Civilization Squared
Disaster in Waiting
A Master ponders his craft
Peter Essick is one of the masters of envionmental photography, having tackled many difficult issues for National Geogaphic stories. He argues that there is a growing awareness that biological systems in our contemporary world are being negatively harmed by rapid human development. This human-altered world is now being called called the Anthropocene, a reference to a geologic age where man has taken control of the Earth’s biosphere.
Signs, Harbingers, and Causation
Many fields of photojournalism have well-worn paths showing you where to go, with signposts that clearly identify stories and valued subjects. Environmental photography does not. Here Dennis lays out a possible course: "As you get your bearings on the landscape of environmental photography, learn to look for signs that guide you towards ideas. Like navigating landscapes, creating a trail that leads to ideas that produce photographs is about finding your bearings, seeking and recognizing signs you come across, and learning to understand meaning in the signs you discover."
How do I get there from here?
Photographer Jacob Bkaer asked, "You said something to the effect of "Everyone is paying attention to the rapids when they should be paying attention to the [river.] I am extremely interested in photographing the slower processes of the planet and its people, however I'm not sure how to find those stories?"
Whose Earth is it, anyway?
Jim ponders what is effective in environmental photography? What will actually work? What can you photograph, or instance, that will result in the survival of elephants? More elephant pictures? Maybe, but we’ve seen a lot of pictures of elephants already. Has that worked to save elephants? Perhaps, some. How about hard hitting documentaries about elephant poaching, especially if it results in increased funding for anti-poaching enforcement? Better, but maybe not enough – still. Jim argues that the question of actual effectiveness often gets lost when it should be at the forefront of our thinking.
The River or the Rapids
When it comes to environmental coverage, Jim wishes the underlying causes would get more attention than the hot news stories of the day. He puts it this way: "Sometimes we pay too much attention to the rapids when we should be paying attention to the river. The rapids are interesting, but the river is important."