EMPOWERING CHANGE
By Monica Kass Rogers
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF AMI VITALE
By Monica Kass Rogers
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF AMI VITALE
When National Geographic photographer Ami Vitale set off to document the transport of four of the world’s last known surviving northern white rhinos from a zoo in Czechia to a conservancy in Kenya, the experience altered the trajectory of her life’s work. The hope was that giving the animals room to roam in Kenya’s open plains would stimulate them to breed. But that never happened. In 2018, Sudan, the last male of his species, died. Witnessing his passing devastated Vitale. “Watching a creature die—one who was the last of its kind, is something I hope never to experience again. It felt like watching our own demise,” she recalls.
Before this, Vitale had been photographing war zones in Kosovo, Gaza, Angola, and Afghanistan, believing that to record history, the horrors of human conflict should not be minimized. “Yet, it became clear to me that journalists also have an obligation to illuminate the things that unite us as human beings,” she says.
Nature, Vitale believes, is one of those key links. “Behind virtually every human conflict,” she says, “you will find an erosion of the bond between humans and the natural world around them.”
The importance of restoring that bond has become Vitale’s primary focus. As one of this generation’s most influential conservation photographers, she is dedicated to slowing the eradication of the Earth’s wildlife and to healing damage to its environment through work and initiatives that spotlight the problems and empower others to act.
Those in the Chicago area will have the privilege to meet and hear Vitale in person on Tuesday, May 14th when she keynotes the Field Museum’s annual Women in Science Luncheon. Hosted by the Museum’s Women’s Board and co-chaired by Winnetka’s Leslie Gantz McLamore and Lake Forest’s Elizabeth Butler Pruett, the event celebrates female leadership in STEM fields. Proceeds from the event will support women at all stages in their scientific careers, through internships, fellowships, postdoc positions, and more.
“Ami’s photographs are so powerful, there is a reason she was named one of the most influential conservation photographers of her generation,” says McLamore. “Her work has shown that communities banding together can make an incredible impact in saving lives of many endangered species, giving animals a voice through humans.”
With compelling images and films, Vitale illustrates the efforts of scientists and conservationists to save species close to extinction. There are many examples. When China introduced captive-born giant pandas to the wild to save its most famous “ambassadors,” Vitale was there. Dressed in a panda suit, she unobtrusively recorded the process, making multiple trips to China over three years. Since 2016, she has worked closely with Kenya’s Reteti Elephant Sanctuary photographing the heartwarming stories of young Samburu women and warriors who once feared elephants but now have become their guardians. More recently, she has been documenting the work of an international team of scientists and conservationists who just succeeded in creating an in vitro embryo transplant in a southern white rhino. And in February, she was in Kenya photographing eastern black rhinos, which have resurged from the brink of extinction.
“These are not just stories to me,” says Vitale. “We are witnessing extinction right now, on our watch. Without rhinos and elephants and other wildlife, we suffer a loss of imagination, a loss of wonder, a loss of beautiful possibilities. When we see ourselves as part of nature, we understand that saving nature is really about saving ourselves.”
Vitale’s powerful images have been commissioned by dozens of international publications, exhibited around the world in museums and galleries, garnered Vitale top press awards, and landed her roles as an ambassador for Nikon, Canson Infinity, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, and Luminar Neo.
To spread the message further, Vitale founded Vital Impacts, a nonprofit that uses art to support grassroots conservation and empower youth. She is also a founding member of Ripple Effect Images, a consortium of leading female scientists, writers, photographers, and filmmakers who collaborate on stories that shed light on hardships faced by women in developing countries and on the programs that offer them help.
And, because engaging the world with stories of the animals, humans, and environments that so need our help requires telling as well as showing, Vitale dedicates time to speaking.
“Ami’s images connect us on an emotional level telling stories that leave us wanting to know more,” observes Pruett. “Her vast experience as an explorer, filmmaker, photographer, and writer, showcasing the natural, animal, and human worlds, intersects perfectly with the interests and mission of the Field Museum.”
In narratives that blend humor and heartbreak, where hope, collective action, and the art of stewardship intertwine, Vitale’s talk will not only be about saving creatures from extinction, “but also about the transformative power of reimagining our approach to challenges in the face of adversity,” says Vitale. “It is precisely during these critical moments that we can reshape and reinvent our methods for the better.”
“Through Ami’s presentation, I hope people realize that we have a footprint in this world,” McLamore concludes. “We can make a greater impact uniting together.”
For more information about the Field Museum Women in Science Luncheon, visit fieldmuseum.org.
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