A-List Photographers Sell Fine Art Prints in Project to Aid Conservation

Hoping that a picture can truly be worth a thousand words, a group of 100 photographers have joined together to raise awareness of nature and endangered habitats and support the groups working to protect them.

Vital Impacts is a non-profit founded by award-winning photographer Ami Vitale and visual journalist Eileen Mignoni. The group is selling fine arts images with proceeds benefiting organizations that work to sustain the planet.

During the first sale, 60% of net-proceeds will go to the Big Life Foundation, Great Plains Foundation's Project Ranger, Jane Goodall Institute's Roots and Shoots program, and SeaLegacy.

Goodall contributed prints she has never released before that she took more than 60 years ago. They include a self-portrait and two other images she captured of chimpanzees.

“The genesis of this initiative is to use photography and powerful storytelling images to support organizations working to protect endangered habitats and amplify these critical stories,” Vitale tells Treehugger. “This is a moment to reimagine our relationship with nature and to each other. We all need to do all we can to care for the plants and critters that inhabit the earth. They are fellow travelers in this universe. Our future happiness depends on them.”

For 25 years, Vitale has been reporting for publications such as National Geographic on how humanity has affected the planet.

“Human activity has placed one million plant and animal species in immediate danger of extinction, causing what scientists have identified as the sixth major extinction event on this planet. This extinction event is different—not only is it driven by humans but it is happening at an incredibly fast and accelerating rate,” Vitale says.

“Removal of a keystone species has a huge effect on the ecosystem and impacts all of us. These giants are part of a complex world created over millions of years, and their survival is intertwined with our own survival," Vitale says.

"Without wildlife, we suffer more than just the loss of ecosystem health. We suffer a loss of imagination, a loss of wonder, a loss of beautiful possibilities.”

She hopes that the photos in the project will help raise awareness and funds for conservation groups around the world.

“Vital Impacts supports organizations working to protect endangered habitats and storytellers who amplify these critical stories,” Vitale says. “We exclusively work with non-profit partners who empower the local communities to be stewards of their lands. They are on the front lines and understand how important the preservation of nature is.”  

Photos and Photographers

The photographers were supportive when asked to participate, Vitale says. 

Besides Vitale and Goodall, they include Paul Nicklen, James Balog, Cristina Mittermeier,  Nick Brandt, Chris Burkard, Jimmy Chin, Tamara Dean, David Doubilet, Beverly Joubert, Keith Ladzinski, Jim Naughten, Maggie Steber, Joel Sartore, Tim Flach, Carolyn Guzy, Matthieu Paley, Xavi Bou, Beth Moon, Stephen Wilkes, and Reuben Wu.

“The photographs from all the artists in this initiative are diverse but the one thing they all have in common is a shared commitment to the environment,” Vitale says. “We took months to thoughtfully curate this with some of the biggest conservation heroes and emerging talent. It includes 100 of the finest photographers in the world.”

There are more than 150 images ranging from polar bears and seals to forest and desert vistas.

Vista describes the collection: “The artwork is alluring and enigmatic, thoughtfully conceived and brilliantly realized.”

Organizers plan to continue the initiative and build on it each year with new images and photographers.

“Photography has the unique ability to transcend all languages and help us understand our deep connections to one another and to all of life on this planet,” Vitale says. “It is the ultimate tool for creating empathy, awareness, and understanding across cultures; a tool for making sense of our commonalities in the world we share.”