Talking Points“I see my work as a hybrid of landscape photography, outdoor work, and traditional
journalism.”
Peter Essick’s book Our Beautiful Fragile World entails a wide variety of photographs
ranging from nature photography to photojournalistic pieces. Every photograph portrayed
in the book has been taken during different times of his career; however, all of them
portray significant global issues, such as climate changes and fresh water supply.
“I haven’t really planned it that way, but it’s kind of a flipside.”
Recently named one of the 40 most influential nature photographers in the world, Essick
likes to play with opposites. After working on “nature disturbed” stories, such as
the photo coverage “Half Life: The Lethal Legacy of America’s Nuclear Waste, he suddenly
changes approach and focuses on “nature undisturbed” photographs – mountains, flowers,
underwater and many more.
“You have to look at the long term data.”
The National Geographic assignment about climate change was the kind of the experience
that is not being offered every day, the photographer recalls. He shot in about 75
countries, capturing the main causes and consequences of the climate change. The coverage
was published in The National Geographic in 2004. To capture moments and places he
did, Essick said he had to believe in global warming.
“I was inspired by Ansel Adams and landscape photography.”
Ansel Adams work is a source of influence Essick decided to pay a tribute to. In his
book, "The Ansel Adams Wilderness," Essick honored Adams’ photography by creating
similar images, adding his own, unique spin.
“What you do as a photographer is you have to look for situations where people were
sort of at the edge.”
Every story Essick works on is about a specific and significant topic. Whether it
is capturing the nature within a particular season, pinpointing a global issue or
just simply depicting beauty of the planet Earth, he often finds himself in extreme
situations, such as underwater, in the middle of a wildfire, or in severe cold and
heat.
“It attracts a lot of single men, these jobs. It’s cold in winter, you work 12 hours
a day, not a very stimulating job.”
Essick is one of the best when it comes down to shooting nature. However, he is as
good at shooting journalistic pieces. One such photo story included pictures of drug
dealers, prostitutes and homeless who are all related to mining jobs in Vancouver.
“With climate change, the worst is yet to come, unfortunately.”
Currently, the photographer is working on three new assignments related to national
disasters that could easily become global. The first he mentioned at the lecture was
the area around the Mt. Rushmore which is infested by beetles that spread rapidly.
People start wildfires to fight them, Essick said. However, it’s making the problem
even worse.
“Just dig in and do it.”
At the conclusion of the lecture, Essick took time to answer some of the questions
students were interested in. As some of the best qualities of a photographer, he named
“clear eyes”, “strong heart” and suggested to not assume anything.