July 21, 01:26 AM 
514 Chai Chee Lane 03-16, Singapore 469029 Some nature photographers in Singapore are upset over the antics of some of the more amateurish pretenders in the photography community for violating basic etiquette when taking nature shots.
A video uploaded on Facebook purportedly showed a group of photographers at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve callously removing and rearranging the wildlife to take a better, easier shot, in this case, of a juvenile snake identified as a pit viper.
According to the owner of the video who is a nature photographer, he was aghast to see the mishandling of the animal just for the sole purpose of a recreational shoot and is intending on informing the authorities about the incident:
Note: This was not the original perch the snake was on. They intentionally shifted it to an open branch as shown for an 'easier photo'. During which, they were poking it just to get it into a position they want. As shown, the pit viper was tense (ready to strike position).
According to commenters in the Facebook thread, nature photographers follow basic etiquette such as not letting the animal they are shooting know about their presence, not startling the animal with any unnecessary sounds and will resort to leaving the animal alone if it simply out of range.
Full video here:
This video was recorded by a jogger friend. He forwarded me the video of their unruly behaviour just yesterday. Note: This was not the original perch the snake was on. They intentionally shifted it to an open branch as shown for an 'easier photo'. During which, they were poking it just to get it into a position they want. As shown, the pit viper was tense(ready to strike position). This video only shows part of the upteen times they physically disturb/poke it.From the way he moves in front of the Viper (Rough, Loud and aggresive), it obviously shows how much he cares if the subject got intimidated by him. Professional Nature Photographers shoot their subjects as discreet as possible, allowing animals to feel a threat is not even there. This group of ''Nature Macro Photographers" (was told about 8 of them) intentionally threw this poor juvenile into the air, deeper into the forest. It was wise of my jogger friend to not confront them as he was alone.I was there a few hours before them to observe the Juvenile Pit Viper. The Pit Viper was in another spot originally (In a difficult shooting position). I planned to come back the following day knowing that the Pit Viper would still be on the exact spot with a high chance. When I arrived the next day, I was pretty shocked the snake was totally out of sight. I then met my jogger friend again and he described what happened to me. At the same time he sent me this video. I uploaded this video to share with all of you their atrocious behaviour just to get their photos. I am submitting this to the AVA with a formal email and evidence. Hopefully their faces can be identified. Justice needs to be done for the sake of nature.
Posted by Kennie Pan Photography on Monday, July 20, 2015
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