Reading the Woods

BEHIND THE STORIES · AUTHOR INTERVIEW

How Anxiety, Preparation, and Respect Shaped My Wildlife Photography

An interview with Lloyd W. Alexander

How did you go from feeling anxious in the woods to observing wildlife calmly?

Education.
I learned about the animals in Maine and New Hampshire, their habitats, the risks they might present, and other people's experiences with them.
My anxiety can take me down rabbit holes, and then down the holes branching off those.
It's exhausting.
But research gave me a notebook in my head.
If something happened, I could mentally flip to a page rather than invent every possibility on the spot.

Did learning give you all the answers?

Not at all.
I don't take everything I read as gospel.
I compare firsthand accounts with expert perspectives and ask what might have happened differently.
Reading isn't the same as experience, and no one has the right answer for every situation.
But having that foundation made me calmer.

What did that calm allow you to do?

Observe.
Knowledge made room for observation, and observation added to my knowledge.
I've had deer approach me while I was wearing hunter orange and carrying a long camera lens.
I can't explain exactly what they sensed.
I believe being calm and respectful mattered.

What do you look for first when you encounter wildlife?

I try to understand the animal's current situation.
Does it seem frightened?
Is it feeding or simply resting?
Then, while I'm still at a distance, I consider where it might naturally go if it wants to leave.
I don't want to block its likely exit or push it toward a road, ravine, or other danger.
I also need to know my own way out.

Where did that way of thinking originate?

Growing up in Portland taught me to notice my surroundings.
In an alley, I'd consider the exits and what I'd do if someone approached from behind or blocked the other end.
Anxiety made me think ahead.
In the woods, I began applying that awareness to the animal's safety as well as mine.

What does respecting wildlife mean to you?

The woods aren't just our playground.
The animals live there; we're visiting.
If someone entered your home, you'd want them to respect your space.
I think wildlife deserves the same consideration.
We shouldn't assume we can invade an animal's space simply because we want a photograph.

Is this a set of rules for wildlife photography?

No.
There are no perfect rules, and I don't want anyone to think I'm giving them permission to approach wild animals.
Every situation is different.
This is how I learned to prepare, observe, and respect the animals I encountered.
For me, learning helped quiet the fear enough to enjoy the journey.