Wander our Wild is looking for contributors who care deeply about the natural world. Contributors come from all over the place and bring with them varied skills and perspectives. You don't need to be a professional naturalist, photographer, or writer to contribute: in fact, your professional background is irrelevant. What matters is that you are passionate about the natural world and have a desire to share your passion with others.

Contributors share their photos and videos, along with short written stories and observations about them, through Wander our Wild Instagram's platform; these posts later appear on the website. Wander our Wild was created and is edited by a professional writer and conservationist (Millie Kerr) who is also an Instagram pro, which makes the contribution process easier for you. Before publishing posts, Millie tweaks and shapes posts to ensure everything published on WoW's Instagram feed is as compelling-- visually and editorially-- as possible.

So, how do you contribute?

Because WoW predominately utilizes Instagram, high quality photos and videos are key. Take photos and videos when you're out and about and go through your archives to identify imagery that might work well for WoW. Also have a look at our feed to get a feel for the types of photos WoW likes to publish. Photos typically showcase landscapes and wild animals, but city parks, urban wildlife, and general travel shots are also of interest. In short, "wild" can mean a variety of things. Feel free to submit photos with you in them: perhaps you've gone camping or hiking, are conducting field research, or you're lying on a tranquil beach listening to waves crash against the shore. If you have any doubt, ask Millie via email whether she thinks the photos you've identified seem like a fit for WoW. You can also point her to a collection online (or your own Instagram feed) so she can provide bespoke feedback.

Once you have photos and/or videos in mind, begin thinking about why these photos and videos matter to you. What were you doing when you took them? Where were you? Is there something about them that you find really interesting? Write these thoughts down and email them to Millie at wanderourwild@gmail.com. Some contributors share fully formed stories (see first example below); others send bullet points or simple descriptions (see second example). Short, first person narratives are preferred, but if you're struggling to find the words (or the time), it's OK to send a few sentences. Millie can wordsmith them. If you'd like to include hashtags, please do so, but Millie will also consider which tags to use. It's essential, however, that you include any pertinent details, such as where the photo was taken, so Millie can add appropriate tags. Also include all photo/video credits, your Instagram handle (if you have one), and your title (if you have a preference) so Millie can credit and tag you. Once the post has gone up, it would be great if you reposted or referenced it on your own Instagram account since this will help to grow the platform and encourage more people to contribute. Original content is preferred, but you may share imagery and anecdotes that have already been published on your own social media accounts; note that WoW will not publish anything that recently appeared on your account (in the last month or two).

The best way for you to share your imagery and stories is via email: send an email to wanderourwild@gmail.com with photos and/or videos, as well as accompanying text. Such text can be in the body of the email or included in an attachment. If it's easier, you can also communicate with WoW on Instagram.

If you have additional questions, visit our FAQs or contact Millie directly at wanderourwild@gmail.com.

Happy wandering!

On the left is Kit's email to Millie. As you can see, she included key information about where the picture was taken, as well as a short write-up, which Millie tweaked before posting.

Here's an example where the contributor shared very little information: the animal name and where it was photographed. Because Millie has worked with Carolina before, she knew Carolina's background and could craft language about tapirs.