Canadian Geographic Best Wildlife Photography
A call to action
AAn issue that celebrates the beauty of the natural world through the work of talented photographers invites reflection on aesthetics. More and more, we are finding painful proof of a rapidly changing planet. Faced with a global pandemic, an imminent extinction wave, catastrophic climate change, conflict over diminishing resources, and a rise in social justice movements around the world, we must reflect on the relevance of wildlife photography to instigate a cultural shift in our understanding and appreciation of the natural world. Can images influence the fate of our planet? The answer is a resounding “yes!” From the creation of the first national parks in North America to the establishment of the Antarctic Treaty, designating the continent a sanctuary for science and peace, to the people’s fascination with Jacques Cousteau when he first took audiences underwater, the frailty and irreplaceability of wildlife species has always been elevated when people can actually see them. This formula worked in Canada when a pristine British Columbia rainforest called the South Timber Supply Area was transformed into the iconic Great Bear Rainforest, thanks, in part, to the photographic advocacy of Ian McAllister and Pacific Wild.
McAllister’s images worked because they were infused with purpose. They were crafted with emotion and urgency; to show the beauty, wildness and incomparable value of what could be lost. That is precisely the spirit that has fuelled my own work as a conservation photographer for more than two decades. Making images for the purpose of maintaining the ecosystems that sustain humanity is what separates two-dimensional photographs from images that burn into our collective psyche.
As photographers, we have a choice to give our work a higher purpose. Photographs borne out of concern for the tragic loss of our natural world carry an intrinsic emotional and spiritual weight for those who view them.
The magnificent images in Canadian Geographic’s Best Wildlife Photography 2021, taken by members of the Can Geo Photo Club and the @cangeo Instagram community, are a reminder that the beauty and wildlife that exist in Canada’s coastlines, grasslands, forests and snowscapes, needs not only our appreciation, but our protection.