Meet the woman who teamed up with Rolex to photograph the world

“It’s like a fire is burning under the ocean and it’s invisible to most people. I feel it’s my job to raise the alarm and keep saying, ‘We’re running out of time,’” says Cristina Mittermeier, considered one of the world’s most influential environmental photographers.

The Mexican native has spent over three decades traveling to more than 130 countries and every continent as a “voice for the ocean,” visually documenting the stories of the species in the waters and the approximately 1 billion people who live along its shores.

“For those of us who spend time on the front lines of biodiversity and climate law, it seems pretty dire,” Mittermeier tells Alexa.

Despite the decidedly less than optimistic prognosis, she has titled her latest book (available in the US in November) Hope. Its debut will be followed by an exhibition at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland next year.

Fans may be surprised to know that although she has edited and co-authored more than two dozen books, this is only the second to feature exclusively her photographs.

Billed as an “artistic manifesto,” it’s a retrospective of 30 years of her photography, featuring more than 100 compelling images, along with text that, she says, “subtly weaves my personal narrative with meaningful visual stories.” and boasts a preface. by none other than Robert Redford, who calls Mittermeier’s work “remarkable and important.”

For the past 14 years, much of that work has been done in collaboration with her partner, photographer and filmmaker Paul Nicklen.

The couple founded the non-profit SeaLegacy, whose mission is described as “bringing together filmmakers, photographers, marine and climate experts, indigenous leaders and policymakers from around the world to build engagement and protect our oceans”.

In the 10 years since its debut, SeaLegacy has completed more than 45 expeditions, documented more than 765 species and captured more than 7 million images. A 62-foot sailing catamaran was recently added to the mix; sleeps 10 and is used as a diving and filming platform.

“We travel the world, find heroes who are doing the work and tell their stories,” explains Mittermeier. “We wanted to become a megaphone and shine a spotlight on these projects that people are doing heroically around the world – whether it’s replanting coral or saving turtles or protecting whales.” These stories are broadcast on their YouTube channel and also posted on Instagram, where the couple has a total of nearly 9 million followers.

Two years ago, Mittermeier and Nicklen, who both studied marine biology and were recognized as National Geographic Adventurers of the Year, also became partners with the Rolex Permanent Planet Initiative.

“Part of the support they give us is that we create beautiful content that gets distributed on their platforms and ours,” says Mittermeier, who (perhaps unsurprisingly) owns a Master Yacht. They have already created two films with the support of Rolex. A third film, about an indigenous leader and climate activist in Panama, is in production.

“It seems to me that the job of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible,” adds Mittermeier. “We must arm ourselves with courage and positivity to continue to fight this war, to bring people into this conversation and to work for solutions. That’s where the hope is.”