Cristina Mittermeier Explains Why Being A Good Photographer Isn't Enough Anymore, E117

Cristina Mittermeier is a National Geographic photographer, co-founder of SeaLegacy, and author of "Hope." Her work has been featured in National Geographic's series "Photographer" and in publications around the world. Cristinais the photographer who coined the term "conservation photography," co-founded SeaLegacy, and made the starving polar bear image seen by an estimated 2.5 billion people. In this episode Matt and Cristina discuss how to find your photographic voice that actually means something, why a point of view separates an artist from a craftsman, and the one principle Cristina has built her life around: to show up.- Join the Mood Insiders for ad-free extended episodes, monthly masterclasses, the weekly book club, and much more (link in notes below) - Other things you will take away from this episode:The "glorious amateur" and why expertise is not a prerequisite for meaningful photographyThe full story behind the starving polar bear photograph and the backlash that followedHow the social media algorithm punishes beautiful and important photographyThe idea of the photographer as a "membrane" rather than a messengerWhy storytelling now matters more than the photograph itself"Enoughness" as a personal answer to consumerismBuilding a real portfolio of physical work instead of living on InstagramA personal handbook of ethics for photographersWhy AI will make human-made photography more valuable, not lessLegacy, ego, and shedding the need to be exceptionalSeaLegacy and the next decade of conservation photographyPractical advice for emerging photographers starting out today____Cristina’s platforms:Website - https://www.cristinamittermeier.com/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mitty/SeaLegacy - https://www.sealegacy.org/____Message me, leave a comment and join in the conversation!Support the showThank you for listening and for being a part of this incredible community. You can listen and watch full extended and ad-free episodes in my community - The MOOD Insiders - where I also share insights, photography tips and behind-the-scenes content on my channel as well as meet with the community on book club weekly events, special guest features, bonus content, open forum access, free resources and so much more. The MOOD Insiders Communityhttps://www.mattjacob.co/insidersLearn with mehttps://mattjacob.co/learnMy Newsletterhttps://www.mattjacob.co/archiveWebsite:https://themoodpodcast.comSocials:IG | X | TikTok | Threads | YouTube | @mattyj_ay