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But some say there is a dark side to all this exposure of the wild and the natural. In a provocative essay, the activist Bill McKibben argues that the world has enough wildlife photography and that continuing to invade the lives of animal subjects, given the vast superfluity of images already available, is counterproductive in terms of preserving biodiversity. He also decries the distorted view of the world that wildlife photographers portray. "How can whooping cranes be endangered when you've seen a thousand images of them – ten times more images than there are actually whooping cranes left in the wild?" he asks.

Most wildlife photographers, myself included, take issue with McKibben's view, feeling that it is not the number of photographs that matters the most, but rather the fact that wildlife photographers fail to reflect the natural diversity, and instead draw people's attention to selected "celebrity" species.

And in today's world, when the average holidaymaker with a digital camera is able to capture their own version of that iconic photo they have seen so many times in magazines, it might be folly to hope people won't love a spot or a species to death. In the U.S., some national parks have begun to limit the number of visitors at specific photo-friendly spots to make sure that trails don't get inadvertently widened and native vegetation trampled. Take, for example, the sad plight of the highly elusive nocturnal primates called lorises which live in southern India. The local people cut down trees and use bright lights and scare tactics to capture the animals and enable well-heeled visiting photographers to take the perfect photos of the cute wide-eyed creature. Animals are brought into the village where they are held in captivity for days. Once the shoot is completed, they are usually released far from capture sites and away from their natural habitat, which means that not all of them manage to make it home.

What the nature photographers of the world, amateurs and pros alike, agree on is that they want their subject matter to live on. Being respectful of landscapes and wildlife in the quest to "get the ideal shot" is all that's needed to keep nature photography from becoming a scourge on the environment.

Text 2

A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER

"Your work sounds interesting," Francesca looked across the table at Robert Kincaid. "It is. I like it a lot," he said. "I like the road, and I like making pictures."

She noticed he'd said "making" pictures. "You make pictures, not take them?" she asked.

"Yes. At least that's how I think of it. That's the difference between Sunday snapshooters and someone who does it for a living. When I'm finished with that bridge we saw today, it won't look quite like you expect. I'll have made it into something of my own, by my choice of lens, or camera angle, or general composition, and most likely by some combination of all of those.

National Geographic which I'm currently working for has its own style and demands, but I don't always conform to the editors' tastes; in fact, quite often I don't. And that bothers them, even though they still decide what goes in and what gets left out. I guess they know their readership, but I wish they'd take a few more chances now and then.

That's the problem with earning a living through an art form. You're always dealing with markets, which are designed to suit average tastes. That's where the numbers are. That's the reality, I guess. But, as I said, it can become pretty confining. They let me keep the shots they don't use, so at least I have my own private files of stuff that I like. And, once in a while I get the chance to write an article for another magazine on a place I've been to, and add some pictures which are too daring for the standards of National Geographic.

One day, I'm going to write an essay called "The Virtues of Amateurism" for all of those people who wish they earned their living in the arts. The market kills more artistic passion than anything else does. Readers want safety, and the magazines and manufacturers provide them with what they want: they give them homogeneity, give them the familiar and comfortable, and they don't challenge readers in any way. Profit and subscriptions and the rest of that stuff dominate art. Whenever I hear the words 'market' or 'consumers', I get this grotesque image in my mind of a fat little man in baggy Bermuda shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and a straw hat with beer-can openers dangling from it, clutching fistfuls of dollars."

For questions 4.1.–4.4., choose the answer that best matches the text and circle the appropriate letter (A, B, C or D).

4.1. In the second paragraph, the author claims that wildlife photography

A. allowed many scenic places to be protected from the excessive number of tourists.

B. raised awareness that tourists are a threat to animal habitats.

C. contributed to spreading the legend of the American West.

D. gave birth to the idea of protecting places of natural beauty.

4.2. Bill McKibben criticizes wildlife photography on the grounds that

A. photographers underestimate the scientific importance of some species.

B. it ignores biodiversity while presenting solely the "celebrity" species.

C. an overabundance of photographs might give a misleading impression.

D. it disregards restrictions imposed on access to wildlife sanctuaries.

4.3. The example of lorises is used in the text to show that

A. national parks' infrastructure is often inadequate for photographers.

B. taking photos in human-created settings can pose a threat to animals' well-being.

C. wealthy amateurs may force professionals out of business.

D. wildlife habitats can be effectively protected from being invaded by humans.

4.4. What is the central claim put forward by the author of the article?

A. The welfare of wildlife should be of primary concern to photographers.

B. Professional photographers should strive for excellence in their art form.

C. Amateur photographers should focus on species which are on the brink of extinction.

D. Wildlife photographers shouldn't resolve their disputes in public.

Based on the text, complete sentences 4.5.–4.8.

4.5. When referring to his work, Robert Kincaid deliberately uses the phrase "making pictures" to draw attention to ______________________________________________.

4.6. Robert Kincaid thinks that the editors of National Geographic are __________________ ____________________________________ in their choice of pictures to be published.

4.7. Some of Kincaid's photos which do not make it into National Geographic end up illustrating _____________________________________________________________.

4.8. The image of the fat little man with cash in his hands serves Robert Kincaid to exemplify _____________________________________________________________________.