Seeing It All - by Rhonda Rubinstein (Hardcover)

About the Book

"BigPicture is an initiative of the California Academy of Sciences."--page [160]

Book Synopsis

"Eleven female photographers capture an "interconnected planet" on the brink of environmental disaster in this riveting collection...." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY STARRED REVIEW

Eleven visionary photographers--who happen to be women--focus upon moments of profound beauty and peril on our planet. As award recipients and jurors of the prestigious BigPicture international competition, these women are featured with more than 125 dramatic images that illustrate the extraordinary complexity of the natural world and challenge our very relations and perceptions of it.

Seeing It All goes beyond the glamorizing images of nature and wildlife that are typically shown. Here, images connect the seen to the hidden, abundance with disappearance, icebergs to indigenous portraits, animal sanctuaries and climate scientists, and heart to head.

These intrepid individuals use photography to expose how we--humans, animals, nature--are living together in these precipitous times. Each photographer provides a concise manifesto arising from their commitment to life on the planet, which is accompanied by a short profile and behind-the scenes insights into their activities.

Join Ami Vitale, Cristina Mittermeier, Suzi Eszterhas and others as they venture from Africa to the Arctic, through deep oceans to distant islands. Be witness to the last animal of its species. Delight in the birth of the next generation.

The significance and urgency of Seeing It All is expressed in the introduction by Rhonda Rubinstein, plus essays by renowned writer, historian, and activist Rebecca Solnit, and neuroscientist, writer and stage director Indre Viskontas.

Review Quotes

"Eleven female photographers capture an "interconnected planet" on the brink of environmental disaster in this riveting collection compiled by Rubinstein (editor of Wonders), cofounder of the BigPicture Natural Photography Competition. The images depict a Technicolor sunset over melting Arctic icebergs; endangered coral reefs and the marine life that depend on them; and animal parents caring for their young (images that can "crack the hardest hearts wide, and make people care," says photographer Suzi Eszterhas). Elsewhere, contributors document the abuses inflicted upon animals for profit, including animal trafficking in Africa, and the legal but cruel practices of industrial farming--pigs holed up in cramped living spaces; genetically modified chickens physically unable to stand. While unrelenting in its focus on humanity's "crimes against nature," the collection also spotlights the inspiring work of conservationists, as in Jen Guyton's photos of pangolin rescue teams in Mozambique. Full of showstopping, full-color photos, this compendium gives due to trailblazing photographers who've made their mark in a field historically dominated by men, and who often take great risks to document environmental injustice. Urgent and visually arresting, this is hard to look away from." --Publishers Weekly Starred Review