Blue Earth Alliance: Photography Inspiring Social Change

Blue Earth Alliance Mission Statement:

“The link between compelling documentary photography and our collective motivation to change attitudes, behavior, even policies – is strong.

Eddie Adams’s Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph of a Vietcong execution in Saigon forever changed how the world viewed the Vietnam War. Brazilian photojournalist Sebastião Salgado’s images of the impoverished portray human life with fresh dignity and compassion.

Maintaining this link is central to the mission of Blue Earth.

Through our support of Photography that Makes a Difference, Blue Earth has helped raise almost a million dollars for important issues often overlooked by traditional media–The Arctic. Global warming. The loss of open space in Los Angeles. Racism suffered by farmers. Disappearing traditions of New England fishermen. The role of grandmothers in AIDS-ravaged Africa

Our sponsored projects have been at the forefront of issues affecting contemporary society—John Trotter’s No Agua, No Vida investigates the Southwest’s limited water resources; Perry Dilbeck’s Truck Farmers: The Last Harvest chronicles the loss of independent farming; and Florian Schultz’s Yellowstone to Yukon promotes the unification of animal migration routes and habitats across international borders.”

The Blue Earth Alliance is one of a handful of organizations to concentrate their efforts towards using photography as an tool for awareness about social issues. “Using the power of photographic storytelling”, they inspire social awareness in subjects far ranging; from saving wildlife to curbing youth violence, from the dwindling livelihood of local farmers to increasing dialogue about sexual violence. Environmental issues are prevalent on the site, which showcases past and present projects, both through their sponsorship and as well as a yearly grant program. They also offer their artists help in marketing and PR, grant writing, and increasing their network in the art world.

To view some of the photographers featured through The Blue Earth Alliance, please visit their website here.

From "The Sarvey Wildlife Project" by Annie Marie Musselman

From "Amazon: Forest at Risk" by Daniel Beltrá

Tags: Annie Marie Musselman, climate change, Daniel Beltra, documentary photography, eco photo, environmental photography, inspire awareness, Photography Inspiring Social Change, sustainability, The Blue Earth Alliance