Robert vanWaarden Photography Journal

Getty Grants for Good - Finalist

2009-06-30T04:53:00.003-04:00

Getty Grants for Good is a program that Getty images has recently started to acknowledge and support the work that photographers and non-profit organizations are doing to work together to create a better world. It is a unique grant program and this year saw over 400 proposals from over 26 different countries. Together with the Global Youth Action Network and Fired UP! Media, I put together a proposal to continue the work that I have been doing covering youth movements and climate change. Sadly, we were not chosen as the winner of this project but we were chosen as one of the outstanding finalists.

Read more about it on PDN Pulse or Earth Times.

Photographing the Aerial in Bonn

2009-06-07T11:56:00.006-04:00

(Credit: Robert vanWaarden / Spectral Q)

The clock is ticking on the climate negotiations. Even whilst the talks are stalling, civil society is coming together in a powerful and impactful way.

John Quigley from Spectral Q created this phenomenal aerial image here in Bonn, Germany. An incredible coalition of NGOs came together to create this event and they engaged me to to capture it all. 45M in the air and trying to protect three cameras from the rain were the joys of this little job. It was phenomenal the way over 500 people in the rain and cold lay down on the grass to form this powerful aerial message.

Paraphrasing Obama we told leaders 'YES YOU CAN' reach a good deal in Copenhagen, You can see some photos here or here. Please download these images from the first address and share widely. (Be sure to credit Robert van Waarden / Spectral Q.)

The number 350 relates to parts per million. It is the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. But 350 is more than a number--it's a symbol of where we need to head as a planet. I encourage you strongly to check out 350.org and consider hosting an event on October 24.

Opening United Nations Climate Change Talks in Bonn - Photography

2009-06-01T08:44:00.002-04:00

crossposted from itsgettinghotinhere.org

Inspirational banners, music, drums and polar bears welcomed delegates to the thirtieth sessions of the UNFCCC Convention subsidiary bodies - SBSTA and SBI, sixth session of the AWG-LCA and the eighth session of the AWG-KP this morning at the Maritim Hotel in Bonn. Delegates in Bonn will be hammering out the draft text for the Conference of Parties (COP 15) in Copenhagen in December, 2009.

This important meeting will see an unprecedented level of youth engagement for an intercessional. Following on the successful participation at Bonn I, the international youth have descended on Bonn. Action factories, negotiator trackers, 350.org, a day of action and regular actions throughout the conference will remind the delegates that we are watching.

See more images from the first day in Bonn here. (©Robert van Waarden)

United Nations Climate Conference Negotiations - Photography Exhibit

2009-05-25T17:39:00.002-04:00

(Thousands of youth from across the United States Rally on Capitol Hill demanding a green future.)

When the leaders and negotiators of the world converge on Bonn, Germany next week to draft the text for COP 15 in Copenhagen, the halls of the conference center will be decorated with images of the International Youth Climate Movement. I have been super busy with 15 images that will tell a variety of stories and reflect the commitement of the thousands of youth around the world that are fight to ensure their future. More to come on this shortly.

Cape Farewell Exhibit - Trafalgar Square extended

2009-05-25T17:37:00.004-04:00

The Cape Farewell exhibit at Canada House in Trafalgar Square has been extended to run all summer long. It will be on display at the Canadian Embassy Gallery until September 2009. In London? Check it out.

Photography Exhibition and Reception - Parliament Hill - Ottawa

2009-05-25T17:25:00.002-04:00

Below is the official information for the one time event of the Cape Farewell Photography images being hosted on Parliament hill in an event for the Cape Farewell Voyagers. Unfortunately I won't be in attendance, but my father and grandmother will be. Also, best of luck to Jennifer Thompson who has the wonderful opportunity to speak to the leaders of Canada from a youth perspective about the climate crisis.

The Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P. Speaker of the House of Commons Canada in collaboration with The British Council is hosting a photography exhibition and reception in honour of the Cape Farewell Arctic Youth Expedition 2008 participants
and the 2008-2009 International Climate Champions.

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Room 216-N, Centre Block
Parliament Hill

L’honorable Peter Milliken, député Président de la Chambre des communes
en collaboration avec le « British Council » tenir une exposition photographique et réception en l`honneur des participants du « Cape Farewell Arctic Youth Expedition 2008 » et les Champions Internationaux du Climat 2008-2009

le mardi 26 mai 2009
17h à 19h
Pièce 216-N, édifice du Centre
Colline du Parlement

On assignment for National Geographic Traveler

2009-05-17T15:16:00.003-04:00

A couple of images from my recent assignment for National Geographic Traveler - the Netherlands Editie.

I just got back from a trip in the Austrian Alps with a writer to create a story for the magazine about a specific region. Up before the crack of dawn, we were running all day then downloading and backing up long after the sunset. But that doesn't mean that we didn't have fun in the mean time. More to come when the story is published. (Images by Hein van Beek)

Z Magazine - Capitol Coal Action - the story behind the photographs

2009-05-04T14:32:00.003-04:00

Below is an extract from a magazine article that Joshua Kahn Russell wrote on the Capitol Coal Action in Washington in March. Joshua is a good friend of mine and when he requested some of my images for the article and I was happy to provide them.

'On March 2, 2009 around 4,000 people came to the Capitol Power Plant in Washington, DC, with over 2,000 risking arrest through civil disobedience. The vast majority had never been to a demonstration before, let alone engaged in non-violent direct action. People from communities most directly impacted by coal's lifecycle—from Navajo reservations in the Southwest to Appalachian towns in the Southeast—led the march. With multicolored flags depicting windmills, people planting gardens, waves crashing, and captions like "community," "security," "change," and "power," we blockaded five entrances to the power plant that fuels Congress (the belching smokestacks just two blocks from the Capitol building made a fitting national target). We called the whole thing the Capitol Climate Action (CCA).'

Read more here

Canada House Photography Show - London

2009-04-17T11:50:00.002-04:00

My most recent email today read...

Your great photos are now on display at Canada House, Robert. We are delighted to have them.

All best
Brendan

High Commission of Canada/Haut-commissariat du Canada
Head, Public Programmes/Chef, Programmes publics
Political Affairs & Public Diplomacy Division/Direction des Affaires politiques et de la Diplomatie ouverte
Canada House/Maison du Canada
Trafalgar Square
London/Londres

So yes, the images from the Cape Farewell Voyage are on display in Trafalgar Square in London at the Canada House. They are a part of the Nunavut exhibition so if you are in London, stop on by.

Cape Farewell Photography Exhibit - Yukon

2009-04-16T06:49:00.004-04:00

Cape Farewell in Prince Edward Island - News Release

2009-04-14T15:58:00.000-04:00

Cape Farewell Youth Expedition Photography Exhibition at Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island

Charlottetown (April 15, 2009) – The Legislative Assembly of Charlottetown is hosting an exhibition of photographs taken during the British Council-organized Cape Farewell Youth Expedition 2008. Last fall Prince Edward Island high school student Sean White joined an international group of students who journeyed to the Arctic on a youth expedition that raised awareness of climate change in Canada and abroad.

The Cape Farewell Youth Expedition was an inspirational international project that brought together top scientists, artists, educators and high school students from around the world and from each Canadian province and territory on an Arctic voyage of discovery.

The voyagers sailed from Reykjavik, Iceland, skirted the southern tip of Greenland and ended in Iqaluit on Baffin Island. Students studied climatology, oceanography, geomorphology and biogeography. Their art projects included film, photography, fine arts, performing arts and writing. Throughout the voyage, P.E.I. photographer Robert vanWaarden documented the voyage and produced a collection of breathtaking images.

The exhibition will be officially launched on Earth Day, Wednesday April 22 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm during a reception, with remarks from the Honourable Richard Brown (Minister of Environment, Energy & Forestry) and Cape Farewell voyager Sean White.

The exhibition will be on display in the Legislative Library, on the ground floor of the Coles Building from Monday April 20 through to Friday May 15, and will be available for public viewing on weekdays from 8:30am to 5:00pm.

Climate Camp in the City - G20

2009-04-02T13:11:00.000-04:00

The mainstream media imagery that emerged this morning in London, England was largely focused on the violent demonstrations, graffiti and the broken windows at the Bank of Scotland. It seems that while holding to the mantra that destruction and violence sells papers, they missed the non-violent civil disobedience images of Climate Camp in the City.

Workshops, music, games and free vegan food were the order of the day outside the European Climate Exchange on Bishopsgate in London. Campers were spotted reading papers outside their tents, growing flowers, gardening bus stops and cooking meals. The camp was complete with a free vegan kitchen and composting toilets.

Despite the non-violent actions of all the campers, the police tactics changed abruptly after dark as they kettled the camp. (Kettling is a controversial police tactic to encircle the protest and not let anyone out or in, including families and children). After 3+ hours of kettling, those campers that were caught and wished to return home were allowed to go free. Several hundred chose to stay and were forcefully and violently evicted by the police early in the morning. Despite the police actions, the campers maintained a spirit of satyagraha until the end.

More images here

Cape Farewell Photography Exhibit - Pan Canada Tour

2009-03-30T10:50:00.003-04:00

If we ever needed a good example of how the sum of a product is greater then its' parts, we need to look no further then the Cape Farewell Photography Exhibit. Through the hard work of countless people, the British Council office in Ottawa, the voyagers and staff of the Cape Farewell voyage, and then the follow up phone calls and edits, the photography exhibit is currently on a Canadian tour.

It will be exhibited at 8 Legislative Assemblies across Canada and Parliament Hill in May. This means that a Climate Change exhibit and event is taking place in the halls where it can affect those that make the decisions. I think that that is exciting.

On a side note, when your images are shown on Parliament Hill, I think that you get to become a 'Nationally Acclaimed' Photographer.

Dates Below

Cape Farewell Photography Exhibit – pan-Canadian tour dates

Monday March 6 – Monday March 16 – Northwest Territories LA

Monday March 9-Tuesday March 31 – Saskatchewan LA

Monday April 20-Friday May 15 – Prince Edward Island LA (reception Wednesday April 22, 12:00-1:00)

Tuesday April 21-Friday May 15 – Yukon LA (reception Tuesday April 21, 11:00-12:00) (end date TBC)

Monday May 4 – Friday May 30 – Manitoba LA

Monday May 4 – Friday May 30 – Johnson GEO Centre (St. John’s, Newfoundland)

Tuesday May 26 – Parliament Hill (one day event only – 5:00-7:00)

Monday June 3 – Friday August 28 – Nunavut LA (dates TBC)

Monday August 17-Friday September 11 – British Columbia LA (dates TBC)

Desert Bound

2009-03-17T18:24:00.003-04:00

When I tell friends that I am headed to Las Vegas, the question 'why' glazes over their eyes. It seems that I am perhaps not suited for the city, but, luckily all is righted when I explain that it is just an point of access to Death Valley and SouthWestern Utah.

I am really excited about spending some time shooting the South Western landscape and relaxing with my family who is meeting me in that wonderful corner of the world. I will be out of communication for a couple of weeks, but stay tuned for images of the SouthWestern landscape.

Rainy March in March for TVA

2009-03-14T19:07:00.005-04:00

The water pours off my hood and dribbles onto the lens of my camera, frustrating my attempts to clear the drops of Tennessee rain. However, drops of rain, otter hair and the condensation in my rain cover are minor issues compared to the issue that I have been photographing today.

This afternoon, the March in March, an action organized by Mountain Justice took place in front of the TVA headquarters here in Knoxville. Activists gathered from all over the USA to protest against Mountain Top Removal Coal Mining, 'Clean Coal', and the recent TVA coal ash spill in Harriman.

On Dec. 22, 2008 a coal ash spill estimated at 5.4 million cubic yards, enough to cover 3,000 acres of property and houses with a one-foot layer of ash, swamped the town of Harriman in Tennessee.

In response, today, over 100 people braved the rain and the cold, marching around the TVA headquarters and participated in a Die In in front of the building. Those that participated in the Die In were led away and charged by Knoxville police.

The rain goes away, the clothing dries and the cameras survive to shoot another day. What won't be the same in the future is the current coal industry.

Cape Farewell visits Regina and Yellowknife

2009-03-05T14:14:00.003-05:00

The Cape Farewell Photography Exhibit is heading to Yellowknife and Regina. See excerpts from the press releases below.

Yellowknife (March 6, 2009) – The Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories is hosting an exhibition of photographs taken during the British Council-organized Cape Farewell Youth Expedition 2008. Last fall Northwest Territories high school student George Bailey joined an international group of students who journeyed to the Arctic on a youth expedition that raised awareness of climate change in Canada and abroad.

The photographs will be on display in the Great Hall at the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly from March 6 to 13, and available for public viewing on weekdays from 8:00am to 9:00pm and weekends 8:00am to 7:00pm.

and

Regina (March 2, 2009) – The Saskatchewan Legislative Building is hosting an exhibition of photographs taken during the British Council-organized Cape Farewell Youth Expedition 2008. Last fall Saskatchewan high school student Nicholas Redman joined an international group of students who journeyed to the Arctic on a youth expedition that raised awareness of climate change in Canada and abroad.

A selection of the photographs will be on display in the Cumberland Gallery at the Saskatchewan Legislative Building from March 9-31, and will be available for public viewing on weekdays from 10:00am to 5:00pm, Saturdays 10am – 4:00pm and Sundays 12pm – 4:00pm through the Prince of Wales entrance.

If you are in town, check them out.

Capitol Climate Action in Washington

2009-03-02T22:49:00.004-05:00

Today, thousands of individuals converged on Washington D.C for the Capitol Climate Action, a march to surround and sit in on the Capitol Coal Plant. Check out the images at http://www.photoshelter.com/va/climatechange

Goose bumps at Power Shift 09

2009-03-01T22:16:00.002-05:00

For the last two days I have had a serious case of Goosebumps. Never before have I heard and been a part of so much inspiration.

I have been documenting PowerShift in Washington DC. Over 12,000, yes, 12,000 youth, converged on Washington to take part in POWER SHIFT! The largest event ever for youth acting to prevent runaway climate change. It has been two days of incredible workshops and inspiration. Tomorrow, the largest day of lobbying in US history will take place on Capitol Hill. Over 300 meetings have been scheduled here in Washington with representatives of Congress to ask for bold and strong targets on climate legislation. Amazing!!

And yes, the moment we have been waiting for in the Climate Movement has arrived here in Washington DC.

Hundreds of young and old citizens of the US and the international community are putting their bodies on the line tomorrow and risking arrest as they shut down the Capitol Coal Plant here in Washington. The Capitol Coal Plant has been burning for over 100 years and is a prime example of the unsustainable world that we are currently engaged in and how the burning of coal must stop now! Tomorrow, Monday, March 2nd will go down in history as the first major non-violent action ever for the climate. It is super exciting. We are expecting thousands of people to join and march through downtown Washington and occupy the coal plant. The action has been endorsed by Bill McKibben, James Hansen, Darryl Hannah and tens of other amazing people and celebrities. (if you don’t know those three, look em up.)

Check out powershift09.org and Capitol Coal Action

Power Shift 09 Photography and Images

2009-02-26T15:14:00.002-05:00

I am sitting here in the Energy Action Headquarters in Washington D.C. All around me the enthusiasm of the PowerShift team is crackling in the air like electricity. It is phenomenal and very very exciting. Over the next four days a conference of 12000 students is going to take place in the Washington Convention center. On Monday, they have scheduled over 300+ meetings with their Congress Reps. Simply put, this conference has the potential to change the world.

And of Course, images are going to be here. CLICK

Cinema Planeta and Cape Farewell Exhibit

2009-02-18T10:31:00.004-05:00

My Cape Farewell photography show is going to be in Mexico at the Cinema Planeta Film Festival, from the 11 - 15 of March. I think this is pretty exciting. That means that the images from the Cape Farewell Voyage have been shown in Cairo, London, Ottawa, and now, Cuernavaca, Mexico. So if you are in Mexico, Cuernavaca is apparently 1.5 hours outside of Mexico City, go and check it out.

Site Updates

2009-02-16T12:33:00.005-05:00

A few site updates to announce, a new Nunavut page has been added and there have been some more images added to the Panorama page. To top that off, the whole Blog has been re-formated. Enjoy

The Age of Stupid

2009-02-15T07:31:00.004-05:00

I saw this video in Poznan during COP 14 at a pre release screening. It is shocking and is set to hit the mainstream movie world in just over a month. Check it out if it hits a city near you. You can also check out the Canadian review here.

Anthony Suau - World Press Photo Winner

2009-02-14T11:39:00.003-05:00

The World Press Photo Jury has announced the winner of the World Press 2009 competition. Anthony Suau's image of a eviction proceeding in Ohio was chosen as the image that, according to the jury, best represented the most important story in the world today, the collapsing global financial system.

I disagree with the jury of course and would strongly argue that Climate Change and the impending collapse of the planet is slightly more important then the global economy. After all, without a sustainable planet, the other won't exist. But, our differences aside, Suau's image is beautiful and I recommend that you check out all the winners. As always, some amazing and shocking imagery.

Winterlude and Cape Farewell

2009-02-13T09:30:00.005-05:00

This weekend several of the voyagers from the Cape Farewell Youth Expedition will be giving presentations during the wonderful Winterlude Festival in Ottawa. Although, according to the Winterlude website, "Due to weather conditions, the Sun Life Snowflake Kingdom is closed." I am not to sure what that means, but alas, it sounded like fun!

So instead of venturing into the Kingdom go to the 'Cape Farewell Young Explorers' Held at: Confederation Park (Rogers Crystal Garden) on Saturday and Sunday, February 14 and 15, noon and 2:30 pm
MAP

4 of the images from the expedition are also on display in the Crystal Garden. Less then two weeks after being in the capital of England, the show and voyagers are now in the capital of Canada! AND, there are plans for more exhibits and presentations to come throughout the year.....

If you are in the area, you have to go to Ottawa, skate on the canal, eat a beaver tail and say hello to the voyagers.

Beware Pigeons!!!

2009-02-10T17:26:00.003-05:00

I especially like the exclamation mark.