Vital Impacts: Photography to Change the World

How Ami Vitale is leveraging the power of photography to create change.

by Corey Rich

Lest I sometimes forget the power of photography to change the world, I need only look to my dear friend Ami Vitale, who is not only one of the great conservation photographers of our time, but also one of the great visionaries and storytellers who understands how to leverage great photography to impact change.

I’ve been meaning to share Ami’s latest venture: Vital Impacts, founded by Ami and the visual journalist Eileen Mignoni. This women-led non-profit provides financial assistance and amplifies the narrative of community-oriented organizations dedicated to protecting and preserving human and wildlife habitats. Over the last year Vital Impacts, has raised money through the sale of gorgeous fine-art photography to support various organizations across the globle that are working tirelessly to sustain our planet, including the Big Life FoundationGreat Plains Foundation’s Project RangerJane Goodall Institute’s Roots & Shoots, and SeaLegacy.

Right now, Vital Impacts is partnering with some of my favorite National Geographic photographers–including Jimmy Chin, Joe McNalley,  Paul Nicklen, James Balog, Pete McBride, Gordon Wiltsie, Aaron Huey, Ami herself, and more than 100 others—to launch a flash print sale. 100% of the profits from the sale of their museum quality fine-art prints will be donated to Direct Relief, an organization working around the clock to provide humanitarian aid to people people caught in conflict zones. They are on the ground now in Ukraine,  working to provide medical aid to people affected by the war. 

Sale extended to May 10, 2022–so only a few days left to help support this great cause. Click here to see the Flash Sale.

Proceeds from your purchase will also support the photographers themselves, which is brilliant. These photographers are the ones who are going into the most extreme environments, and often taking great risks to capture the visual stories that have such a profound impact on all of us, and making us care about making change.

Check out Vital Prints and please consider supporting conservation, storytelling, and great photography.

Emperor Penguins release millions of micro-bubbles from their feathers, which lubricate their bodies and reduce friction as they rocket through frigid Antarctic waters. This unique skill allows them to travel up to three times their usual swimming speeds and aids in their escape from any hungry leopard seals lurking in the depths. Paul Nicklen is a Canadian photographer, filmmaker, and marine biologist who has documented the beauty and the plight of our planet for over twenty years. As an assignment photographer for National Geographic magazine and Sony Artisan of Imagery, Nicklen captures the imagination of a global audience.
April 2015, Sloviansk. Sloviansk and Kramatorsk school dance group competition. A year earlier Sloviansk became the first stronghold of pro-Russian rebels, but was retaken by the Ukrainian army in July 2014 and rebels moved to Donetsk. Justyna Mielnikiewicz is an award winning photographer from Poland, based in Tbilisi, Georgia since 2003. Her works have been published internationally by The New York Times, Newsweek, Le Monde, Stern, National Geographic and WSJ – among others. She is a winner of World Press Photo, Canon Female Photojournalist Prize, Caucasus Young Photographer Award by Magnum Foundation, Aftermath Project Grant and Eugene Smith Fund in 2016.
Yosemite Valley after the Storm. Jimmy Chin is an Academy Award winning filmmaker, National Geographic photographer, New York Times Best Selling author and mountain sports athlete known for his ability to capture extraordinary imagery and stories while climbing and skiing in extremely high-risk environments and expeditions.
I love Jossieís kitchen in Havana. It looks like someone made a cup of coffee in there in 1955 or so, and no one went in again for all these years. National Ballet dancer Yanlis Abreu Gonzalez leaps in wonderful fashion. Joe McNally is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning photographer whose prolific career includes assignments in nearly 70 countries. McNally is known world-wide as not only one of the top, technically excellent photographers of his generation, but his charming demeanor, confidence and humor make him a sought-after choice from CEOís to celebrities to commercial and magazine clients alike.
In this photo Manisha and Jasmin Singh pause in the Baoli, an ancient step well in a village near the city of Jaipur outside of Indiaís Thar desert. National Geographic Magazine photographer and filmmaker Ami Vitale has traveled to more than 100 countries, bearing witness not only to violence and conflict, but also to surreal beauty and the enduring power of the human spirit.

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