Which images come to mind when you think of climate change?
If you answered ‘polar bears’, ‘melting ice’ or ‘pollution’ then you’re not alone; over the last twenty five years or so the media, and other organisations have used images like these as visual shortcuts for environmental problems, as well as wind turbines, solar panels, and recycling bins to represent solutions to climate change.
Do these images feel relevant to your life? Could you find a more interesting way to show what climate change means to young people living in Wales? We’ve launched a photography competition to offer a creative opportunity for people ages twenty five and under to tell their own story about climate.
Entering the competition is easy and you can find full instructions here. Winners will be selected from each of the competition age categories and invited to an award ceremony in September as part of our Centre’s official launch. An overall winner will be selected to receive a £50 gift voucher.
If you’re wondering how to get started then here are four tips to help you take a photo that really grabs attention.
- Choose a subject that’s meaningful to you. This could be something that you care about that’s threatened by climate change, something that shows how the topic makes you feel, or something that’s helping tackle the problem.
- Try and tell a new story. Avoid choosing the kind of image described above – such as smoking chimneys or flooding – and explore different and unusual ways of sharing your ideas. Don’t be afraid to get creative!
- Show real people doing real things. Try to avoid staged photographs.
- Think about your audience. Who do you want your photo to appeal to? How do you want them to feel when they see it? What questions will your photo ask, or answer?
These tips were adapted from the Climate Visuals project by Climate Outreach, a core partner of the CAST Centre. Climate Visuals is a library of photos showing the causes, impacts, and solutions to climate change. Using social research from the EU and US, the Climate Visuals project has developed seven principles for choosing photos that work well to communicate climate change. You can find out more about their research here or browse the photo library for inspiration.
Good luck! We can’t wait to see your photos.