Animals Interrupting Wildlife Photographers

And the history of this fascinating field...

Djamel Hadj Aissa and his assistant

Who doesn’t love wildlife photography? There’s nothing quite like catching a glimpse of nature in all its untamed glory.

But do you know where it all began?

The credit goes to George Shiras III, a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania born in 1859, who is often regarded as the “father of wildlife photography.”

In the late 1800s, Shiras pioneered tripwire-activated cameras and the use of flash, allowing animals to be photographed at night with minimal human presence or disturbance.

One of his earliest nighttime flash photos, taken in Michigan, shows three white-tailed deer running away:

Shiras was also a passionate conservationist, helping establish national parks and refuges, and contributing regularly to National Geographic, sharing both his images and vivid field stories. This excerpt from an 1892 article for Forest and Stream perfectly captures his philosophy:

Every camera hunter must admit that more immediate and lasting pleasure is afforded in raking a running deer from stem to stern, at twenty yards, with his 5 x 7 bore camera than driving an ounce ball through its heart at 100 yards.

Shiras worked in a way that feels worlds apart from modern wildlife photography, where the goal is to disappear into the landscape and catch animals in their natural state. But even the best camouflage can be rendered futile — sometimes leading to encounters so breathtaking they almost defy belief. Here are 10 unforgettable times animals stole the spotlight from those trying to capture them…

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1. A Friendly Seal

Photographer Art Wolfe encounters a southern elephant seal while filming Travels to the Edge on South Georgia Island, located 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) east of the Falkland Islands.

2. Baby Deer and Baby Wolf

Wildlife photographer and caretaker Liba Radova had a rare, heartwarming moment in the field when a baby deer and a baby wolf — two animals that would normally be natural rivals in the wild — approached her and even climbed onto her.

Both were orphans she had been nurturing, and their trust made the scene truly special…

3. A Curious Fox

On his way to the snowy St. Anne’s Mountain for a winter adventure, Romanian photographer Dan Dinu was treated to a delightful surprise: he had the rare opportunity to meet — and photograph up close — a wild fox.

Clearly, this little rascal was born for the camera.

4. Cheetah Assistant

While shooting in Kruger National Park, South Africa, Chris Du Plessis had a remarkable encounter. This cheetah was wild, yet it knew Chris well enough to feel safe wandering into the camp. The collar around its neck is a tracking device, commonly used in wildlife research to monitor movement, survival, and behaviour.

After days of waiting for the perfect shot, sometimes your subject decides to check if you’re doing it right…

5. The Squirrel and the Bird

Russian nature photographer Vadim Trunov is no stranger to getting up close with wildlife, but this time he captured a truly enchanting moment. In a forest in Russia’s Voronezh region, a red squirrel jumped behind his tripod, resting both paws on the camera as if ready to snap the perfect shot of a passing blue tit. Then, in a whimsical twist, the two animals switched places, creating a playful scene straight out of a storybook:

The photographer explained:

When winter begins, food becomes scarce in the forest. Animals and birds gather where there is food. So I created such a place in the woods — I installed feeders on trees: one for squirrels, another for birds. I fed them for days in preparation. A flock of birds arrived for the seeds. They sat on a wooden stump and pecked seeds, and if I put sunflower seeds on the camera, they sat on it. Many birds increased the chance of a good shot. The squirrel searched for nuts near the camera. I photographed animals and birds in the desired moment and position, but it took long waits over several days to capture interesting shots.

6. Close up

This deer clearly had a “model” attitude, making sure Ionel Onofraș got her close-up.

7. An Expensive Toy

In July 2018, photographer Barbara Jensen Vorster was photographing a lion pride in Botswana when a lioness snatched her Canon after she accidentally dropped it:

The lioness picked up the camera and carried it over to her cubs to play with, as the photographer recalled:

The camera fell with the lens looking up. She gently flipped the camera on its side and picked it up by the barrel of the lens. The lioness then brought it to her cubs who started to playfully pounce on it. They dragged it through the dirt, chewed on the lens hood and then, fortunately, like most kids, soon grew tired with their new toy.

8. Meerkats

Photographer Will Burrard-Lucas described what it was like to be around these extremely curious animals:

These meerkats are completely wild but over time they have become habituated to humans. This means it is possible to gain their trust and get really close to them. When people are around, these clever little creatures take full advantage of the situation and will sometimes climb on top of the nearest person for a better view out over the long grass.

Trying to photograph animals that jumped on me whenever I got too close was certainly a challenge that I wasn’t used to facing… not that I was complaining!

9. An Inquisitive Cheetah

A curious cub surprised photographer Stu Porter while he was capturing images of cheetahs in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

10. Red Squirrels in Winter

This is Dalia Kvedaraite’s account of her trip to the Yorkshire Dales:

One of our cameras stopped working because of high humidity. Without a doubt it was very frustrating. Luckily we found another way of using it...

We placed couple of peanuts inside the lens hood. We were amazed by one squirrel which was not shy at all and showed a lot of interest in the camera. A couple of minutes later, the squirrel managed to get inside the lens hood.

While researching this topic and admiring these stunning images, I was reminded of a quote by George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann Evans, that I believe perfectly reflects this phenomenon. In Scenes of Clerical Life, she wrote:

Animals are such agreeable friends — they ask no questions, they pass no criticism.

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