Photographing nature and ethical dilemmas

Urszula Zajączkowska and Adam Robiński talk about ethical dilemmas surrounding nature photography. They also talk about the dissonance between Puchalski's love for nature and hunting, which he practiced all his life.

As Urszula Zajączkowska notes, photographs always tell more about the person holding the camera than about the object of photography. Throughout his life, Włodzimierz Puchalski reconciled his fascination with nature with his hunting practice. Hunting was widely accepted in his time and was an important part of social life. Most people today condemn it. It turns out, however, that also “bloodless hunting” – where a camera is used instead of a firearm – can harm animals. Urszula Zajączkowska and Adam Robiński talk about the dangers resulting from the fact that taking photos becomes only a tool to satisfy the needs of the photographer. They also emphasise the importance of the language we use when we talk about nature – the terms such as “regulating the population” and “hunting” effectively mean the same thing, yet they define our relationship to animals differently.


Adam Robiński – writer and journalist who collaborates with publishers such as “Życie Warszawy”, “Rzeczpospolita”, “National Geographic Polska”, “Tygodnik Powszechny” and the “Pismo” monthly. He received several awards and nominations for literary and travel awards for his debut “Hajstry” and for his second book: “Kiczery”. He writes about nature and everything that happens at the intersection of nature and art. He is a certified guide in the Kampinos National Park. He recently published a new book: “Pałace na wodzie. Tropem polskich bobrów”.

dr hab. Urszula Zajączkowska – poet, artist, and botanist. Assistant professor at the Independent Department of Forest Botany of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. She studies the anatomy, biomechanics and aerodynamics of plants. As a visual artist, she creates short video works. She published three collections of poems: “Atomy”, “Minimum”, and “Piach”.