All of Melissa’s photographs are taken in the wild (unless otherwise captioned), without any baiting, playback, or lures of any kind (excepting her backyard bird feeder). She doesn’t’ believe that wild animals should ever have to perform for a photo. She tries her best to disrupt her subjects as little as possible, and places the welfare of the animal first.
Melissa Groo is a conservation photographer and writer. She seeks to tell the stories of the natural world through images and words. It is her mission to inspire conservation of the animals she is privileged to witness, and the habitat crucial to their survival.
Melissa is a photographer, writer, and conservationist. She calls herself a “wildlife biographer,” drawn to telling stories that showcase the unique character and beauty of individual wild beings.
She is a fierce advocate for the welfare of wild animals, both those living free and in captivity. Her longtime dedication to exposing the cruelty of photography game farms was featured in a recent investigative Rolling Stone article, “The Ugly Truth About the Wild Animals of Instagram.” In May 2026, a feature-length documentary on her journey, Captured, will premiere at Telluride Mountainfilm Festival.
Melissa is a Sony Artisan of Imagery, an Associate Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers, and a contributing editor to Audubon magazine. She serves as advisor to the National Audubon Society on photography content and ethics.
An assignment photographer for Audubon and Smithsonian magazines, Melissa travels far afield to cover conservation stories. Her photos and writing have appeared in publications such as National Geographic, National Wildlife, Natural History, and Living Bird magazines.
Melissa is a leading voice and consultant on ethics in wildlife photography. Her interest in ethics is grounded in the ecology of wild animals, and empathy for the myriad challenges they face in the age of the Anthropocene. See her Statement on Ethics or view a collection of her writings on ethics here. With bird expert Kenn Kaufman, she created National Audubon Society’s landmark Guide to Ethical Bird Photography and Videography. She has written on the issue of ethics in wildlife photography for National Geographic (How to Photograph Wildlife Ethically), among other publications. She’s advised national and international organizations, publications, and photo contests on best practices in wildlife photography. She serves on the Ethics Committee for the International League of Conservation Photographers and the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA). From 2014-2018, she was Chair of NANPA’s Ethics Committee.
From 2015 to 2023, Melissa wrote a regular column (“Wild By Nature”) on wildlife photography for Outdoor Photographer magazine. In 2020, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology released “Bird Photography with Melissa Groo,” an online masterclass in beginning bird photography featuring 40 videos of her instruction. Melissa’s association with the Lab dates back to when she worked in the Bioacoustics Research Department from 2000-2005 on elephant communication, as Research Assistant for scientist Katy Payne and The Elephant Listening Project. She spent field seasons in the rainforest of central Africa studying forest elephants in the wild, where she learned to listen deeply and watch closely.
In 2023, Melissa received the “Jay N. Ding Darling Memorial Award for Wildlife Stewardship Through Art,” from The Wildlife Society. Cited were her conservation photography and advocacy on ethical techniques in wildlife photography. In 2017, she received Audubon Connecticut’s “Katie O’Brien Lifetime Achievement Award,” for demonstrating exceptional leadership and commitment to the conservation of birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. That year she also received NANPA’s Vision Award, in recognition of early career excellence, vision and inspiration to others in nature photography, conservation, and education.
She has received awards in national and international photography competitions, including Audubon (2015 Grand Prize winner), Nature’s Best, and NANPA. She has served on the jury of numerous photo contests, including Wildlife Photographer of the Year (2023), Audubon Photography Awards, Bird Photographer of the Year, Nature’s Best, The Big Picture, and NANPA.
Melissa leads private workshops and teaches for select Summit Series of Photography Workshops. She gives virtual and in-person presentations. Send speaking inquiries to melgroo@gmail.com.
Her fine art prints are in personal and corporate collections, and have been exhibited in many public venues, including the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Melissa is an Ambassador for Project Coyote and serves on the Advisory Council for Wyoming Untrapped and the Board of Directors for The Little Egg Foundation.
For the past decade, Melissa has volunteered as a photographer at the Cornell Wildlife Hospital, providing photos of their wild patients to the hospital’s education and fundraising efforts.
