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Noah Donovan

Professor Cummings

ENG-200

2/25/2024

How has Photography helped Change the World?

I. Abstract

This article is about how the use of photography and videography has helped create

a movement to improve the way we live and save the environment. The impacts of these

forms of media from the late 1800s till today have had a significant impact on the way our

world is perceived. This paper delves into the background of these mediums and the major

events they have contributed to uncovering. Original pioneers such as William Henry

Jackson and Ansel Adams helped shape environmental photography, paving the way for

new photographers such as Nima Sarikhani to have a platform to display their art and

create waves within the climate change world, telling their story through photography and

videography. The media has done a lot of good using these mediums, but it has not always

been that way. There is also another side of the story that comes with the visual media

being used as a marketing tool. Major conglomerates like the oil industry have used visual

media to create confusion and mistrust. They push their narrative to increase profits and

line their pockets, but this has not stopped the world from making progress in the fight

against climate change.

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II. Introduction

Have you ever heard the saying a picture is worth a thousand words? This statement

might not be any more true than in the realm of climate change holds great significance, and has

the power to influence entire populations. Photography (and videography) have had a major

influence on how climate change is viewed all over the world by depicting major climate change

events and by documenting how climate change has been perceived over many decades. From

the inspirational and groundbreaking work of organizations like National Geographic, the World

Wildlife Federation, and the Sierra Club to the deceitful endeavors of major corporations and

companies like Exxon Mobil, climate change media has offered a glimpse into decades of

environmental change, good and bad. Photography and videography have been at the heart of the

climate change issue from the beginning, influencing perspectives for better or worse, evoking

emotions, and bringing together communities.

III. History

Environmental photography

dates back to the early 1870s. William

Henry Jackson, a photographer from

the original survey team of what is

now known as Yellowstone National

Park took pictures of the land and its

natural formations. He was able to

Figure 1: Yellowstone Canyon, photograph by William Henry Jackson
take pictures of the Grand Tetons, the during the 1871 Hayden expedition.

Old Faithful geyser, and the Yellowstone region overall. These images helped sway the United

States Congress to declare the photographed region as the first national park in the country...
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Yellowstone National Park (Cengage, 2024). This is

one of the first documented uses of environmental

photography. The images he took are still used today

as references to look back at what the territory used

to be like. It wasn’t till later in the 1920s when Ansel

Adams, another environmental photographer,

“brought environmental photography into the

mainstream” (Cengage, 2024). Adams started his

career by marketing photos of the Yellowstone and

Yosemite National Parks. His goal was to raise

Figure 2 Monolith, the Face of Half Dome, Yosemite
awareness about the environment and how we treat National Park, California (1927).[1]

it. One of his most well-known photographs known as the Monolith, the Face of Half Dome, was

taken in Yosemite Valley in 1927. His work was foundational to the development of the

environmentalist movement as his photographs serve as an example of how amazing our world is

and how beautiful mother nature really can be.

IV. Photography

As environmental photography has moved to the forefront of the world’s attention,

there have been many changes and discoveries within the field. The work of environmental

photographers has gone from being classic ‘still images in time’ to powerful advertising and

marketing extravaganzas. This has become foundational to the underlying strategies for

environmental groups as a way to tell their story and bring about global awareness of the

issues they support. Photography is not limited anymore to pictures of past events, but can

now show what is, what has been, and what can be. This type of photography is exemplified
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in a lot of the environmental work that is being done in the North and South Poles. Glaciers

have been melting and causing the ocean levels to rise and photographs from twenty years

ago show a drastically different world in these environments than the one we see today.

Figure 3 below shows the same picture more than twenty years apart, the image on the left

shows a frozen lake in the 1900s and the image on the right is an image of the same lake in

the early 2000

Figure 3: Glacier Photograph Collection, National Snow and Ice Data Center/World Data Center for Glaciology.

Good photography evokes an emotional response from the viewer about the subject in front of

them. Today there are prestigious environmental media contests focused on this very thing, such

as the one held by The Natural History Museum in London. This contest is won each year by a

photographer who best captures a

story of climate change in an

image. In 2024 the People’s Choice

Award image was awarded to Nima

Sarikhani. She spent three days

searching for polar bears before she

stumbled upon one lonely polar

bear sleeping on a small iceberg in

Figure 4: 'Ice bed' fought off competition from 24 other images to become
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 59 People's Choice. Image © Nima
Sarikhani.
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the Norwegian Islands. The ice caps are melting due to the increased temperature of our world

and polar bears are losing their territory to the melting glaciers. They are left to find small

floating icebergs just to be able to rest. The photograph that she took evokes strong emotions by,

at once, depicting a visual representation of the tragic living conditions that polar bears are now

facing, while also capturing the essence of the rapid depletion of their population. One picture

depicting the entire story of the sad crisis our world is facing. When asked about Nima's image

she said “Whilst climate change is the biggest challenge we face, I hope that this photograph also

inspires hope. There is still time to fix the mess we have caused” (Ashworth, 2024).

V. Videography

As environmental photography advances it is not the only form of media that has changed

and influenced the way we see the world. Videography has had a major impact on climate

change activism as well. The first video camera was invented in 1888 (Jukic, 2024), and this was

a huge advancement in the ability to document and record history. Media technology today has

advanced far past what was even thought possible at the time that video was first used. It has

allowed videographers to capture segments of time digitally and has opened the door to a new

world of storytelling for climate change environmentalists. For the first time, people were (and

are) shown what is happening in our world with moving pictures…in real-time. Today, there are

drones, satellites, and 3D videos as well that have all drastically redefined environmental

photography and videography (Greussing, 2020). This new technology literally allows for a

“new perspective” on not only what is changing in our world, but how it is changing as well.

One of the first major environmental disasters broadcast to the world via video was the

shocking 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. The Exxon Valdez spill was the world's largest oil spill

(surpassed by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010) after an oil ship hit a reef in the Alaskan
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waters. With the fallout of eleven million gallons of

oil spilling into the water, there was live national

news coverage (HISTORY.COM EDITORS, 2018).

Exxon made a promise to have a clean-up crew on-

site within 6 hours of the start of the oil spill. When

the first news reports arrived almost 9 hours after the Figure 5 Wildlife was severely affected by the oil
spill.

initial impact there was still no attempt to clean the

water (Fountain, 2013). Video of the oil spill was

released to the public and it shook the world. Eleven

million gallons of oil floated on top of the water

spreading over 1300 miles of shoreline killing

Figure 6 U.S. Navy landing craft anchored ashore as
hundreds of thousands of animals (HISTORY.COM numerous personnel position hoses during oil
clean-up efforts on Smith Island on May 11, 1989
EDITORS, 2018). Showing the world the truth about

the oil spill helped create a movement that pushed

Exxon, and many environmental groups and

volunteers, to move quickly to clean up the oil. For

years after video documentation and news reports

Figure 7 During the first few days of the spill, heavy
continued to show the impact of the oil spill on the sheens of oil covered large areas of the surface of
Prince William Sound.
animals and the environment, still today over thirty

years later, there are pockets of oil that can be found in the Prince William Sound waters.

VI. The Story

Since the camera was invented, photographs have played a part in inspiring people

creating movements and influencing governments. In recent decades with the increased concern
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about climate change becoming a worldwide issue, companies such as National Geographic, The

BBC, and The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication have become leaders in the

movement against climate change.

i. National Geographic

What seems to be a household name, National Geographic has led generations in a

movement to make a change. They have documented our environmental history from the impact

of sports to the effects of war, to major events from around the world. National Geographic’s

mission is to “invest in innovative leaders in science, exploration, education, and storytelling to

illuminate and protect the wonder of our world” (National Geographic, 2024).

ii. BBC Earth

BBC Earth is a part of the British Broadcasting Corporation that is focused on the

documentation of our planet. BBC Earth is focused on “bringing you compelling stories of our

changing climate and its direct impacts on both wildlife and human health. #OurPlanetEarth

reveals the inspiring stories of individuals and communities across the globe dedicating their

lives to building a healthier and more sustainable world” (BBC Earth, 2024)

iii. SeaLegacy

Sea Legacy is a company that focuses on storytelling about the ocean and its creatures.

They are trying to advocate for clean oceans and show how we can help keep the oceans from

becoming even more polluted. Paul Nicklen, Cristian Mittermeier, and Andy Mann are the

founders of SeaLegacy. They are trying to illuminate both amazing and alarming stories of our

oceans and promote sustainable solutions for a better world and climate (SeaLegacy, 2024).
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These are just three examples of companies (and some of the individuals behind them)

and the communities they have created that have had an impact on the way climate change is

being perceived. Through the use of visual storytelling, marketing, and media promotion They

can provide the world with information about global environmental impacts that no one would

get to see otherwise.

VII. The Dark Side

As with most advances in technology throughout history, there has

been another side to the beneficial use of media when telling a story,

there is also a dark side to the use of photography and videography.

Specifically, with climate change at the forefront of the world’s

problems, there have been many people and companies trying to

disprove that the world is changing due to the impacts of the human

population. One industry that has been under criticism for its effects on

the environment is the oil industry. According to Stanford News, oil

drilling and production is producing 1.7 gigatons of carbon dioxide

(CO2) per year destroying the atmosphere and harming the natural

environment (Garthwaite, 2018). With such a heavy carbon footprint

and the irrefutable evidence of the effects of CO2 on the environment,

this opened people's eyes to the damage that humans have had on the world.

Photographers such as Nima Sarikhani took it upon themselves to photograph these

issues and show the effects. This was not taken lightly by the oil companies. They soon learned

to push back using newspapers to further their narrative by producing such articles as “Lies they

tell our children” to “Oil pumps life” ( Supran & Oreskes, 2021). These stories manipulated
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statistics to create confusion and doubt within the minds of the general population. Article after

article was released by the oil companies trying to convince people there was no environmental

effect caused by burning oil. They would conduct studies and change or manipulate the results,

favoring the narrative that would make them money (Supran & Oreskes, 2021). In the 1900s oil

companies also used live television to spread their narrative across the world. They would show

how oil is used to power everything from small items in your daily life to worldwide

organizations. They would push the narrative that we can't live without oil. When a new study

would come out indicating that “oil is bad” they would have researchers go on live television to

talk about how these studies were wrong (McMullen & Taddonio, 2022).

VIII. Today

Today, climate change is still the greatest challenge the world faces. In the past, news and

information moved at the speed of “print” and might be dispersed weekly, monthly, quarterly, or

even yearly, and new information arrived to the consumer at that pace. Eventually, information

about things such as climate change was shared on TV and in the daily newspapers. Today, news

moves at the speed of text, instantly spreading around the world and saturating the global news

markets, creating a demand for more and more information. This has led to the twenty-four-hour

news cycle and the creation of social media platforms that can essentially provide news and

entertainment on demand. To survive in the digital world, climate change activists now use

social media to share photos and videos as soon as possible. With an advanced awareness of

environmental issues and up-to-the-minute digital media available to support new findings, there

has been an increased push to reduce oil and carbon dioxide emissions. Social media has had a

major impact on the climate change agenda as well as climate change ideas, knowledge, and
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opinions. And it can all be spread across the globe in an instant. This has helped to reach

generations of people and inform millions about what is happening in the world today.

IX. The End

Climate change is possibly the biggest issue that the world faces, and environmental

photographers and videographers have helped create an ever-growing worldwide environmental

movement focused on improving our ability to live in harmony with the earth and protect the

environment. Photographers and videographers have been at the heart of the climate change issue

since the 1800s, providing inspiration that has been foundational to the development of the

climate change movement. Despite the efforts of big businesses to push their narrative to

increase profits, environmentalists have continued to make progress in the fight against climate

change by embracing the old age that a picture is worth a thousand words while also embracing

new technology like social media to continue pushing environmental media to the front of the

world stage. Contemporary experts in the field like Nima Sarikhani are not discouraged and full

of doom and gloom, but artists trying to provide hope and inspiration to people looking to fix the

problems that we face together. Environmental media has had a major impact on climate change

activism. When a person can look back at media documentation of an oil spill thirty years later

and then look to see there are residual impacts still visible today using only visual media, that is

unequivocal evidence of the power that this medium has to influence the world.
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Works Cited

Supran, G., & Oreskes, N. (2021, November 18). The forgotten oil ads that told us climate
change was nothing. Retrieved from The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/18/the-forgotten-oil-ads-
that-told-us-climate-change-was-nothing

Ashworth, J. (2024, February 7). Wildlife Photographer of the Year 59 People’s Choice
winner announced. Retrieved from Natural Histroy Museum:
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2024/february/wildlife-photographer-of-the-
year-59-peoples-choice-winner-announced.html

BBC Earth. (2024). Our Planet Earth. Retrieved from BBC Earth:
https://www.bbcearth.com/our-planet-earth

Cengage. (2024, Febuary 22). Photography, Environmental. Retrieved from

Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/energy-
government-and-defense-magazines/photography-environmental

Fountain, H. (2013, December 9). Lessons From the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Retrieved from
The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/09/booming/lessons-
from-the-exxon-valdez-oil-spill.html

Garthwaite, J. (2018, August 20). Stanford study finds stark differences in the carbon-
intensity of global oil fields. Retrieved from Stanford study finds stark differences in
the carbon-intensity of global oil fields: Stanford study finds stark differences in the
carbon-intensity of global oil fieldsStanford study finds stark differences in the
carbon-intensity of global oil fieldsStanford study finds stark differences in the
carbon-intensity of global oil fieldsStanfo

Greussing, E. (2020). Powered by Immersion? Examining Effects of 360-Degree. Routlege

Taylor & Francis group, 17.

History.com Editors. (2018, March 9). Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Retrieved from History:
https://www.history.com/topics/1980s/exxon-valdez-oil-spill

Jukic, S. (2024). invention of the video camera (A Complete History). Retrieved from Shotkit:
https://shotkit.com/video-camera-
invented/#:~:text=The%20invention%20of%20the%20first,Louis%20Le%20Prince%
20in%201888.

McMullen, J., & Taddonio, P. (2022, April 19). ‘Truth Has Nothing to Do With Who Wins the
Argument’: New Details on Big Oil’s Campaign to Defeat Climate Action. Retrieved
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from PBS: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/video-big-oil-campaign-

against-climate-change-action/

National Geographic . (2024). Latest Stories. Retrieved from National Geographic :

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/

SeaLegasy. (2024). Where in the World is Sea Legacy1. Retrieved from SeaLegacy:
https://www.sealegacy.org/

Greussing, E. (2020). Powered by Immersion? Examining Effects of 360-Degree Photography

on Knowledge Acquisition and Perceived Message Credibility of Climate Change News.

environmental communication-a journal of nature and culture, 14(3), 316–331.

https://doiorg.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1080/17524032.2019.1664607

This study looks at how a special 360-degree photo affects what people learn and how it is

believable they find a climate change message when it's part of a written news story. Researchers

compared the 360-degree photo to regular video and still photos to see what difference it makes.

They also considered if people already know about the issue, how much they care, and how

involved they are in it. The study, based on an online survey of 401 people, found that adding

360-degree technology to text-based news didn't help people learn more about climate change. It

also didn't affect how believable they found the message. These results were the same regardless

of people's prior knowledge, interest, or concern about the environment. This suggests that

adding fancy technology like 360-degree photos might not make much difference in how people

understand and trust information about climate change.

YPCCC. (2021, February 18). The power of photography to motivate environmental

engagement. Yale Program on Climate Change Communication:

https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/news-events/human-nature-3-takeaways-on-

thepower-of-imagery/
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In a conference held by the YPCCC three renowned climate photographers, Steve Winter, Henry

Fair, and Tim Laman, talked with YPCCC Director Anthony Leiserowitz and the public. These

photographers shared their insight and knowledge from their work in the field and how they saw

climate change firsthand. They discussed the book "Human Nature: Planet Earth in Our Time" by

Geoff Blackwell and Ruth Hobday. The book uses captivating visuals with intelligent

information portrayed throughout the book. Their discussions covered three main topics. First,

one photo is worth one thousand words and the power that can have. Second, Location and the

importance of context and platform. Third, the two sides of photography, including the public

perceptions of environmentalism. They delved deep into these topics creating an awareness of

what climate change photography can do.

Harvard, J., & Hyvönen, M. (2023). Gateway Visuals: Strategies of Climate Photographers in the

Digital Age. Visual Communication Quarterly, 30(4), 221–233.

https://doiorg.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1080/15551393.2023.2267432

Visual climate change communication has become a large discussion in recent years. Climate

change is a huge discussion in the world today, science communication is a huge part of climate

change. This creates a visual conversation that can help prove or support scientific evidence. The

lesser-known part of climate photography is the producers of climate imagery. This article

interviews 20 photographers engaged in climate imagery. These 20 photographers discuss the

challenges of climate photography, strategies of climate photography and the impact that climate

photography has had in promoting climate engagement.

Duan, R., Hepworth, K. J., Ormerod, K. J., & Canon, C. (2021). Promoting Concern for Climate

Change: A Study of Wildfire Photographs Using Q Methodology. Science

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Communication, 43(5), 624–650.

https://doiorg.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1177/10755470211041689

This is a study that looks at the responses to wildfire imagery and climate change concerns.

Images were shared on Twitter during California’s wildfires. This study looked at the response to

the images. The findings revealed three different perspectives on what evoked the most concern:

Catastrophic destruction, smoke escapes, and human or animal suffering. Looking at these results

there can be a selection of what visuals are pushed to the public to create a larger concern for

climate action.