Full disclosure, this is a bittersweet post. We’ll start with the sweet: veteran photographer Daniel Mahon landed an assignment right up his alley with outdoor clothing company Patagonia through us!
Patagonia’s photo director, Heidi Volpe, said she found me through Wonderful Machine and was really impressed with my portrait work. One of my portraits, a close-up shot of Australian footballer Dustin Fletcher, seemed to stand out to her.
[Heidi] really liked the intensity in his expression and was hoping for something similar for the Patagonia shoot.
Intensity certainly wasn’t in short supply for this project, which brings us to the bitter part of the post. Patagonia’s campaign features portraits of young climate activists from all over the globe with the words “Facing Extinction” imposed across their concerned countenances. Daniel chipped in two images of fellow Aussies, one of a 15-year old girl and the other of a 17-year old boy. While we’ve been asked not to share their names for privacy reasons, we can obviously show you Daniel’s fine work along with the quotes the two students gave when asked why they strike.
The kids were both fantastic to work with. They are both involved in climate activism with School Strike 4 Climate Melbourne. They are highly articulate, intelligent, and passionate about effecting change.
One of the things that really stuck with me was when I asked what adults can do to support their school strike, they simply said ‘turn up.’
I went to the rally with my kids and there were well over 100,000 people there! It was really incredible to see everyone get behind this.
Melbourne was one of many communities that took part in the Global Climate Strike, which lasted from September 20-27 and saw a record 7.6 million people across 185 countries take to the streets to peacefully protest the glaring lack of action surrounding climate change. It was far and away the biggest climate mobilization in history and, as Daniel’s images from the assignment and the rally show, put the younger generations front-and-center in the fight for a better future.
While Daniel’s photos from the Melbourne rally are mostly personal mementos, his portraits can be seen around the world on billboards, news sites, and as part of an arresting video put together by Patagonia:
This being a global movement, Daniel was one of a few photographers who contributed to this campaign. Obviously, Patagonia isn’t going to ask just anybody to work with them, especially for an assignment of this importance. The company enlisted some big names to create this compelling imagery, and Daniel takes pride in the fact that his work for an organization he admires sits next to that of people he’s long respected.
Patagonia is a global brand with values that I can identify with and support. And on a creative level, I was very proud to have my work alongside Dan Winters, who shot the U.S. portraits, and Greg Funnell, who shot the UK portraits.
Dan is a photographer I’ve admired for many years — to be considered in the same light is definitely a highlight for me. Dan shot the first batch of portraits and set the template for the rest of the photos. From there, it was a case of making sure they were as good as his shots and fit into the campaign.
As cool as that feeling must’ve been, Daniel didn’t allow himself to get distracted from the topic at hand. The Melbourne resident continually harkened back to his frustration with the lack of action from lawmakers the world over — and the cynical, myopic worldview of the soulless, money-blinded people who control them.
While I was really excited to be involved in the campaign for many reasons, I’m also frustrated with the lack of action on climate change, both in Australia and globally.
There are too many vested interest groups campaigning to slow the legislation process in order to maintain the status quo and protect their investments. But the science of climate change is clear, and the time to act is now.
Credits:
Videographer: Adam Bostock
Assistant: Georgia Quinn
Hair & Makeup: Raffaella Tomaiuolo
Studio: Gale Street Studios
Check out more of Daniel’s work at danielmahon.com.
Explore our other great photographers on our Find Photographers page!