Nature photography: a spark for discussion and action on environmental issues

Recent advancements in emerging technologies have changed how people go about their daily lives. These tools and platforms, for example, nature photography and citizen/community science projects, provide alternate methods for people to develop, retain, and disseminate information on various social, cultural, and political topics, such as environmental issues. These platforms also provide enormous potential for environmental educators to explore ways to increase student engagement, including their use in the outdoors. For this exploratory research study, we were guided by the following research question: In what ways, if any, can a nature photography activity in a summer environmental education program help spark students’ discussions and actions regarding the environment and environmental issues? Data was collected from five upper elementary and middle school students who attended a week-long summer program in August 2022 focused on coastal ecology at a local nature center (Massachusetts, USA). Data collection included educator observation notes of students, nature photography student worksheets, student-taken photographs, parent feedback forms, students’ end-of-the-day reflection entries, and student photographs for two citizen/community science projects. The findings suggest that (1) nature photography can help educators spark valuable discussion on the environment and environmental issues while engaging students in a hands-on outdoor activity, and (2) nature photography can help educators spark actions on the environment and environmental issues while engaging students in outdoor citizen/community science projects.