Landscape - Arctic - Camille Seaman

Camille Seaman

Landscape/Portrait Photographer 
By Rebeka Schmieder

Camille Seaman is primarily an expedition photographer that makes portraits in her more recent work. She was born into the Shinnecock Tribe, based in eastern Long Island, NY. Seaman and was taught by her grandfather to have a special appreciation of nature. The Shinnecock tribe honored the natural world. "He taught us how to not just see a tree, but to recognize the tree as an individual," said Seaman.  She imposes this sensibility onto her photographs with any subject matter. Seaman's work has appeared in National Geographic magazine, multiple European Geographic magazines, New York Times and many others. She has been awarded with National Geographic Award, in 2006; and an honorary solo exhibition for The Last Iceberg at the National Academy of Science in Washington DC.

Seaman's work demonstrates pristine landscape photographs. The documentation of the icecaps in the arctic are stunning. In her first series on the polar regions is called Melting Away. This was a 10 year (2001-2011) experience of constantly going to locations in the arctic that are being threatened by global warming. In this series, Seaman photographs both the icebergs and animals, primarily as penguins and polar bears, and fully documents the effects of what global warming is doing to this environment.

Svalbard, July 2008

Antarctic Storm, Antarctic Peninsula, December 2008

Glacier, Raudfjord, Salvbard, June 2009

Terminus, Neko Harbor, Antarctic Peninsula, 8 December 2007

Adelie Penguin Colony, Cape Bird Antarctica, December 25, 2006

Seaman's reach was far and wide when looking at the subject matter for this series. Going back to her upbringing as a Native American, she looks at no two icebergs the same. Whether it adapts/reacts to climate or living beings, each landscape is seen as its own entity. Interestingly, when Seaman started this expedition she did not think of the climate change occurring, but, she photographing the land and animals as family. She stated in an interview with Wired “I approached them as my relatives, literally, and not in some poetic way, I saw them as part of my lineage, as part of my existence.” As she started to shoot in these regions, her project changed and she felt the need to bear-witness to the changes in the climate.

Another arctic series Seaman did was, The Last Iceberg. This is a peripheral body of work she did in correspondence to Melting Away. This series specifically documents the icebergs that are on the brink of death. It is a troublesome series because it is more coherent on the effects of climate change in the polar regions.

Blue Underside Revealed II Svalbard, July 5 2010

Falling Down Iceberg-Antarctica, December 3, 2007

Drifting Icebergs Near Elephant Island, Antarctic Peninsula Dec. 2006

Grounded Iceberg, East Greenland 2006

The Ice Crown - Antarctic Sound, Antarctica, February 2010

Tubular Iceberg Detail, Antarctic Sound, Antarctic, February 2011

This is the series that earned her a solo exhibition at Nation Academy of Science. I think that these photographs show the beauty of icebergs and also shocking reality that our icecaps are dying. Seaman explains that when she approaches these icebergs she sees how these are massive pieces of nature and are comprised of thousands of layers of history, but it's all melting away. It's a shame and Seaman noticed that this issue was going unnoticed. 

In 2011 Seaman was on one of her many trips to the polar regions and she broke down. She thought that her work was not doing the job it should do -- creating awareness and provoking change to help save the polar ice caps. She stopped shooting and went home and didn't make work for a while. In an interview Seaman stated "my responsibility is to prepare people mentally to be creative and adaptive." She has not gone back to do more work on the polar regions since this letdown, but she has raised awareness through other means. Sometimes it's more important to become an active voice through speaking, rather than taking photos. It's the actions that speak louder than words. 

In her latest series she has taken on a massive portrait documentation archive of the Native American community called WE ARE STILL HERE. Although this is a change from landscape photography, Seaman is still making awareness of an issue her work. This series started soon after the Dakota Access Pipeline crisis broke the news. She went to where the protests and camps were being set up to document the national uprising and also went because of her concerns about the pipeline as well. Seaman then started photographing the individual people at the protests and then came up with her idea of a modern record of Native Americans.

These photos are eliminating stereotypes, but also embrace the Native American culture. Seaman stated on the project website that "When you see these portraits, you may find we no longer look like you think we ought to look, but it doesn't mean we are not here."

Her intention is to tell the world that Native Americans are not on the brink of extinction, but are still a large, thriving community. Seaman has pointed out that in history books, the authors state that indigenous Americans were a dying breed and it's only a matter of time before they are extinct. I believe this series speaks volumes and is considered one of her strongest works to date, at the same time she is giving back to the Native Americans that have been neglected in American history.