Noppadol Paothong Photography

11/09/2026

Even at rest, he never stopped scanning the woods. I watched this white-tailed buck bed down in the evening, surrounded by beautiful fall color.

11/06/2026

I wasn’t expecting to find a bald eagle perched on a rock while I was looking for deer in eastern Missouri. I had to shoot through a tree branch as it drank from the pond, and I got just a few frames before it flew off. I love the touch of the overcast sky reflecting off the water in the fall.

11/02/2026

I’m thrilled to see my photographs of two of my favorite birds, the American Kestrel and the Greater Roadrunner, featured in the November issues of both Missouri Conservationist and Xplor magazines, including a big spread in the American Kestrel article!

Both award-winning magazines are free to all Missouri residents. Subscribe here: https://mdc.mo.gov/magazines

10/30/2026

Yesterday afternoon, while walking my dog in the park across from my house, I finally spotted a Barred Owl perched in a big Pin Oak tree! I’ve been hearing them almost every day, especially in the evening before sunset, when two or three call back and forth to each other. What perfect timing, just in time for Halloween!

10/28/2026

With the warm spell in October, fall color got a slow start here in Missouri. One of the first shrubs to turn is spicebush, a native understory shrub with fragrant leaves that turn yellow in fall. It’s also a host plant for the spicebush swallowtail, whose caterpillars feed on the leaves and hide inside a rolled leaf during the summer. While I was quietly composing this image, a rustle in the leaves made me look up, and a white-tailed deer stepped into the frame and photobombed my shot.

10/12/2026

Today, in honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, I’m sharing this image of a “Chicken Dancer.”

I met Lavon Big Knife in 2016 while documenting sage-grouse for my book, Sage Grouse: Icon of the West. Many Native American tribes throughout the West still honor sage-grouse in their ceremonial dances and dress.

For generations, Native Americans lived in harmony with this landscape and the wildlife it nurtured, including sage-grouse. They relied on these birds for physical and spiritual nourishment.

Lavon, who is Chippewa-Cree and Shoshone, has performed the chicken dance for more than a decade. According to the legend, the power to dance like a sage-grouse was bestowed on a young man by his spirit helper after he watched sage-grouse strut. The dance celebrates the grouse and the deep relationship between Native Americans and this remarkable bird.

10/05/2026

St. Louis on the Air has published an article and excerpts from my live interview last week, and I'm so grateful to Eliane Cha and Emily Woodbury for the opportunity. I got to talk about two things I care deeply about: why conservation photography matters, and how anyone can connect with nature and document it with a camera (or even just a phone).

You can read the article and listen to the interview at the link below. I'd love to hear what you think!

Noppadol Paothong will host a talk, “Conservation in Focus: Lessons from a Life in Photography,” on Friday at the Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center.

10/02/2026

Jim Richardson, a National Geographic photographer and storyteller, was once asked how to become a better photographer. His answer was simple: "Stand in front of interesting stuff." 😉

That's true in many situations, but I'd add that choosing the right lens and composing thoughtfully around your subject help you tell a more compelling story. (Oh, and getting shutter speed, f-stop, white balance, focus, and light direction too.. no big deal 🤣)

These two images show the same subject at the same location: one taken with a conventional 100mm macro lens, the other with a 15mm wide-angle. Each gives a completely different point of view.

Lens choice shapes the story we tell. A wide-angle lens pulls in the environment, showing context and placing the subject within its world, perfect for storytelling, since it shows not just the animal, but the habitat it depends on. A telephoto or macro lens, by contrast, isolates and compresses, drawing the viewer's focus tightly onto the subject and its details. When I was a photojournalism student, I learned to tell a story using wide, medium, and detail shots.

Choosing the right lens is like choosing the right words: it changes how the story is read and how it connects emotionally. It's a lesson I'm still learning myself, every time I raise the camera.

Next time you're out taking picture, try asking: is this a wide, a medium, or a detail? That one question can change everything.

09/30/2026

I'm excited to share two chances to join me for my photo presentation, "Conservation in Focus: Lessons from a Life in Photography” this October! Come see me in Jefferson City or in the St. Louis area, whichever is closer to you. I'd love to see you there!

Photo Exhibit and Presentations

Meet the Photographers and Photo Presentation: "Conservation in Focus: Lessons from a Life in Photography"
Saturday, October 3, at Runge Conservation Nature Center
Runge Conservation Nature Center, 330 Commerce Dr., Jefferson City, MO 65109

10 a.m. to noon: Meet the photographers, David Stonner and me
11 a.m.: Photo presentation
No registration required

Photo Presentation: "Conservation in Focus: Lessons from a Life in Photography" Friday, October 9, 7 p.m.
Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, 11715 Cragwold Rd., Kirkwood, MO 63122

Reservations required: https://mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/221346

I hope you can join me!

09/28/2026

Today I did a 30-minute live interview with Elaine Cha, host and producer of St. Louis on the Air on St. Louis Public Radio, about my career as a conservation photographer with the Missouri Department of Conservation.

A big thank-you to KBIA station in my hometown of Columbia, and special thanks to Chief of Broadcast Operations Mark Johnson, for letting me use their studio. It allowed me to record much better audio than I could have with my limited equipment.

If you've never done live radio, it's quite nerve-racking, and I hope I sounded intelligent! 😄 If you caught the program, please let me know how I did.