Melissa Groo

I'm a wildlife conservation photographer and writer, passionate about telling the stories of wild animals in order to elicit empathy in the viewer, as well as educate on natural history. 

I'm a consultant on ethics in wildlife photography, using a variety of platforms to educate photographers, editors, photo contests, and other photography consumers on practices that best support the safety and well-being of wild animals (both those living free, and housed in captivity). I am on the iLCP Ethics committee, as well as the Ethics Committee of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) .

Issues I'm particularly interested in include: strategies for mitigating anthropogenic causes of wildlife injury, sickness, and death, across both individual and species-wide spectrums; documentation of the emotional lives and intelligence of animals; methods for promoting co-existence with and appreciation of predators/carnivores; and techniques for communicating science in an accessible way to the public through both photos and words. 

I've traveled on assignment for Smithsonian magazine to cover the following stories: Rothschild's Giraffes in Uganda; Spirit Bears in British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest; the spring migration of Sandhill Cranes in Kearney, Nebraska; Snowy Owls at the nest in Utqiagvik, Alaska; Hudsonian Godwits on their breeding grounds in Beluga, Alaska, and wintering grounds in Chiloe, Chile; and the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania. My publications page for Smithsonian can be found here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/author/melissa-groo/

For Audubon magazine, I've shot stories on the American Flamingo breeding colony in Great Inagua, Bahamas; White Ibis ecology in Palm Beach County, Florida; the impact of deer overpopulation on woodland birds and how forestry management is addressing this; and for National Geographic Digital, a story assignment on the Island Foxes of Santa Cruz, Channel Islands, CA.

In July 2023, I was awarded the "Jay N. Ding Darling Memorial Award for Wildlife Stewardship Through Art," from The Wildlife Society. Founded in 1937, The Wildlife Society is an international network of over 11,000 leaders in wildlife science, management and conservation who are dedicated to excellence in wildlife stewardship. Cited were my advocacy in promoting ethical techniques in wildlife photography and my work in conservation photography.

I'm available for assignments, teaching experiences, lectures, discussion panels, and social media takeovers. 

Please see my web site at melissagroo.com.