Choosing Hope

Reclaiming the Duwamish River

Photographer

Tom Reese

Concept

The Duwamish River can be hard to love, but it flows powerfully through the hearts of those who know it well. The Duwamish is one of earth's vital arteries conveying lifeblood from mountains to the sea, so it can be difficult to accept that its lower 5½ -mile stretch has been turned into one of the most toxic waste environments in the United States - an industrial sewage canal flowing out past the scenic waterfront of Seattle.

It would be easy to turn away feeling depressed and helpless, but a growing number of people are choosing to believe in the recovery of this river and are working relentlessly toward that future. Their vision has motivated the first successes in reducing water pollution and restoring habitat, wildlife, and hope.

The larger question for the river is also the essential human question of our time: "What relationship do we choose to have with our home, the natural world?"

Biography

Tom's work as a newspaper and magazine photojournalist has been nominated for Pulitzer Prizes in breaking news photography, feature photography and explanatory reporting, and also honored by World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year International and International Conservation Photography Awards. Tom is an independent photographer and editor working in documentary and illustration. The Seattle Art Museum Gallery represents a selection of his work. Other documentary subjects include a nine-year project on early-onset Alzheimer's disease, human rights in Burma, and a book pondering the connections and competition between humans and their natural environment. He also teaches workshops on photojournalism ethics and environmental journalism.

www.tomreesephoto.com

View by Project View by Photographer