Acacia Johnson is a hugely skilful wildlife photographer (and an activist too).
“I try to use photography to give a sense of what a place felt like”
Photo: Acacia Johnson.
Acacia Johnson grew up in Alaska, and as a child, her parents took her everywhere in the outdoor wilderness. Today, she’s an Arctic wildlife photographer.
“I try to use photography to give a sense of what a place felt like,” she says in this documentary on her work.
Also, it’s crucial for her to get people to care.
While working as a guide in Antarctica, she noticed the visible signs of climate change, such as the rapid melting of the ice. “It’s important to realise why that is happening and what that is signalling on a larger scale that we maybe can’t see.”
Photo: Acacia Johnson.
During her time in Antarctica, Johnson also realized something else: that holding a job in this southernmost part of the world is still seen as a traditional man’s domain. “The first explorers to go to Antarctica were all men, and because [they] became so famous, it still dominates the image of a person who spends time [here],” Johnson explains. The female workers get comments now and then from people who are really surprised to see them having a job there. “So I started photographing my female colleagues and other women I met in the Antarctic region. I hope it helps change some people’s perspectives about what they can do and what’s possible.”
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Through her work, Johnson wants people to feel and understand places they may never be able to see themselves: “To me, that feels really meaningful and a big reason - the reason really - why I feel driven to do it.”
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Acacia Johnson, wildlife photographer and winner of the 2022 ICP Infinity Award for Documentary Practice and Photojournalism.
Everything in life is art
Thanks for reading!
Until next time - Majken xx
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