I haven’t been posting for a bit because I was in Prince Edward Island taking a break. I just wanted to say that I am back in the game, at least I will be when I return from this trip in Oman. I am on assignment for National Geographic Traveler and will be back in the Netherlands on the 8th. Till then…..
Getty Grants for Good – Finalist
Getty Grants for Good is a program that Getty images has recently started to acknowledge and support the work that photographers and non-profit organizations are doing to work together to create a better world. It is a unique grant program and this year saw over 400 proposals from over 26 different countries. Together with the Global Youth Action Network and Fired UP! Media, I put together a proposal to continue the work that I have been doing covering youth movements and climate change. Sadly, we were not chosen as the winner of this project but we were chosen as one of the outstanding finalists.
Read more about it on PDN Pulse or Earth Times.
Photographing the Aerial in Bonn
(Credit: Robert vanWaarden / Spectral Q)
The clock is ticking on the climate negotiations. Even whilst the talks are stalling, civil society is coming together in a powerful and impactful way.
John Quigley from Spectral Q created this phenomenal aerial image here in Bonn, Germany. An incredible coalition of NGOs came together to create this event and they engaged me to to capture it all. 45M in the air and trying to protect three cameras from the rain were the joys of this little job. It was phenomenal the way over 500 people in the rain and cold lay down on the grass to form this powerful aerial message.
Paraphrasing Obama we told leaders ‘YES YOU CAN’ reach a good deal in Copenhagen, You can see some photos here or here. Please download these images from the first address and share widely. (Be sure to credit Robert van Waarden / Spectral Q.)
The number 350 relates to parts per million. It is the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. But 350 is more than a number–it’s a symbol of where we need to head as a planet. I encourage you strongly to check out 350.org and consider hosting an event on October 24.
Opening United Nations Climate Change Talks in Bonn – Photography
crossposted from itsgettinghotinhere.org
Inspirational banners, music, drums and polar bears welcomed delegates to the thirtieth sessions of the UNFCCC Convention subsidiary bodies – SBSTA and SBI, sixth session of the AWG-LCA and the eighth session of the AWG-KP this morning at the Maritim Hotel in Bonn. Delegates in Bonn will be hammering out the draft text for the Conference of Parties (COP 15) in Copenhagen in December, 2009.
This important meeting will see an unprecedented level of youth engagement for an intercessional. Following on the successful participation at Bonn I, the international youth have descended on Bonn. Action factories, negotiator trackers, 350.org, a day of action and regular actions throughout the conference will remind the delegates that we are watching.
See more images from the first day in Bonn here. (©Robert van Waarden)
United Nations Climate Conference Negotiations – Photography Exhibit
(Thousands of youth from across the United States Rally on Capitol Hill demanding a green future.)
When the leaders and negotiators of the world converge on Bonn, Germany next week to draft the text for COP 15 in Copenhagen, the halls of the conference center will be decorated with images of the International Youth Climate Movement. I have been super busy with 15 images that will tell a variety of stories and reflect the commitement of the thousands of youth around the world that are fight to ensure their future. More to come on this shortly.
Cape Farewell Exhibit – Trafalgar Square extended
The Cape Farewell exhibit at Canada House in Trafalgar Square has been extended to run all summer long. It will be on display at the Canadian Embassy Gallery until September 2009. In London? Check it out.
Photography Exhibition and Reception – Parliament Hill – Ottawa
Below is the official information for the one time event of the Cape Farewell Photography images being hosted on Parliament hill in an event for the Cape Farewell Voyagers. Unfortunately I won’t be in attendance, but my father and grandmother will be. Also, best of luck to Jennifer Thompson who has the wonderful opportunity to speak to the leaders of Canada from a youth perspective about the climate crisis.
The Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P. Speaker of the House of Commons Canada in collaboration with The British Council is hosting a photography exhibition and reception in honour of the Cape Farewell Arctic Youth Expedition 2008 participants
and the 2008-2009 International Climate Champions.
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Room 216-N, Centre Block
Parliament Hill
L’honorable Peter Milliken, député Président de la Chambre des communes
en collaboration avec le « British Council » tenir une exposition photographique et réception en l`honneur des participants du « Cape Farewell Arctic Youth Expedition 2008 » et les Champions Internationaux du Climat 2008-2009
le mardi 26 mai 2009
17h à 19h
Pièce 216-N, édifice du Centre
Colline du Parlement
On assignment for National Geographic Traveler
A couple of images from my recent assignment for National Geographic Traveler – the Netherlands Editie.
I just got back from a trip in the Austrian Alps with a writer to create a story for the magazine about a specific region. Up before the crack of dawn, we were running all day then downloading and backing up long after the sunset. But that doesn’t mean that we didn’t have fun in the mean time. More to come when the story is published. (Images by Hein van Beek)
Z Magazine – Capitol Coal Action – the story behind the photographs
Below is an extract from a magazine article that Joshua Kahn Russell wrote on the Capitol Coal Action in Washington in March. Joshua is a good friend of mine and when he requested some of my images for the article and I was happy to provide them.
‘On March 2, 2009 around 4,000 people came to the Capitol Power Plant in Washington, DC, with over 2,000 risking arrest through civil disobedience. The vast majority had never been to a demonstration before, let alone engaged in non-violent direct action. People from communities most directly impacted by coal’s lifecycle—from Navajo reservations in the Southwest to Appalachian towns in the Southeast—led the march. With multicolored flags depicting windmills, people planting gardens, waves crashing, and captions like “community,” “security,” “change,” and “power,” we blockaded five entrances to the power plant that fuels Congress (the belching smokestacks just two blocks from the Capitol building made a fitting national target). We called the whole thing the Capitol Climate Action (CCA).’
Read more here
Canada House Photography Show – London
My most recent email today read…
Your great photos are now on display at Canada House, Robert. We are delighted to have them.
All best
Brendan
High Commission of Canada/Haut-commissariat du Canada
Head, Public Programmes/Chef, Programmes publics
Political Affairs & Public Diplomacy Division/Direction des Affaires politiques et de la Diplomatie ouverte
Canada House/Maison du Canada
Trafalgar Square
London/Londres
So yes, the images from the Cape Farewell Voyage are on display in Trafalgar Square in London at the Canada House. They are a part of the Nunavut exhibition so if you are in London, stop on by.