A boy dives amongst a school of fish in the Tuamotus, French Polynesia

“For me, human relationships and our very complex and conflicting relationship with nature are not fully comprehensible. Those relationships can become clear for small, beautiful moments, but they are ephemeral and mutating.” – Cristina Mittermeier

I was touched by the loneliness of this hammerhead shark as she patrolled the sandy shallows of The Bahamas’ “Tiger Beach”. Although hammerheads are known to school and orchestrate large group migrations, for the most part, they are solitary predators. I wanted to convey that sense that feeling with this photograph.

On the remote island of Atauro in the small country of Timor-Leste, live real-life mermaids that take to the sea to hunt for their families. I spent an unforgettable day with them at sea.

Waterfall Bath – Village of Kubenkrajké, Pará, Brazil, 2009 – I love making images that tell the story of nature’s familial hold on the human spirit; images that remind us that a thundering waterfall is much more than a commodity to exploit; for people, like these Kayapó girls it is a source of eternal inspiration for mankind’s artistic creativity and personal spirituality.

Hawaiian kids take one last plunge into the warm waters of Makaha beach. Hawaii

On this moody day on the remote beaches of Morondava, Madagascar, I was gifted with the company of some young Vezo fishergirls.

“Being a photojournalist is a privilege. Don’t get me wrong – we are not simple spinners of dreams. We are committed, dedicated, hard-working, passionate artists. We have a collective commitment to truth and reality.” -Cristina Mittermeier

An Inuit man fishing in northern Greenland pulls out an interesting catch, Atlantic cod, a species whose distribution was until recently between 500-1000 kms further south

A Hawaiian boy peers into the shallow tidal pools off of Makaha Beach hoping to find a small creature to marvel at.

“Each photojournalist dances to the click of a different shutter. My particular brand is the tapestry of indigenous people.” – Cristina Mittermeier

Empty Nets

The battle to get open-net Atlantic fish farms out of the Broughton Archipelago in British Columbia has been going on since the aquaculture industry invaded the Kwakwaka’wakw Territory in the early 1980’s.

Get Fish Farms Out

Gwantilakw Hunt Cranmer is frustrated. She has been protesting the existence of Open-net Atlantic Fish Farms in her territory her entire life.

Sea Pixies, Morondava, Madagascar, January 2009

Laundry day in Berenty; Madagascar Southern Spiny Desert