Wildlife journalism as a Hobby

Hobbies can be adventurous, interesting, educative and yet risky too. Wildlife journalism may sound out of place in today’s world but is equally important than other activities and hobbies. After all, it is important to protect the wildlife to ensure that the natural habitat and lifecycle continues at a normal phase. Wildlife journalism is a popular hobby that it has become too competitive also in today’s world. However, if you really have a passion to set your hobby as wildlife journalism, then you can prove to be a good one considering few points mentioned below in detail:

• Formal education:

For pursuing a career in wildlife journalism, of course you have to be a journalist in the first place. Therefore, if you have made up your mind, then go for a course in journalism and creative writing. Read wildlife magazines regularly. Also, make out time to watch wildlife channels on television. In this way you get to know your hobby better. If you have a science or a background in biological science then it could serve as a booster for you.

• Test your skills:

Is your hobby really serving your purpose and is it really deserving to be your hobby or was it just a random fantasy, this can become clear once you put your hobby into practice. How to do that? Well, you can join a photography club or competition online or even post your wildlife photos on the net and ask people to comment on it. Preferably, ask experts to comment on your photos and welcome any sound suggestions given by them.

• 3.      See the results and improve on them if required:

There are few side courses available for photography and videography also so if you know about wildlife but not good in photography etc then probably you can improve the same by enrolling for such courses. Remember, you may be rejected for a wildlife journalist job frequently even if it is your passion, but do not be discouraged and develop a mis-concept that maybe you have chosen a wrong path. Your wildlife knowledge maybe excellent but you may require improvement in your photography or writing skills as your hobby is “wildlife journalism” with the word journalism attached to it.

• Other tips:

Wildlife journalism may be advantageous for science students but does not mean that it involves ‘rocket science’ for becoming one. What we usually hear from wildlife journalists are protecting the environment and conserving the natural habitat. They have to convince people and try to deviate the attention from regular news related to sports, politics, entertainment etc. because news about wildlife lies somewhere beneath all these in popularity among people. Newsreaders and viewers would probably want to be informed about that news which concerns them or sounds interesting to know. Therefore, it requires skills and innovation in wildlife journalism to develop news in such a way that people relate to it.
If you are ready to make wild life journalism as your hobby, then all the best!