Author: Robby Berman / Source: Big Think
- The Photo Ark by photographer Joel Sartore and National Geographic brings the viewer face to face with our planet’s fellow travelers.
- It’s predicted that half of earth’s species may be lost before 2100.
- This collection of images is beautiful and profound.
You’ve probably seen some of Joel Sartore’s remarkable photos of animals.
He’s an award-winning regular contributor to National Geographic Magazine — in fact, he’s the 2018 National Geographic Explorer of the Year. Whether it’s a shot of a salmon seemingly launched from a waterfall straight into a hungry Alaskan bear’s mouth, or a spotlit Ugandan lion waking in a tree at dusk from a nap, his photos are as striking as they are iconic.Speaking to Big Think by phone, Sartore says of the Photo Ark, “We’re really trying to give a voice to all these voiceless animals, maybe the only time they get to tell their story before the go away.” At 8,485 images so far, he’s roughly halfway through the world’s estimated 12,000 species.
It’s believed that, due mostly to habitat loss and pollution, about half of the animals currently alive will be gone by the end of this century.
From October 13, 2018 through January 13, 2019, the Annenberg Photo Space in Los Angeles is hosting a stunning Photo Ark exhibition. Photo Ark images can also be experienced online. You can purchase a number of Photo Ark books, and you can contribute to this massive, time-sensitive effort.
Sartore and National Geographic have graciously consented to our sharing a few of our favorite Photo Ark images.
Grey shanked douc langur
(Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark)
A male, grey shanked douc langur, Pygathrix cinerea, at the Endangered Primate Rescue Center.
What’s so breathtaking about Sartore’s photos are the way in which they seem to reveal the innermost thoughts of his subjects. This heartbreaking image of a langur depicts a being lost in his thoughts, and it’s difficult to tear one’s eyes away.
After getting to meet so many animals up close, Sartore says this is no illusion: “They’re as smart as we are, most of them. They’ve got feelings and emotions just like we do.”
Banded Iguana
(Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark)
A Fiji Island banded iguana, Brachylophus fasciatus, at the Los Angeles Zoo.
Here’s an expression that seems to say, “Don’t think I don’t see you there.” It’s a great example of the importance Sartore places on capturing an animal’s eyes, presuming, of course, that they have some. It’s key to taking such absorbing, arresting portraits.
“It’s really a matter of getting some eye contact. That’s what we, as primates, respond to,” says the photographer. And so, we “to try to look these animals in the eye to realize that there’s a lot of intelligence there, and that these animals are worth saving.” He takes a lot of pictures to get what he wants: “We use flash so it freezes motion — all they have to do is look at me for a second , just long enough for me to get a focus.”
Rabbs’ fringe limbed tree frog
(Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark)
The last known Rabbs’ fringe limbed tree frog, Ecnomiohyla rabborum, at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
While we love to look at impressive or adorable creatures, Sartore tells us, “The Photo Ark’s made for the animals that aren’t necessarily cute. I mean, everybody knows what gorillas and tigers look like, but these little freshwater fish that live in streams the are going to dry up when the glaciers melt completely, or some animal that lives in leaf litter, or in the soil, or high up in the trees,…
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