A smartphone snapping a photo of a bright yellow flower in a grassy field

Perhaps the fastest growing activity on national wildlife refuges in the past ten years has been wildlife photography. That’s not surprising—the digital camera population explosion and cell phones with ever-improving picture-taking abilities are increasing the number of nature photographers at a rapid rate. You don’t need to purchase expensive equipment or have any experience to get started. A small camera or camera-phone will do just fine for most visitors.