Every Sunday, I contact photographers previously featured on PHOTOSNACK and ask them to send me their spontaneous thoughts, observations, reflections, or advice.
Today, I am sharing the message I received from Joel Sartore.
Joel Sartore
The spark that ignited the Photo Ark came to me back in 2006, when I was taking a break from traveling around the world on an assignment for National Geographic. At the time, my wife was diagnosed with cancer (doing well today!) and I spent the year at home in Lincoln, Nebraska to help care for my wife and family. Throughout my entire career, I have always been on the go. So during this downtime, I popped by the local Lincoln Children's Zoo and asked them to bring out an animal I could photograph. They brought out a naked mole rat and sat them down on a plain whiteboard. Nothing else in the frame. Just the naked mole rat peering at me through my lens.
And there it was, the grand idea. If I can safely put an animal on black and white backgrounds that eliminates distractions and size comparisons, I just might be able to offer people an opportunity to look each animal in the eye and see that they're so worthy of our protection, no matter how big or small they may be, and no matter how "cute" they may be. A small lizard becomes as important as a large tiger.
Almost 20 years in I've photographed over 16,000 species around the world, with my eye on documenting at least 25,000 species.
All my life, nature and wildlife have played a pivotal role in the way I see the world. I hope these portraits are able to share that perspective with others so that more people can connect with the animal kingdom in a whole new way. Time is of the essence for threatened and endangered species around the world. Ultimately, I hope these emotive portraits spark awe, wonder, and a desire to care about the world's animals before it's too late.
Joel Sartore was featured in PHOTOSNACK #546.
Sunday Editions connect you with photographers whose work you previously explored through PHOTOSNACK.
I want to reveal some authentic parts of the people behind the cameras. I don't ask them any specific questions. I ask them to share whatever comes to mind when they think about YOU, the newsletter readers. It makes their responses genuine and personal.
Until next time,
Tomasz