Staffan Widstrand
I’ll be talking about a spread of photography-based agencies and organizations that have exposed various social and environmental injustices, and have worked to change them.
First: The International League of Conservation Photographers. This super-hero sounding organization was founded in 2005 on the goal of furthering environmental and cultural conservation through ethical photography.
The photographers that join the league are extremely dedicated to preserving wildlife and the environment. Although they have active careers and projects outside of ILCP, it furthers the mission of their photography by allowing them to collaborate within the scientific, policy, advocacy and media communities.
As the ILCP History statement reads on their website*, “The ILCP really is a group of individuals, each of whom has their own business and projects, yet who at the same time are committed to a common goal and to working collaboratively together with scientists, media, and other conservationists to further conservation throughout the world. The ILCP provides the compelling images that attract attention to the causes for which each of these outside agencies and organizations are fighting”.
ILCP believes environmental apathy can be cured by “awe-inspiring” photography, which simultaneously works to inspire and inform its viewers. Photography has the powerful ability to transport people to a specific time place, or experience. From personal experience, I’m much more likely to read about a situation that is foreign or unrelated to me if there are pictures involved: It helps me place myself into that experience and find it more relatable. I feel like I have a better idea of the situation and therefore feel more connected to it. I believe this is a very primal, sensuous experience that affects everyone very similarly, and ILCP realizes this:
"For conservation to be most effective people need to care. But unless people have a sensory relationship to what is being saved it is difficult for them to develop an emotional connection. Most people’s only firsthand experience with animals and habitats is in zoos. Beautiful images can be very persuasive and are accessible, but often times in conservation campaigns there is an absence of any images, let alone compelling ones."
Their objectives are listed as follows:
• To use the power of photography to help educate the world community and to further conservation goals.
• To create compelling and informed images and to develop visually based campaigns to promote conservation issues.
• To facilitate the connection of photography with environmental, scientific, cultural media, governmental, religious and educational resources.
• To be a virtual clearinghouse of information for members.
• To develop a code of conduct for photographers.
• To promote business practices that demand truth in and high ethical standards in captioning and manipulation.
• To encourage conservation education
• To encourage an ethnically and geographically diverse membership.
• To attract fellowships and grants to support young photographers or photographers with innovative ideas to promote conservation.
-Kat
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