Documentary Photography of Ecotourism

The focus of the work in this book is to understand the relationship between photography and ecotourism. Its objective is to establish a generic framework for digital documentary photography of ecotourism. As a subject that is recently becoming quite popular, ecotourism is still an ambiguous and often misused term in Malaysia, if not, around the world; with the guiding framework on how, why, and what to photograph being not readily available. It is a study that examines the underlying foundation and applications of ecotourism, and explores the theories and practices of documentary photography to promote it. The 130 million year old Belum Temenggor rainforest complex was chosen as the case study as it is representative and typical of similar ecotourism destinations in Malaysia. It also served as a critical test for theoretical propositions within the subjects of ecotourism and digital documentary photography for its array of objects and subjects. The study was done through published documentations, geographical records, and fieldwork consisting of gatekeeper interviews, direct observations, and participant-observation.