Nature & cityscape photographer, occasional blogger, and environmental science and policy student. I'm particularly interested in insect macrophotography, but anything that will hold still long enough and close enough is fair game.

This account is for my best photos. I have a second account where I (used to) upload a broader selection of photos from outings for a record of what I saw and to use in blog posts.

Ethics

I always disclose whether an animal was observed in the wild or in captivity. I sometimes temporarily collect insects and small vertebrates to photograph in a studio setting before releasing them again.

I also disclose composite/stacked images, but otherwise try to keep post-processing minimal and "natural" looking. This may include color correction, enhancing contrast, dodging and burning to brighten shadows and reduce glare, and cloning out dust spots. My post-processing techniques would not pass National Geographic's ethical standards, but I try not to push images into "unreal" territory.

Image Use Policy

Most photos are available for licensing. Some photos of captive animals taken at institutions which prohibit sale of photographs without special permission may not be available for licensing. Please contact me with queries.

You are welcome to use my images in educational or scientific presentations and posters without asking first. Please include legible credit on the same slide as the image, attributed to "Melissa A. Barton." If you wish to reprint one of my images in a scientific journal, please contact me—I will most likely allow this free of charge but would very much appreciate an article reprint or copy of the journal issue.