Photography has the power to change peoples’ hearts, minds, and actions. Newspapers can write about environmental issues all day, but unless there’s photo evidence, many readers will just continue on with their day - maybe taking with them some ‘gee-whiz’ facts.

Powerful photos, however, can inspire people stop, take notice, and (maybe) take action.

A pelican drenched in oil, from the aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which killed more than one million birds. Photo taken from an article by The Advocate, dated 8 July 2015.

Photos transform abstract ideas into concrete reality, and provide undeniable proof of change, destruction and abuse. This is why photography is one of the most powerful tools for raising awareness of climate change and environmental/wildlife issues. This is especially relevant now that nearly everyone has a camera in their pocket.

Many of us have heard stories about the negative impact that the combination of social media and photography can have on natural places. Since Instagram was founded in 2010, national park visitation has increased by 37%. Although the rise of Instagram may not be entirely responsible for this increase in visitation, Instagram influencers are heightening the visibility of these places, as their followers are consistently bombarded with beautiful imagery from places such as Horseshoe Bend in Arizona, and Lake Louise in Alberta.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen photos of the same places get posted on Instagram over and over again – AND I’M JUST AS GUILTY. I haven’t been to Horseshoe Bend, but I have been to Lake Louise . And my, was I surprised by the number of tourists there were (myself included), all of whom were absent in all of the photos I’d ever seen of the place on Instagram. See the photos below for the reality of what you can expect if you ever decide to visit one of these #instafamous locations. Personally, I’d rather find and explore places which have not yet been “discovered” - and then do the Earth a favor by not geotagging the location in any of the photos I post (and maybe not posting at all).

Horseshoe Bend and Lake Louise, respectively. Photos taken from articles by Richard B. Barron, and One World One Year, respectively.

As a photographer who loves to explore beautiful and wild places (and share them on Instagram), I try to be conscious of the impact my presence will have on the environment I care so much about. I don’t geo-tag (tag locations on my Instagram photos), I follow the principles of Leave No Trace, and I do my best to not visit popular locations (although I still occasionally do). I know that no matter what I do though, my mere presence will always have an impact on the environment – whether I’m on a trail near home, or at a famous national park.

HOWEVER - I firmly believe that photography can be used as a positive force for raising awareness, creating positive change, and documenting progress. Since I started photography four years ago, I’ve been blessed to have experienced some of the most majestic things on Earth. I’ve photographed (and ran into) wild bears in the mountains of Alaska, I’ve driven from Alaska to New Mexico (exploring numerous beautiful places along the way), and I’ve even photographed hot air balloons dipping their baskets into the Rio Grande (known as a “splash and dash”). Because I enjoy spending my time in these wonderful landscapes, I see it as my duty to protect them and minimize my own ecological footprint.

Photos I took of a “splash and dash” into the Rio Grande (from a hot air balloon), and of a wild Grizzly in the mountains of Alaska.

This brings me back to the topic of this blog post:

How can photographers use their powers for good and raise awareness about environmental issues?

There are many methods photographers use to document and raise awareness of environmental issues. The methods I will discuss in this post will include: documenting change over time, photojournalism, and leveraging social media presence.

A popular method photographers use to raise awareness of environmental issues is to document change over time. It can be difficult to comprehend changes to the environment, because changes can happen so slowly that it becomes impossible to notice a difference from one day to the next. This is where photography comes into play. A before and after photo of a lush green, undisturbed valley full of poppy flowers with one road and not a single trail, contrasts starkly with a photo of the same road years later, with multiple “social trails”, which were created by visitors who went off trail to take photos of themselves surrounded by the beauty of bright orange “untouched” flowers. Although the subject matter of photos that document change over time can be disturbing, the photos themselves are often aesthetically pleasing in order to appeal to a wide audience.

Photos taken from the Public Lands Hate You article titled, “Walker Canyon Poppy Fields Damaged – Before and After Pictures”.

One example of photographers documenting change over time is excellently illustrated in a National Geographic article titled, “Seven Nat Geo Photographers on Witnessing Climate Change.” A pair of photos documenting the quickly disappearing Columbia Glacier in Alaska, one photo taken in 2009, and one taken in 2015, is a striking example. According to the article, “the main branch of the Columbia Glacier has retreated over 13 miles since 1980; in the past few years, the west branch, seen here in a pair from 2009 and June of this year, has retreated nearly three miles.”

Photos taken from the Nation Geographic article titled, “Seven Nat Geo Photographers on Witnessing Climate Change”.

Another method that photographers use to raise awareness of climate issues is photojournalism. The primary goal of a photojournalist is to document the scene at hand. Capturing beauty is of secondary importance to the photojournalist – their primary goal is to accurately capture an event or subject as comprehensively as possible. Photojournalists typically go to work with a specific story in mind, such as documenting the impact of the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park, or photographing the devastation caused by the eruption of a volcano in Hawaii. While beauty can add to the appeal of the story and grab the reader’s attention, the facts and details of the story are what have the most impact.

From the Kilauea volcano eruption in Hawaii. Photo taken from the New York Times article titled, “America’s Most Hazardous Volcano Erupted This Year”.

A great example of photographers utilizing photojournalism to cover important climate-related topics can be found in the Shutter Stock article titled, “Six Photographers on the Devastating Effects of Climate Change”. In the article, the photographers cover a wide variety of climate-related topics, from dying coral reefs, to the depletion of crucial water supply in India. One of the featured photographers, Chase Dekker, wrote about his mission to photograph polar bears in the Arctic. Although he was able to find many polar bears, he was most surprised by how quickly the ice the polar bears inhabited was melting. Chase stated, “While climate change affects nearly every corner of the planet, very few places show the immediate consequences as much as the poles.”

Photos taken from the Shutter Stock article titled, “Six Photographers on the Devastating Effects of Climate Change”.

A final method photographers use to bring awareness to environmental issues is by leveraging their social media presence. Social media platforms such as Instagram have given photographers an outlet to share their work with the world. Many landscape and wildlife photographers have amassed large followings on these platforms, with a few photographers having followerships in the hundred thousands or millions. Several of these photographers have taken advantage of the opportunity to use their platforms to raise awareness for the places they love and the issues those places face.

One example of a photographer leveraging their social media presence to raise awareness of environmental issues is Chris Burkard (@chrisburkard on Instagram). Chris Burkard has a whopping 3.6 million followers on Instagram (not quite Kylie Jenner status, but still). He frequently writes about environmental issues in his captions, and on 22 April 2020 (Earth Day) he announced that his photography studio and office were officially Climate Neutral Certified. In his caption he stated, “We can’t wait any longer for climate action and I hope other companies will follow suit.” Chris Burkard has also worked with organizations such as the Department of the Interior, National Parks Conservation Association, and Conservation International to “help protect our environment and promote wild places around the globe.”

A screen shot taken from Chris Burkard’s Instagram page (@chrisburkard).

As I discussed in the beginning of this post, photography and social media combined can have a very negative effect on the environment by bringing fragile places and at risk animals into the limelight. For example, take Boracay Island in the Philippines. Touted as one of the most beautiful tropical destinations in the world, it became the subject of relentless advertising by Instagram influencers. The island experienced an influx of tourism, which created unmanageable waste issues and even disrupted the local economy. In 2018, Philippine President Duterte declared that Boracay was a “cesspool”, and the beach was closed to tourism for a 6-month long restoration period.

Some of the negative environmental impacts caused by the over-tourism of Boracay include: the dumping of human waste into the ocean, pollution of coral by chemicals from sunscreen, destruction of forest habitats, and unmanageable garbage pollution.

Photo taken from the InHabitat article titled, “Overtourism”.

One last example of the negative impact that photography and social media combined can have on a natural environment is clearly seen in the example of Havasu Falls. Instagram influencers, who posted many photos of the gorgeous turquoise-blue waters surrounded by vibrant red rock, made Havasu Falls famous. Visitors must hike ten miles in order to reach the Havasu Falls campground. Since ten miles with a 40-plus pound backpack can be grueling, many visitors resort to using mules to carry their equipment. These mules are often malnourished and mistreated, and this ugly truth has been well documented. Additionally, since many visitors travel off trail, the land surrounding the waterfall and campground has been damaged.

Photos taken from the Public Lands Hate You article titled, “Thoughts on Havasupai”.

Although photography and social media can have a negative impact on the environment due to how they expose precious and fragile things, I believe they can also be used to positive effect by raising awareness of the damage that is being caused. As a photographer who uses social media, and is conscious of the damage being done, I think it’s my duty to help heighten the visibility of important environmental causes. Photography and social media can be used as a force for good when used with awareness and empathy.

NOTE: If you couldn’t tell, this was originally an assignment for an English class, but I jazzed it up a bit for the blog.

References

Lava destruction image:

http://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/12/science/kilauea-hawaii-volcano-eruption.html

Boracay Island information:

http://www.huffpost.com/entry/instagram-influencers-overtourism_l_5d9ce3f7e4b02c9da0402396

inhabitat.com/overtourism-surges-in-unsustainable-tourism-are-destroying-islands-in-the-pacific/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/philippines/articles/boracay-closure-when-will-island-reopen/

Chris Burkard:

http://www.instagram.com/chrisburkard/?hl=en

chrisburkard.squarespace.com/environment

Instagram/social media info: