How can we make people care about ocean conservation? Outside of using numbers and statistics about climate change and human impact, some sea-lovers are hoping visual storytelling and photojournalism can be what encourages real change.
We’re thrilled to have a chance to ask our next SEAstream guest this exact question during SEAstream #38! This Wednesday, April 20th at 15:00 UTC, we’ll be live on our Instagram with Shane Gross, an award-winning marine conservation photojournalist, all about saving our oceans through the power of visual storytelling.
Shane, originally from Canada, turned his passion for sharks as a kid into a full-blown photojournalism career focused on underwater worlds. Photographing and recording all sorts of marine life, Shane uses long-form narrative storytelling to convey how humans impact ocean ecosystems.
Shane has spent thousands of hours underwater, capturing the beauty of the marine animals in The Bahamas. A founding member of the Canadian Conservation Photographers Collective (CCPC). The mission of the CCPC is to connect photographers and combine their strengths to “shed light on pressing conservation issues and to reach, inform and engage a much wider audience.” Shane is committed to encouraging other photographers to use their imagery to encourage environmental awareness. By helping people form an emotional attachment to environmental scenes through captivating photos, Shane believes further conservation action can be inspired.
As an Emerging League Photographer with iLCP, Shane aims to drive impact through ethical visual storytelling. With much of his work focused in the Bahamas, Shane has even released a book capturing the animals and habitats of the region. Proceeds from the book go back to coral reef conservation efforts in The Bahamas themselves. What’s more is that sales funds also help pay for in-water experiences for Bahamian youth. Check out his book, Bahamas Underwater, with a foreward by Jean-Michel Cousteau, here.
It’s this type of giving back to the community that he works in that makes us excited to talk to Shane on Wednesday live on our Instagram. Don’t forget to tune in for our interview at 15:00 UTC on April 20th. If you have any questions you’d like us to ask, send them to us on Twitter (@sea_token). The best 5 questions win $20 worth of $SEA, and of course we’ll ask your questions.
