In his recent blog posting Richard Peters raises an important question. Can you go on a nature photography workshop and claim that you’ve photographed the wild animals? To me the answer is no. It’s like staging a picture and then calling it journalism instead of a portrait session. The difference is huge.
Personally, I think that it all goes back to honesty. Full disclosure is important, but not required. You don’t have to say that the picture was staged, as long as you are not contesting that it was a real thing. I went to a few zoos and preserves myself. It is a good practice. I can do it any time and I don’t need to catch a flight and take a vacation. However I never try to pass it for what it isn’t. Once again, be honest.
Read Richard’s wonderful article here for more details and checkout this great spoof.