Editorial: Documentary (PROFESSIONAL) - HONORABLE MENTION
OUR LAND & (S)OIL

Photo © Martin Eberlen
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Looking out of the window, 35,000ft up in the air, far below I saw the blue shimmering sea and the coastline of Greenland dusted with snow. I enjoy flying, mainly for this reason. I love to peer out of the window on long-haul flights, and often do so for hours, taking advantage of the uninterrupted views of our blue planet. Gazing down onto parts of the world that look untouched and undisturbed, where human activity does not rule. To understand and appreciate the vastness of this wilderness there is no other way to view it than from above. I then refocus my attention from what I see in the distance, and look a little closer. My seat is just behind the wing of the plane, and in the foreground of my view are the engines.
I cannot recall a time, on a flight previous to this one, when I boarded a plane and considered, or wanted to calculate, how much jet fuel is burnt on a trans-atlantic flight. But that is exactly what I did on this journey. I must have stared at those engines for hours.
I was heading for Minneapolis, where I would catch a connecting flight another few hundred miles to Bismarck, in North Dakota. From there I began my project along an oil pipeline, which started in Stanley, another 180 miles north. It was an unconventional journey. One that took me to parts of the USA that tourists rarely visit, through North and South Dakota, Iowa, and ending in Illinois 1,600 miles later. I travelled by bicycle, and, when I reached the end, I was able to claim being the only person in the world to have ever cycled from the start to the end of the Dakota Access Pipeline, documenting people's stories as I went.
The main focus of my work looks at environmental issues, with a true understanding of my role as a documentary photographer who aims to portray stories from an ethical standpoint.
My current projects have mainly been related to climate change, and the direct effects that this global issue is having on communities all over the world.
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Looking out of the window, 35,000ft up in the air, far below I saw the blue shimmering sea and the coastline of Greenland dusted with snow. I enjoy flying, mainly for this reason. I love to peer out of the window on long-haul flights, and often do so for hours, taking advantage of the uninterrupted views of our blue planet. Gazing down onto parts of the world that look untouched and undisturbed, where human activity does not rule. To understand and appreciate the vastness of this wilderness there is no other way to view it than from above. I then refocus my attention from what I see in the distance, and look a little closer. My seat is just behind the wing of the plane, and in the foreground of my view are the engines.
I cannot recall a time, on a flight previous to this one, when I boarded a plane and considered, or wanted to calculate, how much jet fuel is burnt on a trans-atlantic flight. But that is exactly what I did on this journey. I must have stared at those engines for hours.
I was heading for Minneapolis, where I would catch a connecting flight another few hundred miles to Bismarck, in North Dakota. From there I began my project along an oil pipeline, which started in Stanley, another 180 miles north. It was an unconventional journey. One that took me to parts of the USA that tourists rarely visit, through North and South Dakota, Iowa, and ending in Illinois 1,600 miles later. I travelled by bicycle, and, when I reached the end, I was able to claim being the only person in the world to have ever cycled from the start to the end of the Dakota Access Pipeline, documenting people's stories as I went.
About author:
I am a London based documentary photographer and photojournalist. I have recently graduated from the MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography course at London College of Communication. Prior to my MA I have been photographing portraits professionally since graduating from my BA in 2009.The main focus of my work looks at environmental issues, with a true understanding of my role as a documentary photographer who aims to portray stories from an ethical standpoint.
My current projects have mainly been related to climate change, and the direct effects that this global issue is having on communities all over the world.
BACK TO GALLERY