When it comes to herping, one of the most common internal debates happens after the animal is spotted: Do I grab a photo, roll video, or just soak it in? The truth is, you should do both while herping, but only if you understand the strengths and tradeoffs of each. Knowing when to choose photos versus video can make a big difference in how you document your experience, share it with others, and stay respectful to the animal in front of you.

Capturing Pictures:

It’s important to first consider what you’ll be doing with these pictures. Are they for social media? Personal memories? Scientific documentation? Or maybe even prints for your wall? Photos tend to be more intentional and curated, and that’s both their strength and their weakness.

Pros-

• Timeless keepsakes. A great photo freezes a moment forever. That snake you found tucked under a log or the frog glowing in your headlamp beam becomes something you can revisit years later.
• Easier to display and archive. Photos are perfect for albums, prints, presentations, or even identification records.
• Higher artistic control. Lighting, composition, depth of field—photos allow you to slow down and create something polished.
• Potential income. If you’re a skilled photographer, high-quality wildlife images can be sold or licensed.

Cons-

• Limited engagement online. If you’re trying to grow on social media, photos alone rarely perform as well as video anymore.
• Can interrupt the moment. Chasing the “perfect shot” sometimes pulls attention away from observing natural behavior.
• Less storytelling. A photo captures one instant, but it can’t show movement, sound, or interaction.

The bottom line is photos are best for documentation, art, and long-term memory, but they’re not always the strongest tool for sharing the experience of herping with others.

Capturing Videos:

Video is where modern herping content really comes alive. It captures behavior, motion, and atmosphere in a way photos simply can’t.

Pros-

• Stronger storytelling. Movement, tongue flicks, defensive displays, slow crawls—video shows what the animal does, not just how it looks.
• Better social media performance. Reels, Shorts, and TikToks massively favor video content.
• Educational value. Videos are excellent for explaining identification, behavior, and habitat.
• Less pressure for perfection. A slightly shaky clip can still be valuable if the behavior is interesting.

Cons-

• Harder to manage. Low light, focus hunting, and shaky hands can ruin clips quickly.
• Storage-heavy. Video files add up fast, especially on long trips.
• Can pull focus. Constant filming can distract from observing the animal respectfully.
• Not always wall-worthy. Videos are harder to “display” long-term compared to a framed photo.

The bottom line is video excels at sharing the story of field herping, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of awareness or animal welfare.

Not every encounter needs to be posted. Not every find needs a camera. Some of the best herping moments are the ones only you remember. But when you do document them, choose the medium that fits your goal, and don’t let content creation overshadow why you’re out there in the first place.