Many of the Missouri Department of Conservation’s more than 1,000 conservation and natural areas around the state are popular sites for photographers and videographers.
Whether getting a great shot of wildlife, taking pictures of the landscape, or taking a family photo, conservation areas can offer great places to practice your skills.
Guidelines for Photography and Videography on MDC Areas
Know Before You Go
In some cases, photography and filming on conservation areas requires a permit.
New starting July 1, 2023: Commercial photography permits and commercial videography permits are no longer required for commercial photography/videography on MDC areas. Instead, a no-cost* special use permit is required in some cases.
* Special use permits are typically no-cost. However, in rare instances, MDC reserves the right to charge a fee of up to $500 each day for photography and videography that involves more than 25 people or has the potential to harm resources or create user conflict. The issuance of special use permits is at the discretion of MDC.
If you need a special use permit, get more details and apply.
Please allow 30 days for processing.
Do I Need a Special Use Permit?
A special use permit is required for any photography and videography on MDC areas that involves:
- Access during closed hours or to portions of the area closed to public use;
- Use of an unmanned aerial system (UAS) or drone;
- Use of props, sets, or equipment that are more than a single person can carry; or
- The total daily number of people participating with a photographer or videographer for the primary purpose of photography and videography is more than 10.
Not all requests for special use permits will be granted. Permits may be denied to avoid user conflicts, resource damages, safety concerns, or other reasonable justification at the Department’s discretion.
Recreate Responsibly on MDC Areas
Guidelines for Wildlife Photography
- Trail or game cameras are not allowed on MDC areas.
- Don’t get too close to wildlife. This can stress the animal or put you in a dangerous position.
- Watch your step.
- Be patient and observant.
Guidelines for Photo Shoots
- Avoid busy areas and times.
- Do not block trails from other visitors.
- Follow posted area rules and ensure that clients also follow area rules.
- Park only in designated parking areas.
- Pack out any trash and avoid littering. No balloons, confetti, glitter, smoke bombs, fireworks, colored powders/chalk, butterfly releases, etc.
- No structures such as arches, trellises, or gazebos may be constructed or stuck in the ground.
- If more than 10 people are participating with the photographer/videographer over the course of a day, a special use permit is required.
- If seeking to use props or equipment larger than an average person can carry, a special use permit is required.
Nature Photography Tips
Nature photography generally falls into two categories: landscape and wildlife. Both require different equipment and involve different techniques.
While you don't need thousands of dollars of equipment to take decent nature photos, equipment does matter. It is unlikely that you will be able to take great nature photos, particularly wildlife photos, with your smartphone.
This category is probably the most accessible to the amateur photographer. It doesn’t require as much specialized equipment as wildlife photography, and landscapes don’t move around, so they are much easier to catch!
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Equipment
To take a good landscape photo, the only equipment you need is a decent camera with good resolution and a good lens. While it is possible to capture good landscape photos with a point-and-shoot camera, it is important to have a camera with adjustable settings, such as shutter speed and aperture, to improve your chances of success. Adjustable settings allow you to select a small aperture to maximize your depth of field, or select a fast shutter speed to minimize wind movement, or slow shutter speed to emphasize the movement of water in the scene or similar effects.
Cameras with interchangeable lenses or zoom lenses are also helpful, but if you only have one lens, the best choice is a wide-angle lens. The only other piece of equipment that is very helpful, though not essential, is a tripod, which will help you increase your shutter speed and aperture options.
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Scene and Light
Two key elements to a successful landscape photo are an interesting scene and light. The first is obvious. Presumably, you are taking the photo because you see a particularly special or beautiful scene that you want to capture. Light is less obvious but equally important. In fact, with the right light, a scene that is somewhat ordinary and mundane can be transformed into something special and beautiful.
Most of the best landscape photos are taken within an hour or less before or after sunrise or sunset. Photographers call this the golden time, and the quality of light created by these times of day greatly enhances a scene's drama and detail. The interplay between light and shadow becomes richer, textures are enhanced, and the light takes on an inviting golden quality.
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Composition
Composition — what to include in the frame, and where to position it — can be tricky.
We tend to concentrate on just the center of the frame, and we often overlook what is going on around the edges, which can include distracting details. An important rule of photography is to “fill the frame,” to include only that which is important.
For example, if you are shooting a portrait, you want to get close and fill the frame with the subject's face. You don’t want to shoot so loosely that extraneous objects become a distraction. The same thing applies to landscape photography. Look over the whole scene captured in your viewfinder. If you see something that detracts from the scene and the feeling and mood you are trying to convey, crop it out. Change your shooting angle or the focal length of the lens.
Many of the most successful landscape photos include a strong foreground element that guides the eye into the scene but doesn't dominate it. This could be a flower, or a small waterfall, or any number of other things. The wide-angle lens helps with this, as it tends to emphasize things in the foreground.
Use the rule of thirds when composing a landscape shot with a strong foreground element. Imagine your frame is divided into thirds both horizontally and vertically. The best place to position strong foreground elements and other key elements is at the four intersections created by those imaginary lines. In other words, you don’t want your strong anchoring elements to be centered in the frame.
Good wildlife photography requires equal bits of luck and preparation. You don’t need a lot of specialized equipment, but it is really essential that you have one good, big, telephoto lens. Most wildlife is shy and will not allow you to get very close to it.
Even with a long lens, many people are surprised at how close they still have to get to their subject in order to “fill the frame.” Using a blind, vehicle, or some other kind of cover to hide yourself, and keeping as still as possible will improve your chances of getting close to your subject matter.
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Choosing and Using Telephoto Lenses
Long telephoto lenses and long zoom lenses can vary widely in price and size. You can have two lenses that are identical in focal length (magnification factor) but one of them may be three times the size and three or more times the cost of the other. This is because of two main things.
- The larger lens has a larger maximum aperture, which will allow you to shoot in lower light conditions and/or use a faster shutter speed, which is important for stopping the movement of wildlife subjects.
- The larger lens also likely has better optical quality.
There may be nothing wrong with the smaller, cheaper lens, but you just need to understand its limitations. Using a tripod can help.
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Do Your Homework and Network With Others
While luck plays a large role in wildlife photography, most successful wildlife photographers spend a lot of time researching their subjects. They learn the habits and behaviors of their subjects, including preferred habitats and foods. This helps them maximize their chances of success by putting themselves in the right places and at the right times. They also network with other nature photographers and enthusiasts who share notes about sightings of certain wildlife.
Events
Sept.1 - Dec.15: Submissions accepted for
Nature Photography Contest- Native Wildflowers
Submit Your Photos of Missouri’s native wildflowers from the last few years. Photography is a wonderful way to learn more about Missouri’s amazing native flora! We love photos from Burr Oak Woods of course, but request that photos must at least have been taken in the state of Missouri.
Submission Method:
• Register for the program/contest at https://mdc.mo.gov/events
• Maximum of two photos per person, at least 2550 x 3300 pixels, print size- 8.5”x11”
• Deadline December 15, 2026 at 5 PM
• Caption: Please include species of plant as close as can be identified.
• Submit photo in person to the front desk of BOWNC or
• Submit photo electronically to e-mail: (lisa.richter@mdc.mo.gov) in JPEG format only, Compression level (80-100%), File Size Limit (8 MB per photo)
o Electronic submissions will be printed on 8.5”x11”, thick paper.
*January 2-23
Photos will be on display for voting at
Burr Oak Woods Nature Center
*Top three photos with the most votes will receive a prize!
Come see the work of Powder Valley's Featured September Artist, Elizabeth White!
"I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, in a large family where "On the Road Again" could have been the soundtrack of my childhood. My parents took us traveling whenever they could, planting a love of exploration that has stayed with me ever since.
I picked up a camera at a young age, and although photography hasn't always been a constant in my life, I've returned to it again and again. Somewhere along the way, it became more than a way to remember where I had been. It became a way of seeing.
My primary medium is digital photography, with a love for landscapes, nature, wildlife, and abstract imagery. I'm drawn to the things that make me stop and look twice—a face hidden in a tree, light passing through a butterfly's wings, an unexpected reflection, or the beauty found in negative space.
My photography is less about what I'm looking at and more about what I see in it-personality in nature, beauty in the overlooked, a different perspective, and sometimes something that simply makes you smile.
Travel and photography naturally intersect in my work as a professional Tour Director. My career takes me across the United States and around the world, giving me the opportunity to photograph extraordinary landscapes as well as quiet, easily overlooked moments in between.
I rarely know what will catch my eye next- and that's part of what I love about photography. Whether I'm standing in the rain on the deck of a ship in Alaska, slowly making my way down a trail, or discovering something beautiful close to home in St. Louis, my camera gives me a reason to keep looking."
Come see Elizabeth's work during the month of September, up through the 26th.
Birds are one of the most abundant types of wildlife, and for that reason, bird photography is very popular. With a little bit of careful planning and practice, anyone with a yard or even just a local green space, can take great close-up photos of birds.
The real beauty of photographing birds close to home is that it gives you more chances to practice because you don’t have to find an entire day or weekend in your schedule to get out and practice with your camera. When you have a setup in your backyard, you can simply go outside for an hour or two and get right to it!
Richard Day has spent 35 years photographing birds in his backyard. In this program, you will learn how to create and use a winter “bird studio” in your own backyard. Richard will share tips on how to attract the birds; and he’ll make recommendations for basic bird photography equipment, camera settings, blinds, and clothing.
This event is made possible through a partnership between the Missouri Nature and Environmental Photographers (MONEP) and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and is open to all.
The program will take place at Platte Ridge Park near the pond/shelter house.
Spend the morning chasing butterflies and become part of a community science project. We'll search for migrating monarchs, learn how to safely catch and tag them, then release them to continue their incredible journey to Mexico.
Along the way, you'll discover how native plants support butterflies and other pollinators, how to identify some of Missouri's most common species, and why healthy habitats matter. Every monarch we tag adds valuable information that helps researchers better understand migration routes and population trends.
Whether you're into photography, hiking, wildlife, or just looking for an excuse to spend a beautiful morning outdoors, this is your chance to experience conservation in action. Dress for the weather, wear long pants, and bring insect repellent as you'll be wandering through butterfly habitat throughout this adventure. No prior experience is necessary.
The program will take place at Platte Ridge Park near the pond/shelter house.
Spend the morning chasing butterflies and become part of a community science project. We'll search for migrating monarchs, learn how to safely catch and tag them, then release them to continue their incredible journey to Mexico.
Along the way, you'll discover how native plants support butterflies and other pollinators, how to identify some of Missouri's most common species, and why healthy habitats matter. Every monarch we tag adds valuable information that helps researchers better understand migration routes and population trends.
Whether you're into photography, hiking, wildlife, or just looking for an excuse to spend a beautiful morning outdoors, this is your chance to experience conservation in action. Dress for the weather, wear long pants, and bring insect repellent as you'll be wandering through butterfly habitat throughout this adventure. No prior experience is necessary.
The program will take place at the shelter house.
Spend the morning chasing butterflies and become part of a community science project. We'll search for migrating monarchs, learn how to safely catch and tag them, then release them to continue their incredible journey to Mexico.
Along the way, you'll discover how native plants support butterflies and other pollinators, how to identify some of Missouri's most common species, and why healthy habitats matter. Every monarch we tag adds valuable information that helps researchers better understand migration routes and population trends.
Whether you're into photography, hiking, wildlife, or just looking for an excuse to spend a beautiful morning outdoors, this is your chance to experience conservation in action. Dress for the weather, wear long pants, and bring insect repellent as you'll be wandering through butterfly habitat throughout this adventure. No prior experience is necessary.
"What does it really take to capture a photograph that changes how people see the natural world?
Join award-winning photographer Noppadol Paothong for an inspiring evening presentation, "Conservation in Focus: Lessons from a Life in Photography," at Powder Valley Nature Center. Drawing on decades in the field, Noppadol will pull back the curtain on what truly separates a good photo from a great one — and share the hard-won lessons from his own missteps along the way, including the mistakes that taught him the most and ultimately shaped him into the photographer he is today. He'll also talk candidly about how he's embraced new technology throughout his career, how his style and approach have evolved, and how those changes continue to influence his work.
You'll get an exclusive first look at Noppadol's ongoing photo projects — along with the stories behind the images — many of which will appear in the magazine over the next few years. He'll wrap up the evening with practical, hands-on advice for anyone who wants to use their own camera, and their own voice, to become a conservationist. Whether you're a seasoned photographer or simply someone who loves wildlife and wild places, this is a rare chance to learn directly from one of the field's most respected storytellers. Leave with a fresh perspective on your own photography — and maybe a new appreciation for the mistakes that got you there."
Doors to the nature center will open at 6:30 p.m. with the presentation starting at 7:00 p.m. Participants 15 and under should attend with an adult.