Category Archives: Photography Journal

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288 ppm Amsterdam, a 350.org action and aerial photo

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“It isn’t 350, but 288ppm is better. “


Video: Ellard Vasen

As the rain fell on downtown Amsterdam, the Netherlands, we reached 288 People Per Museumplein dancing the Charleston in the shape of ‘350 NU’. Translated as ‘350 Now’ it was a fun, electric action that joined over 5000 actions across the globe for the 350.org international day of action. MOVE YOUR FEET for CLIMATE ACTION! – voor een BETER KLIMAAT! was followed by a march through the downtown of Amsterdam calling for 350ppm.

Young and old danced the Charleston, a 1920s swing dance, to communicate their desire for a treaty that commits the countries of the world to a target of 350parts per million CO2.

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350.org Amsterdam Foto – Museumplein – Aerial Photograph

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De foto van de demonstratie in Amsterdam op Museumplein voor 350.org kan hier gedownload worden.
Het wachtwoord voor de gratis download voor redactioneel gebruik: 350

The photograph from the Amsterdam event of 350.org can be downloaded here. This image is provided free for editorial usage and the Password is: 350

Please spread it far and wide.

Below is a gallery of the day of action from Amsterdam

350 Foto Amsterdam Museumplein – Climate Aerial and March – Images by Robert vanWaarden

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Less Talk More Action – Video and Photography at the UN Summit

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At the recent High Level UN summit in New York on climate change, several students narrated a film that was shown to all delegates calling on them to act now. It is a well produced film that pulls on the heartstrings, but you can’t help wonder how many of these will we need to produce before our political decision makers will start to make the right decisions?

Watch it and keep your eyes open for my images. 

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International League of Conservation Photographers – Emerging Photographer

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The International League of Conservation Photographers is an incredible organization of the top environmental and conservation photographers in the world. Its’ ranks include National Geographic photographers Paul Nicklen and Michael ‘Nick’ Nichols, Dutch photographer Frans Lanting, Gary Braasch, etc. etc. The list goes on.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this organization is a great idea. Combine the power and skills of the top photographers in the world to focus on conservation and the environment. Our mission is to further environmental and cultural conservation through ethical photography.

I am pleased to announce that I have accepted into this League as an Emerging Photographer. This organization is one that I admire and whose photographers are people that I look to for their hardwork, passion, dedication and skill. It will be a pleasure to learn from them, work with them and together contribute to conserving and improving our planet.

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Blog Action Day – Climate Change Blogging

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Across the blogosphere today, over 7000 blogs will be writing about Climate Change. It is called the Blog Action Day and has set out to mobilize the entire blog world around the single most important issue of our time and generation, climate change.

The whole climate world is entering the final stretch of the race for a climate just world and it is going to be a hectic 6 weeks. My path begins next weekend in Amsterdam on October 24th with 350.org. There are over 2000 actions happening in 150 countries and in Amsterdam we will have 350 swing dancers dancing for the climate. In attendance will be James Hansen, chief NASA scientist and hundreds of climate activists. Sign up to join us if you are in Amsterdam. Or for more information on the event, go here

A week later I will be in Barcelona to cover the last stage of negotiations before Copenhagen. We will also be displaying the same show that I displayed in Bonn.

In November, I will be working with Project Survival Media to draw attention to climate change in Europe and then we are into Copenhagen. Copenhagen will be the most important meeting ever and we need everyone across the globe to hold their leaders accountable for a strong and just agreement. The only thing that is missing is the political will and it is time to change that. You can help by getting involved next weekend with 350.org

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Photography of PowerShift UK – Reporting by Project Survival Media

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Crossposted from Itsgettinghotinhere
More Photography and Gallery Here.

By: Adaeze Umolu

Young men and women at the reception and registration desk are in high spirits as UK Powershift 09 has brought hundreds together to tackle our climate future here in London. Irrespective of physical, cultural or social differences, the determination of these young men and woman begs one to wonder if United Kingdom or world leaders can ignore such a movement.

Powershift UK is not just another campaign event to gather young people. It is a conference where workshops have been organized to teach skills to the young people in attendance with the end result of taking a meaningful action. It is “not just swapping to low energy light bulbs, but how to campaign and communicate effectively within their local communities.” It aims to inspire and educate drawing from the vast experience of the speakers lined up for the conference such as Ian Katz, Deputy editor of The Guardian and Emily Cummings, a 22 year old inventor using her designs to tackle climate change issues within Southern African countries.

Organized by the UKYCC, and modeled after the Powershift conferences held in the USA and Australia. The passion and focus of this conference is a serious one. It is about climate change, our planet and our future. Yet, these young people have set out to tell a more positive story and get people involved. The future and our planet’s future looks bright here today and I am more optimistic as the events of the day continue that our voice will be heard. I intend to remain here for the full duration of the conference and more articles are on the way.

Writer Adaeze Umolu reports for the Project Survival Media team in Europe.

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Why she got Climate Justice Tattooed on her Neck

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Crossposted from It’s Getting Hot in Here.

Tattoo art by Sara Svensson (Swedish Climate Activist) and Studio Remi, Utrecht
Three reasons:

1. The principle
2. The permanence
3. I like tattoos

From the least important to the most important, these three reasons explained…

Reason 3 – “I like tattoos”

Continue reading “Why I got “Climate Justice” tattooed on my neck.

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Irish Moss Photography – Canadian Geographic Photographer

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My photography essay on the Irish Moss Industry on Prince Edward Island, Canada, appears this month in Canadian Geographic.

The story behind these photographs begins one blustery morning when the rain was pelting my tent whilst camping with family and friends. The dawn brought with it a slew of men and horses, crawling the North Cape beach and collecting the ‘blessing from the sea’. The photography that day was moody and dramatic as exhausted horses and jubilant men played in the stormy waves. The seawater dripped off their backs, no damper to the joy brought by the bounty the sea had bestowed upon them.

This led me to investigate further. I met Carl Doucette, a brick of a man who has spent over 50 years raking the moss off the sea bed. His arms are testament to the physical labour that has defined his life and his spirit is calming. Having spent so much time on the water, Carl’s is a man comfortable with his place in the world. We sat in his kitchen drinking coffee and tears filled his eyes as he recounted his story about the decline of his industry and his uncertain future.

Heading out on the water with Carl that afternoon will remain one of those memorable experiences as a photographer. The sun glinted off the waves and the moss raked from the sea quickly piled up in the boat. I tried my own hand at raking in the moss and was quickly reminded why Carl’s arms were small trees. It was an honour to spend time with Carl and I am indebted to his story and time for making this essay possible.

My thanks also goes out to the folks at Shea’s Irish Moss Plant in Anglo Tignish. They were kind enough to allow me to work with them for a few hours and photograph their dusty, cavernous operation. They bale the moss into packages that weigh over 120 lbs, (as eagerly demonstrated to me by Rodney, the strong man in the operation).

It was a pleasure to put this essay together. Now go out to your nearest newsstand (in Canada) and buy the issue to see the images.

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Kiboko bag and Norway – a success?

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A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to take my new Kiboko camera bag from Gura Gear on an assignment for Canadian Geogarphic in Norway. For years I have been using a trusty, Lowepro Nature Trekker. However, it is now suffering from acute zipper disorder and since the Lowepro hospital doesn’t cover zipper disorder, I went looking for a new bag.

I came across the Kiboko bag and the weight of the bag convinced me that it was the bag that would fill my needs. I travel and I want a camera bag that balances weight, durability, weather proofing and ease of use. The Kiboko bag appeared to do this, it will easily hold two pro canon bodies with any lens and is surprisingly comfortable on my 200cm frame.

Where did it go wrong? As I unpacked the box, I found the neat little rain cover and an ‘oh oh’ escaped my lips. I had a bad feeling that the elastic band would not hold the cover in a strong storm. Sure enough, on a ridge in Norway, horizontal rain and gale force winds, ripped the cover from my pack. The image below is the moment my subjects are watching it float away on the winds….

Fortunately, I was able to retrieve the cover on the slope below before my gear was compromised, but the design is a serious issue if it won’t hold in a storm situation. I will be forced to create a leash for the cover to hold it to the pack. If Gura adopted an integrated rain-cover approach, the cover would be attached to the pack and won’t get lost or blown away, a real problem when you need to access your gear in the wind and the rain. Perhaps they will consider this in the next line…

Despite the near escape, I found the pack worked well in all situations and I look forward to my new travel companion for many trips to come.

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Train Vs. Airplane, the moral economics of an Assignment

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Airplane
0.19 tonnes of CO2		 Train
0.02 tonnes of CO2
Ticket Cost = €160
Taxi to Airport = €100
Carbon Offset = €5
Cost to future generations = Unfathomable
Total = Huge		 Ticket Cost = €320
Taxi to Station/Back = €20
Good feeling and
Respect from Girlfriend = Priceless
Total = Priceless

In less then one hour I will embark on a 24 hour train ride for my next assignment in Norway. I am off to Norway to work on a climate change story for Canadian Geographic. For the last couple of years I have been focusing on climate change and particularly the youth movements across the globe. Whether at the United Nations Conference or a grassroots events, I have been documenting the young change makers of today.

Needless to say, I move around a lot and I am acutely aware of my personal carbon footprint on the planet. So when the opportunity came up for an assignment where it wasn’t necessary to take a plane, I jumped at the possibility.

Why spend 24 hours getting to a destination when I could simply go to Schiphol airport and get on a plane for 2 hours?

It isn’t actually all that hard to explain, air travel has for long been cited as one of the main causes of carbon dioxide and one the major contributors (between 4 – 9%) of global warming. Not only that, but aircraft emissions are special. Because they are produced at cruising altitudes high up, the emissions are more harmful. In fact, the IPCC estimages that the impact of aircraft emissions is 2 – 4 times high then the direct effect of the CO2 alone. See the David Suzuki website for more information.

By taking the train to Norway, I am responsible for 10 – 25% of the CO2 that I would if I were to take the plane. This makes me happy, this makes my client happy, it makes future generations happy and most importantly it makes my girlfriend happy. (ED. Note, upon consultation, said girlfriend has declared that she is not more important then future generations.)

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