Records of Existence

From the Photo Ark

Time ticks as the world wastes away. Every second of every day pollution billows into the sky, nature is destroyed, and animals become more and more endangered. That is why 14 years ago, National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore begin the Photo Ark project, an attempt to document all of the world’s animals before they go extinct and perhaps, in the process, manage to save them.

When I entered the Photo Ark exhibit in the long white halls of the Annenberg Center for Photography earlier this year, the pictures within resonated with me. Animals of all shapes, sizes, and phyla stared out at viewers from an all white or black background, three feet tall in their frames, elephants and ants alike.

‘How could there be so many different animals?’ I wondered, ‘How could I not know that some of them even exist?’

Conservation of all of these amazing species is impossible if people do not even know about them. People will not know that species are going extinct if they never knew the animals existed in the first place. The only signs of their previous existence will be a destabilized, undiversified, vulnerable ecosystem and perhaps a photograph in the Photo Ark. That is why the Photo Ark is so important- It raises awareness of thousands of less known species that are endangered. As Sartore states, “Awareness of the problem is the first step toward a solution” (33).

In Sartore’s photographs, the animals are decontextualized from their environments, resized so each is equal, and lit so that every hair, feather, and finger was in focus- nothing would distract one's gaze from the animal. Each image captures a distinct personality, from a Springbok Mantis gazing curiously at the viewer to a Bengal Slow Loris timidly peeking out from within a photographer’s hand. Looking at them, one feels a profound sense of kinsmanship. Next, reading the accompanying caption on the wall- ‘She is the last one of her species’ or ‘There are only forty left’ brings a wave of sadness and feeling of loss. The animals' eyes look directly at the viewer, daring them to look away. In this way, the animals are not passive objects to be looked at but gaze back at the viewer as equals as the viewer looks at them. Now that viewers feel a connection with the animal, they feel compelled to act, to try and save the species that they now know exists and matters.

In Sartore’s mind, no matter how small, every single person’s contribution matters. Even though he is making the Photo Ark to memorialize these species and his framing- on a monocolored black or white background- invokes a sense of loss, Sartore believes that most of the species he has photographed can be saved if people act now.

Every single species matters, and many are going extinct or are endangered. Any action- even simply raising awareness of these animal's plights- can help save them from extinction. It is not too late if we act now.

Sartore, Joel, et al. The Photo Ark: One Man's Quest to Document the World's Animals. National Geographic, 2017.