About 20 years ago, when you Google searched, “conservation photography,” the results were all about preserving archival images. The genre of conservation photography didn’t exist. There were nature and wildlife photographers, but no category for those looking to use their natural history shots for environmental conservation. In 2005, at an event in Alaska, Sony Artisan of Imagery Cristina Mittermeier, along with a group of other photographers created the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP); this new organization would be made up of fellow photographers who were working to leverage their imagery for change. Today, iLCP is a nonprofit organization made up of over 140 photographers and filmmakers around the world. Check out some of the iLCP members and the gear they use to bring about conservation change.

Looking to connect with iLCP members and learn how you can use imagery for change? Join the new iLCP Club in the Sony Alpha Universe Forums – a space to connect with other photographers and aspiring conservationists to support one another, learn and grow.

Follow these International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) photographers & connect with them in our special Alpha Universe Forum Club

Cristina Mittermeier – @Mitty

Cristina Mittermeier is a conservation photographer and Sony Brand Ambassador. She brings awareness to important conservation issues through her compelling life’s work. She’s the co-founder of conservation organization @SeaLegacy, which is dedicated to promoting the protection of the world’s oceans through storytelling, and @iLCP_photographers, where she was the founding executive director. Follow her on Instagram as she brings important issues to light through her inspiring imagery and stay tuned to Alpha Universe for more of her adventures with SeaLegacy in our Behind The Shot series.

Melissa Groo – @melissagroo

Member of the International League of Conservation Photographers and wildlife advocate Melissa Groo is known as one of the best bird photographers around. She even created the National Audubon Society's Guide to Ethical Bird Photography and works closely with iLCP on setting ethical principles for wildlife photographers. Melissa switched her kit to Sony a few years ago because it helped her achieve her stunning images ethically. Learn more about her gear in What’s In My Bag: Conservation Photographer Melissa Groo’s Gear For Ethical Wildlife Photography.

Bing Lin – @earth.abloom

Bing Lin is an Emerging League iLCP member and both an underwater and topside conservation photographer based in Princeton, NJ. He's in the last year of his PhD in ecology and environmental policy, where he focusses on the socio-ecological dimensions of coral reefs and their conservation across various patterns of scale. Bing was born and raised in Indonesia and does fieldwork and storytelling projects throughout Southeast Asia. Follow him on Instagram and connect with him and other like-minded conservation photographers in the iLCP Club in the Sony Alpha Universe Forums.

Kartiki Gonsalves – @kartikigonsalves

Kartiki Gonsalves is a photographer, filmmaker, member of the International League of Conservation Photographers, and Sony Artisan of Imagery in India. She recently won an Oscar for her first film, “The Elephant Whispers” on Netflix. You can learn more about how she made this film in The Making Of 'The Elephant Whisperers' & The Power Of Story To Change Minds, and check out a few clips from the documentary below.

Jen Guyton – @jenguyton

Jen Guyton is a photographer and ecologist with a passion for telling stories at the junction of global environmental change and human culture. She’s also an explorer for @insidenatgeo and a fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers. Her conservation photojournalism has taken her all over the world and her belief that storytellers have the power to persuade and motivate makes them crucial to the protection of our planet. The image below was named one of National Geographic’s top photos of the year for 2023. 

Ryan Tidman – @RyanTidman

Ryan Tidman is a wildlife and nature photographer based in Vancouver Island, British Columbia. After studying Environmental Sciences and Visual Communications at the University of Guelph and the Royal Ontario Museum, Tidman spent over three years working with National Geographic photographers and Sony Brand Ambassadors Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier and their ocean conservation non-profit, SeaLegacy. He is now an Associate Fellow with iLCP. Ryan’s Instagram is full of stunning images of the landscape and wildlife of British Columbia. Scrolling his page feels like taking a trip, give him a follow to experience it for yourself.

Sebastian Kennerknecht – @PumaPix

Photographer Sebastian Kennerknecht uses four pillars in his work: photographing wildlife, science, threats, and conservation. He combines these pillars in his photo projects to tell compelling stories of conservation. Kennerknecht is a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) and on the Advisory board of Girls Who Click. Kennerknecht describes his work by stating, “my photography is my best tool for doing what I care about most, conserving and protecting wildlife in peril.” 

Samantha Stephens – @SamanthaStephens_ 

iLCP member, Girls who Click Ambassador and National Geographic Explorer Samantha Stephens is a conservation, science, and wildlife photographer based in Ontario, Canada. Stephens began her career as a scientist but quickly saw a gap in communicating the scientific efforts to the general public. She then shifted gears, becoming a photographer focused on science communication. Stephens is most well-known for her images of juvenile Spotted Salamanders falling prey to a pitcher plant; which feel like something out of a movie! Be sure to follow Stephens on Instagram for more eye-catching science images.

Michael Forsberg – @MForsbergPhoto

Member of iLCP Michael Forsberg is a conservation photographer based in Nebraska. Forsberg founded a multimedia initiative known as the Platte Basin Timelapse, which uses photography, video and written storytelling to educate people about their watershed. Forsberg is also a professor, teaching conservation photography at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Follow him to keep up with his conservation efforts and to learn more about the wildlife living in the Great Plains. 

Sandesh Kadur – @sandesh_kadur

Photographer and Filmmaker, Sandesh Kadur has worked with National Geographic, BBC Earth, Disney+, Netflix, and others to tell stories about wildlife all over the world, but primarily in his home country of India. Sandesh is an Ambassador for Sony India and he shoots with the Sony Alpha 1. Follow his feed to see his beautiful wildlife photos and videos and perhaps some of his humor along the way.

Morgan Heim – @moheim

Morgan Heim is a conservation photographer and filmmaker. She’s a Senior Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers and co-founder of Her Wild Vision Initiative, an organization aimed at raising the voices of diverse women in the craft of conservation visual storytelling. Her work focuses on wildlife-human coexistence. She is well-regarded for her bird photography and stories about birds. 

Kyle Obermann – @kyleobermann

Kyle Obermann is a photographer and filmmaker who is known for his work in conservation, storytelling and adventure. With his Sony Alpha 9, Kyle shares stories of conservation efforts in China, often bringing grassroots conservation to a larger audience and showcases on the ground heroes protecting species and places. We also love following along on his adventures trail running and climbing mountains. Learn more about his work and process in Untold Stories Of Wilderness & Conservation Efforts.

Javier Aznar González de Rueda – @javier_aznar_photography

Photographer Javier Aznar González de Rueda’s work is mainly focused on natural history and wildlife conservation along with its relationship with humans. He is a @natgeo contributing photographer, a Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers and The Photo Society, and an Ambassador for Sony Europe. He has a background in biology and aims to offer a personal point of view showing nature at its wildest state through his photography. He often captures the magnificence found in the hidden world of creatures, with hopes to sensitize the public to the pressing need to preserve the planet and the animals living in it. We love the image below made with the Sony Alpha 1 and Sony 50mm f/1.2 G Master lens. 

Katie Bryden – @ktbryden

Wildlife filmmaker Katie Bryden is a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers. She lives in Florida and works on conservation issues across the state, using stories to help protect wild places. We love the clip of the new film “Dear Tampa Bay” directed, shot, and edited by Katie. Give her a follow for more stunningly shot stories.

Alex Wiles – @awilesmedia

Alex Wiles is a conservation photographer and filmmaker. His work and passion in conservation initiatives takes him around the world where he documents the challenges faced by wildlife and the work of those who wish to protect it. He’s an Associate Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers and has been involved with many great conservation-based organizations and their projects. Check out the reel below to see some of the beautiful footage he’s captured with his Sony FX6 and follow his Instagram for more conservation photos and videos in your feed. 

Karine Aigner – @kaigner

Photographer Karine Aigner began her career as a photo editor at National Geographic. She then transitioned to wildlife and conservation photography, where she has become well-known, winning many major awards. We love the personality in the image below. Give Aigner a follow for more stunning imagery in your feed.

Doug Gimesy – @doug_gimesy

Australia-based photographer Doug Gimesy focuses his work on conservation and animal welfare issues. Specializing in local storytelling, Gimesy photographs Australian wildlife. Among the koala bears, kangaroos, and platypus on his Instagram feed, you’ll see many images of grey-headed flying-foxes. Gimesy has even published a children’s book on this species facing steep population decline. He has much more details on this incredible species in the caption below. Doug made this shot with his Sony Alpha 1 and Sony 600mm f/4 G Master. 

Marcus Westberg – @marcuswestbergphotography

Marcus Westberg is a Swedish nature and wildlife photographer as well as a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP). Westberg travels throughout Europe and Africa telling stories of the natural world and people working to protect it. The image below was taken at the Aral Sea, as part of a conservation story that was published in Washington Post Magazine. Check out Westbergs work and be sure to follow him on Instagram.

Katie Schuler – @CoralandOak

Filmmaker and photographer Katie Schuler focuses on the world’s most at-risk species. This Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers aims to tell engaging stories that speak to our shared sense of empathy and compassion. She is most well-known for her two National Geographic films covering pangolins. The image below is from the second of those films, “Nigerians Fight to Protect the World's Most Trafficked Mammal” shot on the Sony FX7 and Sony Alpha 7S II.