Global Warming & Climate Change Awareness: A Photography Project

Climate Change is an issue that is particularly important to me and has been for a long time. When I was in the ninth grade in 2019, I wanted to raise awareness for this environmental issue through art. I am not exactly an artist; however, I knew I wanted to create a visual representation of the changing climate. I wanted my project to center around the melting of glaciers and our sea levels rising. I clearly could not photograph actual glaciers in the arctic, so I used ice cubes from our school cafeteria to symbolize global warming. Throughout this presentation of photos, I will explain the methodology and thought process behind my pictures. 

Light Projector

I was able to capture these photos by placing ice cubes on a table in a dark closet. I used a projector with different color settings to spotlight the ice as it inevitably melted. The light was a significant factor of this series of photos for literal and symbolic purposes. The projected light expedited the melting of the ice for the sake of time during the shoot. Also, the light was meant to represent the physical changes in our planet, the increased amount of warming impacting our glaciers. 

Paint & Sink

These photos were taken in a sink, believe it or not. I used earth-tone paints, running water, and of course, ice. To enhance the colors in the photos, I simply used the photo editing features on my iPhone. 

Mirror, The Sky, and Hands

I found an old mirror of mine for this series of photos and took it to my backyard on a sunny day. I captured the ice melting on the mirror, and I was able to use the sky as a backdrop due to the use of the mirror. 

I recruited my neighbor’s kids to hold ice cubes in their hands for a photo. This was the first photo I had planned when I thought of the concept for this project. Climate change and environmental destruction is an issue that is almost entirely in the hands of younger generations.