# PROCESS 003 featuring Susan Seubert on PharcydeTV Network

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHMS_vshM7Q
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/SHMS_vshM7Q
Generated: 2025-07-21T22:39:56.507+00:00

---
## Quick Overview

Susan Seubert, a National Geographic photographer, shares her journey from childhood fascination with National Geographic magazines to becoming a renowned conservation photographer. She emphasizes the importance of embracing the photographic process, the transformative power of travel, and the critical role of photography in raising awareness about environmental issues like melting glaciers and their impact on indigenous communities and wildlife.

**Key Points:**
- Susan Seubert's passion for photography began at age six, inspired by National Geographic magazines at her grandparents' house.
- She initially pursued philosophy in college but ultimately earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from Portland, Oregon.
- Her first major magazine story, a 14-page spread for Garden Design, earned her an Alfred Eisenstaedt Award, launching her commercial photography career.
- Working with National Geographic Expeditions exposed her to diverse environments, including the Galapagos and Alaska, transforming her into a conservation photographer.
- Seubert witnessed the alarming rate of glacier melting and its impact on wildlife and indigenous communities, reinforcing her commitment to environmental advocacy through her art.
- She believes travel is a transformative tool and photography can spark conversations, aiming for her beautiful images to draw people in and raise awareness about critical environmental issues.
- Seubert emphasizes the importance of technical precision in photography and the emotional openness required to capture and convey compelling stories, viewing even failures as opportunities for learning and growth.

![Screenshot at 6:44: Susan Seubert, wearing a yellow jacket and a National Geographic beanie, smiles while holding a camera in a snowy, mountainous landscape, embodying her role as a conservation photographer.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/SHMS_vshM7Q/00-06-44.png)

**Context:** This video features Susan Seubert, a National Geographic photographer, who reflects on her career journey and the evolution of her photographic focus. She shares personal anecdotes from her childhood, her academic pursuits, and pivotal experiences in the field that shaped her artistic and environmental perspectives. The video also includes a short animated comic at the beginning, which is a separate creative work by Rob Shaw, but the main content focuses on Susan Seubert's 'Process'.

## Detailed Analysis

Susan Seubert recounts her lifelong passion for photography, ignited at age six by National Geographic magazines at her grandparents' home, particularly images of Nepal's honey hunters. Despite initially pursuing an academic path in philosophy, her love for the darkroom's magic and early success, including selling her first print for $50 and winning an Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for a Garden Design magazine cover, led her to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography in Portland, Oregon. Her career evolved significantly through the National Geographic Expeditions program, which allowed her to travel extensively, including to the Galapagos and Alaska's Inside Passage. While not initially a wildlife photographer, witnessing the dramatic effects of climate change, such as collapsing glaciers and retreating ice, transformed her perspective, leading her to embrace conservation photography. She highlights the plight of harbor seals losing ice for birthing and molting, and the severe impact of climate change on the Inuit people's traditional way of life. Seubert believes in the power of travel to transform individuals and the power of photography to spark conversations, aiming for her work to draw people in with its beauty while simultaneously conveying urgent environmental messages. She stresses the technical precision required in photography—getting the moment, color, and composition right—and the emotional openness needed to capture and convey vulnerability, ultimately hoping her art influences viewers.

### Early Inspiration & Path

- Susan Seubert's childhood fascination with National Geographic magazines, particularly images of Nepal's honey hunters, sparked her desire to become a photographer
- She initially pursued philosophy but returned to photography, enjoying the darkroom process and selling her first print for $50
- Her early success included a 14-page spread and cover for Garden Design magazine, earning her an Alfred Eisenstaedt Award.

### Transition to National Geographic

- Seubert's commercial photography success led her to the National Geographic Expeditions program, allowing her to travel extensively, including to the Galapagos and Alaska's Inside Passage
- She emphasizes that while she wasn't initially a wildlife photographer, her love for travel and willingness to take on diverse assignments opened new doors.

### Environmental Awakening

- Witnessing the collapse of the South Sawyer Glacier and the retreat of the Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska profoundly impacted Seubert, shifting her focus to conservation photography
- She highlights the alarming rate of ice melt and its direct impact on wildlife, such as harbor seals losing critical ice for birthing and molting.

### Human Impact & Conservation

- Seubert underscores the severe consequences of climate change on indigenous communities, specifically the Inuit people, who are no longer able to live their traditional lives due to environmental shifts
- She believes photography can be a transformative tool, drawing people in with beauty to initiate crucial conversations about environmental conservation.

### Artistic Philosophy & Process

- Seubert discusses the technical demands of photography, emphasizing the importance of precise timing, color, and composition to create a strong picture
- She advocates for continuous creation, learning from failures, and understanding the subject deeply to articulate its essence both visually and verbally, hoping to influence viewers with her work.

### The Magic of Influence

- Seubert shares a deeply personal and magical moment from her trip to Bahia de Magdalena, where she experienced a profound connection with nature by listening to a whale's breath under a clear, star-filled sky
- This experience reinforced her belief in the power of art to create a small but meaningful influence on others, which she considers the ultimate success for an artist.

![Screenshot at 0:30: A vintage boombox sits on the ground, setting a nostalgic tone for the animated story.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/SHMS_vshM7Q/00-00-30.png)
![Screenshot at 0:38: A cassette tape titled 'YOU PLAY TOO MUCH' is shown, with a hand holding it, revealing the 'HULK HAND' label on the tape itself.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/SHMS_vshM7Q/00-00-38.png)
![Screenshot at 0:48: The inside of the boombox is revealed to be a miniature diorama of various buildings and landscapes, representing the setting of the animated story.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/SHMS_vshM7Q/00-00-48.png)
![Screenshot at 1:04: A green 'Hulk Hand' toy is shown on a red television screen, emphasizing its purpose to 'CRUSH' and 'SMASH' other toys.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/SHMS_vshM7Q/00-01-04.png)
![Screenshot at 2:59: Susan Seubert's hands flip through a National Geographic magazine, showing a spread with a large image of camels and people in a desert landscape at dusk.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/SHMS_vshM7Q/00-02-59.png)
![Screenshot at 3:10: A man is suspended by ropes on a cliff face, surrounded by a swarm of bees, illustrating the dangerous work of honey hunters in Nepal.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/SHMS_vshM7Q/00-03-10.png)
![Screenshot at 3:40: Susan Seubert adjusts a large format camera, demonstrating her hands-on approach to traditional photography.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/SHMS_vshM7Q/00-03-40.png)
![Screenshot at 4:52: A 'GARDEN DESIGN' magazine with a large dahlia on the cover is shown, representing Susan's early commercial success in photography.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/SHMS_vshM7Q/00-04-52.png)
![Screenshot at 5:25: Susan Seubert, dressed in winter gear and sunglasses, walks through a snowy landscape with camera equipment, showcasing her work in extreme environments.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/SHMS_vshM7Q/00-05-25.png)
![Screenshot at 6:20: Susan Seubert is seen crouching on a rocky beach, photographing sea lions, with a large National Geographic ship visible in the turquoise water behind her.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/SHMS_vshM7Q/00-06-20.png)