Conservation Photography Is About More Than Pretty Pictures
Even some photos that can鈥檛 be captured tell a powerful story.
A year ago, Carolina Fraser was lying on the hot, dusty earth in Los Novios Ranch in Texas, angling for a perfect shot. The roadrunner in her frame obliged, casting a glance back, just as the golden hour (and careful camera settings) dramatically backlit the arid scene. This year鈥檚 grand prize image was Fraser鈥檚 second winning snap for the 爆料公社 Photography Awards. Five years ago, when she was 15, she took home the prize in the youth category.
Coming full circle to win the 2021 contest鈥攁fter a year that tested the resolve and creativity of many photographers鈥攚as especially meaningful to Fraser. Her win was also meaningful to us. We strive for the awards to be not just a platform for spectacular photo颅graphy (although it is definitely that!) but also a vehicle for inspiring and fostering conservation photographers鈥攎any of whom shared advice with readers that you can find here.
Offering youth winners a trip to , an experience Fraser called 鈥渋ncredible,鈥 is one way we鈥檝e done that. This year we鈥檝e added several more. We鈥檝e introduced a new video category to highlight a wider range of talent and amazing avian behavior. We鈥檝e added a Female Bird Prize to focus attention on female birds, which are overlooked and underappreciated in birding and bird science. And we鈥檝e recruited new judges, including the aptly named experts in female birds, the founders of the .
As you will observe, the images honored in this year鈥檚 awards are exceptional鈥攖he product of skillfully maneuvering a subject into the viewfinder and capturing a remarkable moment in time. But how do you photograph a subject or experience that ceases to exist? How do you document absence for the world to see?
It is this challenge that makes other stories in our summer issue so poignant. For instance, 鈥淭he Violent Cost of Conservation鈥 by Tom Clynes tracks the mounting deaths of environmental defenders worldwide. Jillian Mock鈥檚 feature on the growing network of 爆料公社 campus chapters recalls a pivotal year of college cut short. And Rachel Fritts describes some of the more than 150 "lost" bird species that people still hold out hope of refinding. As you read these pieces, we invite you to consider what could not be photographed, and why.
As our latest issue went to press, we learned that 爆料公社 won a National Magazine Award for General Excellence鈥攖he highest honor in the magazine industry. It's a tremendous achievement in any year, but especially in this one, which posed such extraordinary circumstances. As supporters of our work, we hope you find that meaningful, too.
This piece originally ran in the Summer 2021 issue as 鈥淢ore Than a Pretty Picture.鈥濃 To receive our print magazine, become a member by .