Cristina Mittermeier

Published January 2025

Cristina Mittermeier, “Mitty”, was born in Mexico City and grew up in nearby Cuernavaca. As a photographer and activist, she has dedicated her life to protecting the world’s oceans. In 2014, she co-founded the nonprofit SeaLegacy, to protect the earth’s oceans and benefit biodiversity through climate action and sustainable solutions. Mittermeier's work has been exhibited in galleries around the world and has been published in hundreds of magazines, including National Geographic, TIME, McLean's, The Men's Journal, and O. Along with her partner, Paul Nicklen, she was named

one of National Geographic's Adventurers of the Year in 2018. In 2022, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada.

Last year was the hottest year on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Meanwhile, 99% of us breathe toxic air, and air pollution is now responsible for one in eight deaths worldwide. All the while, the global average sea level has risen 8+ inches over the last century and a half. While we may not know all the statistics, we do grasp the staggeringly dire reality of environmental crisis today.

But not everyone feels disillusioned in the face of such challenges. “I ferociously reject apathy, cynicism, and fear, and with tenacity and determination, I choose kindness and hope,” says award-winning photographer and conservationist Cristina Mittermeier, who has dedicated her 35-year career to advocating for biodiversity preservation and documenting the lives of Indigenous peoples fighting to sustain their cultures. Her commitment has been expressed through her photography and her involvement in multiple environmental organizations, including SeaLegacy, a nonprofit dedicated to ocean protection, which Mittermeier co-founded. She is also the author of numerous books including the newly released HOPE. This title showcases Mittermeier’s imagery and acts as a manifesto, where the author’s mission speaks most loudly through photographs, expressly portraying the beauty of the natural world. Such beauty inspires hope and possibility, says Mittermeier, who aims to harness those sentiments in the protection of endangered ecosystems.

Mittermeier has been honored with notable awards including the Smithsonian Conservation Photographer of the Year and has been twice listed as one of 100 Latinos Most Committed to Climate Action. In 2023, she received the Lucie Foundation Humanitarian Award and was inducted into the International Photography Council's Hall of Fame. Here, she talks with me about her work, her vibrant new book, and her vision for the future of conservation.

— Lauren Walsh

Your new book, HOPE, quotes Emily Dickinson’s poem “‘Hope’ is the Thing with Feathers.” What drew you to that particular poem about hope? 

I love the first verse in this poem.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

A lot of times, when I am photographing, I get lost in my own thoughts, and I often repeat little mantras to myself. This first verse often visits me. There are so many beautiful animals with feathers, gills, manes, and spines… They all perch in my soul, where they sing tunes without words and make me happy.

What a lyrical way of moving through the world. Does this new title extend the work you have already done over your many years as a photographer and environmental conservationist?

Although the initial intention of the book was to foster a sense of optimism at a time when so many of us are feeling hopeless, the blunt truth is that I needed this book to become my personal life-raft. Perhaps it is because those of us who spend a lot of time working in the frontlines are in so much closer proximity to the catastrophe of biodiversity loss and climate chaos; it is unfolding right before our eyes, and many of us, myself included, often struggle to feel hopeful. I wanted to make a book that would float my own sense of gratitude, awe, and wonder, and that would remind others that some of us have not given up hope yet. 

HOPE is an important book for my own mental health, but also for all the people who, like me, suffer as we witness the lack of action to solve these existential issues. So to answer your question, yes, HOPE is definitely a theme I am leaning on for my work.

As someone who often focuses her professional work on the traditional frontlines of conflict, I appreciate the framing you provide here. The frontlines of the climate crisis exhibit different kinds of dangers and devastation from conventional warfare—and those dire situations should not be minimized. Likewise, it is critical to discuss the mental health challenges of working in spaces of crisis. In addition to doing this book as a life-raft, do you practice self-care in other capacities?

I do not have a formulaic way of caring for myself. I make it up as I go along. Still, it almost always involves getting away from my devices, spending time on my own doing creative things, and most importantly, eliminating external pressures: I don’t have to talk to people. I don’t have to be on social media. I don’t have to dress or look any particular way. 

Many of your images are lush—wide, gorgeous landscapes, with rich colors. 

Well, the tone of my work is inspired by activist philosophers like Martin Luther King, Jr., who in his famous speech told us he had a dream, not a nightmare. Hope is about presenting the picture of the future dream I want to inhabit, not the nightmare we are barreling towards. This is a reminder that our planet is not a spoiled post-apocalyptic space yet. 

Yet one might say that the beauty of your images allows the viewer to forget the very serious problems that undergird your work. For instance, this landscape is mesmerizing. But it is also an image that speaks to environmental loss. How do you effectively balance the beauty of the photo with the disaster or anxiety that sits behind it?

The are many dangers in focusing solely on the negative aspects of the crisis. These include the emotional rejection of audiences due to being exposed to constant negativity, the subsequent numbness that comes from such overexposure, and the apathy that results from existential crises that seem too big to solve. That is why I make images that invite us to reflect on the beauty that still exists. Our planet is the perfect home for humans, but we have spoiled so much of it, that it can feel overwhelming to fix it. Having an aspirational idea of where we are going is the best way to build a homing beacon through art.

Tell me about your work in documenting Indigenous populations. What motivates you? What are your interactions on the ground like? What do you hope your documentation achieves? Importantly, have you ever worried that such work could appear exoticizing?

I grew up surrounded by the mysticism of Mexican culture. My family roots, like so many other Mexican families, come from a “mestizo” or mixed-race background. That is perhaps why I have always felt an intense affinity for the values and knowledge of Indigenous people. 

On the surface, conservation seems to be simply about saving wildlife. The truth is that conservation can never be achieved in the absence of community participation and involvement. Colonial conservation has failed us. Drawing boundaries while excluding the people who live on the land has never worked. The traditional values, practices, and knowledge of the original guardians of biodiversity, however, are emerging as a critical component of conservation success. 

As for concerns around “exoticizing,” my work centers around reminding us about what makes us similar instead of what makes us different. I am not interested in “othering” Indigenous people. On the contrary, just because as colonizers we have forgotten that we are not the first nor the only people to live on the land, does not mean that the original inhabitants of a place, with all their beliefs, traditions, hopes, dreams, and ideologies, have to change who they are, how they dress, or how they exist. Indigenous people are the last people on this planet who are connected to the operating system of Earth. We should not consider them exotic because of the way they dress. Instead, we should get used to having them present as trusted advisors in every decision-making forum where the future of life on Earth is being challenged by capitalism.

President Trump has promised to roll back environmental protections, particularly some of the climate regulations put forward during Biden’s administration. What are your thoughts in response? And what is your advice to rising voters, Gen Z’ers, who often feel overwhelmed, even disillusioned, by the global environmental crisis? 

The good news is that we have had a “dress rehearsal” for how a Trump administration will behave when it comes to environmental regulation, and this second time, we know what the rest of the world needs to do to keep making progress despite Trump. As important as the USA is, it is not the only country engaged in solutions, and at the end of the day, Trump will be a small bleep in the larger history of our planet. Let’s keep making progress wherever we can while the pendulum of U.S. politics rights itself. There have been other U.S. Presidents in the past who have seen the environment as an annoying obstruction to their greed. The response to this threat, from civil society, philanthropists, international organizations, foundations, and other governments, has always created a counter-force. My advice to younger people is to become politically active.

What is the most critical environmental issue we face today? And what do you think the average person should do in response to seeing your images or reading this interview?

The most critical issue we face today is our disconnection from each other and from the planet that supports us. The addiction to digital technology and the belief that our lives are sheltered from the fate we are imposing on nature is a serious issue. In order to find solutions, we need to be aware, engaged, and present. That is something we all can start doing today.

***

Mittermeier’s luminous new book is available at Hemeria and other online book retailers.

Publisher: Hemeria

Date: November 2024

Size 2.5 x 31.5 cm

272 pages, 130 photos, bilingual French/English

Price 75 €

ISBN 978-2-490952-54-0

Lauren Walsh, Professor at New York University and Founding Director of the Gallatin Photojournalism Intensive, is the author of numerous books on the visual coverage of conflict and crisis, and an expert in peace journalism. Walsh heads journalism workshops globally with an emphasis on ethics as well as safety and mental health concerns for media workers. She is the lead educator who oversaw the development of media/visual literacy curricula, including a focus on generative AI, for the Content Authenticity Initiative.