Marine life photographer Cristina Mittermeier protects our ‘blue gold’ oceans

By Evangeline Liu (original source HS Insider – Los Angeles Times)

“Earth is a blue marble because over 70% of the planet is covered in oceans. Oceans sustain life as we know it, drive the world’s climate patterns, provide humans with natural resources and shaping many of nature’s most magnificent wonders.

Yet, human activity is altering the oceans’ ecosystems in more ways than one. There are more obvious ones, such as overfishing. But there are also less visible ones such as the changes in the long term chemical and biological processes in the ocean associated with climate change.

For National Geographic photographer Cristina Mittermeier, protecting the blue in our blue marble of a world has become her life’s work. Born in Mexico City as Cristina Goettsch, she migrated to the United States and eventually to Vancouver Island where she now resides in the forest near the Salish Sea. Mittermeier always had a passion for conservation in her blood, she said. 

Given that she’s a well-known photographer, it might surprise you to know that she got her start in professional photography fairly late in life. A marine biologist by training, she didn’t pick up a professional camera until after the birth of her youngest child. Soon, she found that the power of photography to connect to people was her key to protecting the oceans.

Contributing beautiful photographs to National Geographic isn’t the only way Mittermeier is raising awareness about the plight of our oceans. She founded the International League of Conservation Photographers, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting conservation through ethical photography and filmmaking.”

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