What's your reputation worth?

With the risk of getting highly unpopular, but isn't it a matter of getting the best shots? Now, I don't want to say that those two can do whatever the hell they want and I'm all for ethical approaches to wildlife and nature (I've got problems with my conscience just moving a twig out of place because nature put it there), but in the end we deal with cut-throat-businessmen (editors and such) who just want a good shot of an owl or any other subject and couldn't care less of how many unwritten laws were broken to get that shot. Even if you had to club a babyseal to death to get a close-up of it's broken eyes, they would buy it, probably. Because it sells magazines and generates the sufficient cash-revenue to keep us all into business.
Now, I personally wouldn't be comfortable with adopting these strategics, but I'm just making the point that these guys will probably get better pics and sell them for higher prices than those that don't break some laws or who take some more time getting the same shots. And in a very ironic way that's just like Darwin's Survival of the Fittest. Nature doesn't care about laws and ethics we've adopted in our intellectual arrogance. It just cares about the ones that survive. And in this case (as in a lot of other cases) they're the ones who do what others won't a.k.a. who break laws. It's unfair, but it's true.

Marcel, I don't know a single person on this site that would commit such a crime (clubbing a seal to death). I have met and spent time with a few, and am proud to call them friends. I think it's time to cool down a little and understand that we should not try to impose our views on each other here. Simply expressing ones point of view is enough.
This site is such an amazing resource; it would be a shame for even one member to decide that he/she felt they could not contribute any longer, as a result of such accusations. Perhaps, in the end, education (with evidence/research to back it up) is more useful than pointing fingers and miss-spelling obscenities.
Just my opinion - I'm not trying to force it on you. Read it; think about it and peace to you.

1. Would not go to any such extreme lengths myself to get a shot.
2. If that was the ONLY way to make it in this business, I'd sell my gear and do something else. Gotta sleep at night.
3. As an editor at NSN, I would not put aside personal feelings about an ill-gotten photo and publish it anyway.

To everyone,

I regard to my last post on this forum, I would hereby like to apologize deeply to anyone I might have offended with it or the language used (misspelled or otherwise). As I have said in the thread, I would never (nor do I accuse anyone of having done so) go to such extremes to get a good shot. I was just trying to make a rather unfortunate point. I'm very sorry.

With kind regards,

Marcel

I wouldn't worry about it too much, I see what you were saying Marcel.

The unfortunate fact is that while the majority of photographers behave responsibly, some don't and like in any other walk of life, these can get all photographers tarred with the same brush.

While professionals are under greater pressure to get the great shots, in the long term, if they use illicit means to get them I believe it will adversely affect their reputation (and hence their business).

Gearoid you NAILED it !

It's all about your reputation man and if you blow it once it's really hard to get it back. As I stated at the top of this post it takes a lifetime to build a good reputation but only 20 seconds to ruin it.

Hey did I forget to say......... GO SOX !
Opening day is almost here and for once in the life time of almost every Red Sox fan we don't have to wait until next year. Now if we can only get rid of all this snow in the Boston area.