“To capture both hope and truth from behind my lens; this is the very core of my project. For so long we have been takers- taking from Mother Earth, with not a thought of how to give back. It is now time that we, as humans, become better stewards of this planet we have been entrusted with. It is not just what we need to do, but it is our moral obligation to humanity for generations to come, to take a stand and act together.
Climate change should not be a political issue- this is EVERY HUMAN’S issue.
And I believe we can all come to an agreement on the fact that we must act collaboratively, globally, and we must act right now.
There is no planet B.
-Petrova F. Jones, photographer
BELOW ARE IMAGES FROM SEVERAL LOCATIONS THAT I HAVE TRAVELLED TO RECENTLY THAT ARE SEEING THE BIGGEST EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. THESE ARE PLACES THAT ARE VERY DEAR TO MY HEART, AND LOCATIONS THAT I SEE CONSTANTLY CHANGING. PICTURED HERE ARE IMAGES FROM NORWAY, ICELAND, THE UNITED KINGDOM, THE EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, CANADA, GREENLAND (by air), SWITZERLAND, AND THE ARCTIC. LOOK CAREFULLY AT THE IMAGES AND YOU WILL SEE THE MELTING GLACIERS, HUGE FISSURES, RISING SEAS, SHRINKING LAND SPACES, AND CHANGE IN NATURE’S HABITAT, RIGHT BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES. BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES, BUT THOSE WHO KNOW CAN SEE THESE SIGNS SUBTLY IN THESE IMAGES. WHAT CAN YOU SEE?
Climate Change. Is that really a thing?
Yes. Climate change is beyond real. It is happening all around us, and we are all contributors to the cause and the solution. We, as humans, must take responsibility for our behaviors and actions, and stop pointing fingers, and begin to take action.
To change any behavior, we must be committed, and all change begins with a concept, an idea. Maybe a few ideas, or a few people, but together, positive and purposeful collaboration can make positive change. And right now, we have no time to get political. Our climate is in an environmental epidemic of unprecedented magnitude. Right now, it is time for us to focus on doing everything we can to preserve the gorgeous world we know now for our kids, their kids, and hopefully the future of all mankind.
The Lofoten Islands, Norway
One of the many locations in the Arctic that is experiencing the changes in its Permafrost, and thus becoming deeply effected by Climate Change.
What is ‘Shutter Shock’ all about?
A Group of Professional Photographers led by Petrova jones, who come from across the globe, partnering together to form ‘Shutter Shock.’
We are committed to spreading awareness about the climate related epidemic our natural world is in currently, due to the impacts of human behavior, through photographs. During part one of our project, we were photographing the beauty of the heart of our home - the precious heart of the place, where for many of us, our passion for photography came. Everglades National Park. We hope that, through our diverse images, we can share with you exactly why we LOVE, and are COMMITTED to conserving, protecting, and preserving our planet, and motivate you to follow our lead. I chose to bring ‘first’ to the table these 2 galleries- from my home state of Florida.
In focusing on the beautiful and diverse ecosystem that is THE EVERGLADES I hope you will see why this is a project I feel transcends borders, both geographically and physically. Water- and the purity and accessibility of it- and to it- is something every single human being cannot imagine being denied. However, this basic element is the liquid heart - the center of all that is the Florida Everglades.
Secondly, I turned my focus over the last 2 years to the Arctic, and the effects that climate change was having on nature, and life in general. I first travelled to Finland, photographing the local Sami reindeer herders, and learning of their challenges in keeping up with Sami life in the modern day we are now living in. I met with a reindeer herder in Inari, and learned that is has become almost impossible to feed the reindeers naturally anymore due to the permafrost on the ground and restricted access to lychen, the mossy plant based food that the reindeer eats. Additionally, the desire for mining from the big companies in the northern Arctic is hurting the Sami’s and other indigenous persons’ way of life, as their lands are being taken, and destroyed. Additionally, with rising global temperatures, more glaciers, and ice are melting at a rapid rate, causing sea level rise, and issues with nature both in terms of habitat use and also in terms of its already fragile ecosystems. Additionally, I found similar problems in Norway and Sweden. I even photographed a town in Sweden, named Kiruna, that was being MOVED 2 miles. Why? Because it was sinking due to the mining that had taken place below it, and compromised the town. Unfortunately, the mine was the biggest employer around.
In Norway, the fishing industry (cod) has been very impacted, as now the cod has begun to migrate at different times, due to the sea temperature changes, and an area once known for its fish, is now struggling to catch the fish it is famous for.
The Arctic has been very severely effected by climate change, and continues to be the center of focus for change and ‘green’ initiatives. And these are just a few of the many countless impacts I have witnessed.
CAN YOU HELP US?
Petrova Jones (founder) and many Professional Photographers from across the globe have partnered to form ‘Shutter Shock.’ We are committed to spreading awareness about the epidemic our natural world is in currently, due to the impacts of human behavior, through photographs. For part one of our project, we are photographing the beauty of the heart of our home - the precious heart of the place, where for many of us, our passion for photography came. We hope that, through our diverse images, we can share with you exactly why we LOVE, and are COMMITTED to conserving, protecting, and preserving our planet, and motivate you to follow our lead.
Message from Petrova:
My home is Florida, and the liquid heart of my state is the world’s largest natural wetlands, and our most precious natural resource- the EVERGLADES. It is imperative that I focus my initial photography contributions on saving the global awareness of this precious ecosystem.
If you are a professional photographer interested in voluntarily partnering with us, and sharing your insight and captures of climate change, please contact me through email on the CONTACT page.
I am currently working on the capturing the effects that the permafrost have had on the Arctic, and how this fragile environment is effected by climate change. Stay tuned for new images in the ARCTIC CIRCLE gallery!
SHUTTER SHOCK
SHUTTER SHOCK: THE PROJECT is a photographic journey that myself, and several over photographers across our globe are embarking on to help share the need for us to come together as a global community to save our planet. A group of professional nature, travel, astro, and landscape photographers, we consider ourselves the ‘lucky ones.’ We are the ones who get to wake up at 3 am and see the world at its finest hour, and capture the moments most never see. We get to capture the beauty of first twilight, the awakening of nature, raw beauty of nature interacting, and midnight suns. We are the ones who sleeplessly chase the magical aurora all night, ward off frostbite waiting for ‘the perfect capture,’ and will wait four hours behind a tripod just to capture ‘that perfect shot.’
Our hope is to inspire you with the magic of ‘Mother Nature,’ and share the images from our backyards, and global adventures, that inspire us to keep capturing. In an effort to inspire and maybe ‘shutter shock’ you, we hope that you will be truly motivated to gain awareness for climate change, and what we can do as individuals, and together, to combat it.
CLIMATE CHANGE- Is it REAL?
Yes. It is not just a threat, or coming- it is very much here, and has been for quite some time. The effects are now becoming irreversible however, if we do not make some changes to our lifestyle as humans.
Climate Change is happening all around us, with effects currently being felt at every corner of this earth. The Arctic is one area feeling it the most, due to the permafrost, but another area that is deeply impacted due to its fragile need to keep its ecosystem in balance is THE EVERGLADES.
Right now, every single move we make as humans is absolutely imperative to the sustainability, longevity and future of life on this earth as we know it, for not only us, but for future generations, and humankind.
Saving our planet is something that we all must come together to do, and it is so complex. Every move we make right now impacts another element in this fragile patchwork quilt of our planet Earth. Our best defense right now is becoming educated, aware, and open minded.
This is about saving everything that you know and love. This is about saving our home- your home- and my home.
THE EVERGLADES
THE LIQUID HEART OF FLORIDA
For my first focus of the project SHUTTER SHOCK, being a Florida native, I have chosen to focus on photographing the beautiful Everglades, our largest wetlands in the world, and one of our largest National Parks. There is nowhere else in the world like the Everglades, and we MUST do whatever we can to save it from threat. Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, best known for being an advocate for the Everglades, and staunch environmentalist once referred to them as, ‘The Liquid Heart,’ of Florida. This intricate system of tropical wetlands in the Southern United States, comprises the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm, and maintaining the very delicate balance of water for both the animals, plant life, reptiles, birds- everything that makes up the diverse rhythm of the circle of life the Everglades- is CRITICAL. If you love and are inspired by what you see in my gallery of images, consider your own impact, and how you too can make a positive change on the climate.
“There are no other Everglades in the world. They are, they have always been, one of the unique regions of the earth: remote, never wholly known. Nothing anywhere else is like them.” - Marjory Stoneman Douglas