hunting trophies was contested by some of the keenest hunters. The English hunter
Denis Lyell, for example, was sceptical of the 'sportsmanliness' of photographing
game, particularly with a telephoto lens:
I have no wish to decry the pluck of the telephotographers, as they are brave
men, but I do wish to dispel an erroneous idea which is prevalent amongst
people who know nothing about hunting.
(Lyell 1923:157)
