Climate Change Activist Greta Thunberg Is Eternalized Using A 150-Year-Old Photography Technique
Greta Thunberg may be the most talked-about 16-year-old today. After her famous speech at the UN Climate Summit, she found a way into the public’s consciousness and has even angered some of the most powerful people on Earth. The Swedish climate activist is trying to shed a light on the environmental crisis and accuses world leaders of failing her generation. Thus, it’s no surprise that Greta decided to visit Standing Rock – a place where the historic 2016 uprising took place as indigenous groups were fighting the Dakota Access oil pipeline. It was where she met with Shane Bolkowitsch – a wet plate photographer who takes mesmerizing portraits of Northern Plains Native Americans for his project “Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective.” During their 20 minute meet-up, the photographer was able to capture two powerful portraits of the 16-year-old environmental activist.
More info: Shane Balkowitsch | Facebook | Instagram
Wet plate photographer Shane Bolkowitsch took two Greta Thunberg portraits at Standing Rock
Image credits: Shane Balkowitsch
“Haunting, wonderful,” someone commented on Facebook. “I’m speechless. You captured how strong yet peaceful she is,” another person noted. In the Standing Rock, Greta was honored by tribal leaders for her initiative to fight climate change. During the closing ceremony, the 16-year-old activist was given a Lakota Native American name “Maphiyata echiyatan his win” which translates as “woman who came from the heavens.”
He called this portrait “Standing For Us All”
Image credits: Shane Balkowitsch
Below this portrait, Shane wrote on his Facebook page: “Standing For Us All” is the name I have chosen for this wet plate of Greta Thunberg. This image has been shared hundreds of times with thousands of likes in the past 24 hours. Before she left us yesterday, I asked her father Svante a question. I asked him, “What can I do for Greta and her cause?” He explained to me that I have already done my role by taking her wet plate. His only request was that the images be shared with the world along with Greta’s message: “People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are at the beginning of mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you.”
Greta was given a Lakota Native American name which translates as “woman who came from the heavens”
Image credits: Shane Balkowitsch
The wet plate process is a photographic process commonly used in the mid-19th century. It consists of employing a glass photographic plate that’s coated with iodized collodion and dipped in a silver nitrate solution immediately before use. This early photographic technique was invented by Englishman Frederick Scott Archer in 1851. Even nowadays, there are many photographers who rely on the wet plate technique as it provides powerful portraits and one-of-a-kind results.
Shane Balkowitsch is the artist behind the project “Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective”
Image credits: Shane Balkowitsch
He uses a 150-year-old photographic process for his artwork
Image credits: Shane Balkowitsch
Shane has devoted himself to mastering the old photographic technology since 2012
Image credits: Shane Balkowitsch
The wet plate process was invented back in 1851
Image credits: Shane Balkowitsch
It is valued for its ability to achieve high levels of detail and clarity
Image credits: Shane Balkowitsch
Shane is one of the fewer than 1,000 wet plate collodion artists practicing around the world
Image credits: Shane Balkowitsch
His works are shown off in prestigious institutions, including the Smithsonian Institution
Image credits: Shane Balkowitsch
Im shocked tribal leaders honored her. People are really giving this girl a god complex just for talking. The natives that started the protest should be honored.
Sometimes people are trying to nominate people to push their agenda. If you remember, Malala who got shot.. she had some kind of nobel which doesnt make sense. Many other people who have visible contribution do not receive anything like that. This girl and Malala just a normal person who voice their opinion in a right venue and time, so lucky picked by right social media.
Yeah. I'm not saying she's right or wrong, but it is weird (to me) to be "immortalizing" such a young kid with no life experience. Agree/disagree with her viewpoint on things, as a parent I would afraid for how this might affect my daughter in the future. I guess this is no different than child stars as we do the same to them. We preach climate change and not doing enough to prevent it...maybe we need put the same level of effort into preventing another Corey Feldman or Mcaulay Culkin. I realize that is the responsibility of the parents, but this just bothered me.
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@Saint Victoria, it's just biology. Wisdom and experience tends to occur organically. Experience is a situation one goes through that teaches a lesson, while wisdom is the knowledge gained from those experiences. So, a person who is 40 or 50 has more experience and in general more wisdom than a 10 year old. It's also why I brought up child stars. They tend on the side of making bad decisions (the 2 I mentioned, Lohan, Bieber, Bynes, Spears, Cyrus, etc). There are other opposites (Timberlake, Portman, Fanning, etc), but my point was as a parent that kind of fame would make me nervous. Don't get me wrong, she seems like a smart girl...that just doesn't equate to wisdom. I don't know why a parent wanting to protect their child is so controversial.
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For the record jackasses, I'm not disagreeing with her views.
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@Trina bye Trina
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Dr. Scott, how do you know she doesn't have any life experience? Has she published an autobiography?
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They aren't treated her like a god but they are saying its like shes a gift from heaven.
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I call Bullshit. You don't give a fuck about indigenous. You're just pissed she's speaking the truth.
lol, what truth?? You are a parrot
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she spoke for our generation not yours sit down and let us speak
your generation is immature and entitled? shocking
As a father of 4 children I also believe she speaks for the future of my children and I applaud her for doing do...
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Muahahaha downvote away...it only makes me stronger.
feeling stronger yet?
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@Sotsonwift as an ox
bye
Regardless of what you think about Greta, the photographer has produced really great images. I think this is what we should celebrate here. And also regardless of what you think about climate change and activism, Greta is a child. Do you feel threatened, jealous, scared? What good reason do you have to insult a child? She has done nothing wrong. Shame on you. She has an opinion, opinions are allowed. If you hate her and her cause, why did you click on the story?
Please, please, please, give me a break with this wacko.
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The wackos are the people more inclined to listen to one Swedish girl over thousands of Native American climate activists.
activists are wackos of a different stripe
Im shocked tribal leaders honored her. People are really giving this girl a god complex just for talking. The natives that started the protest should be honored.
Sometimes people are trying to nominate people to push their agenda. If you remember, Malala who got shot.. she had some kind of nobel which doesnt make sense. Many other people who have visible contribution do not receive anything like that. This girl and Malala just a normal person who voice their opinion in a right venue and time, so lucky picked by right social media.
Yeah. I'm not saying she's right or wrong, but it is weird (to me) to be "immortalizing" such a young kid with no life experience. Agree/disagree with her viewpoint on things, as a parent I would afraid for how this might affect my daughter in the future. I guess this is no different than child stars as we do the same to them. We preach climate change and not doing enough to prevent it...maybe we need put the same level of effort into preventing another Corey Feldman or Mcaulay Culkin. I realize that is the responsibility of the parents, but this just bothered me.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
@Saint Victoria, it's just biology. Wisdom and experience tends to occur organically. Experience is a situation one goes through that teaches a lesson, while wisdom is the knowledge gained from those experiences. So, a person who is 40 or 50 has more experience and in general more wisdom than a 10 year old. It's also why I brought up child stars. They tend on the side of making bad decisions (the 2 I mentioned, Lohan, Bieber, Bynes, Spears, Cyrus, etc). There are other opposites (Timberlake, Portman, Fanning, etc), but my point was as a parent that kind of fame would make me nervous. Don't get me wrong, she seems like a smart girl...that just doesn't equate to wisdom. I don't know why a parent wanting to protect their child is so controversial.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
For the record jackasses, I'm not disagreeing with her views.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
@Trina bye Trina
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Dr. Scott, how do you know she doesn't have any life experience? Has she published an autobiography?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
They aren't treated her like a god but they are saying its like shes a gift from heaven.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
I call Bullshit. You don't give a fuck about indigenous. You're just pissed she's speaking the truth.
lol, what truth?? You are a parrot
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
she spoke for our generation not yours sit down and let us speak
your generation is immature and entitled? shocking
As a father of 4 children I also believe she speaks for the future of my children and I applaud her for doing do...
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Muahahaha downvote away...it only makes me stronger.
feeling stronger yet?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
@Sotsonwift as an ox
bye
Regardless of what you think about Greta, the photographer has produced really great images. I think this is what we should celebrate here. And also regardless of what you think about climate change and activism, Greta is a child. Do you feel threatened, jealous, scared? What good reason do you have to insult a child? She has done nothing wrong. Shame on you. She has an opinion, opinions are allowed. If you hate her and her cause, why did you click on the story?
Please, please, please, give me a break with this wacko.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
The wackos are the people more inclined to listen to one Swedish girl over thousands of Native American climate activists.
activists are wackos of a different stripe