From a photographers viewpoint Al Gore is not an interesting subject, except if you want to make him look better than he usually does. There’s a lot of fish face photos of Al Gore and he could do with better ones.
As a side remark, we could call it
“A Note On Photographic ESP,” Bill Clinton visited the Faeroe Islands few months ago and I had a clear vision not only abut that, but also about how, I would
photograph him.
 |
| Emma Brumpton |
When traveling to the Faeroe Islands this time I spoke with
Emma from London (my 24 year old award winning videographer friend from Associated Press) about the possibilities of getting an Al Gore
one on one interview- and photograph-session. I noted that “It’s funny, but I don’t have him in my viewfinder. I don’t see the picture. I might get one, and I might not. It is as if it’s not likely to happen, and as if it doesn’t matter.”
And it didn’t.
For journalists and video people it’s a different story because a remark about the American election from Al Gore is of interest. For me it’s a portrait, and if it’s not special, it’s not interesting.
I didn’t really feel like it would happen, I didn’t try, and it didn’t happen. All I got was this good-bye picture where he looks real mean at me.
 |
| I didn’t try very hard to get a great photo of Al Gore. Nor did he... |
Our first, last and only encounter.
Cute.
It’s a possibility that Al Gore might hate the press.
Perhaps even people in general, which I will get back to in a moment.
As for the actual pattern of Al Gore’s visit, mind you that Bill Clinton
a few monghts ago walked through town, shake hands with kids and old people, smiled to the girls and clapped the police dogs on their happy heads, bought
Faeroese knitwear in shops, visited the local cafés and drank their coffee (and even stated “this is a great coffee” while lining up for a photo with all five employees in the coffee shop), gave 5 minutes comments to video cameras, complimented people on and off stage, extended his Q&A with 20 minutes.
Bill is the man.Now, Al Gore is not Bill Clinton.
Bill Clinton is loved in the Faeroe Islands.
Al Gore visited the town just before his lecture, told the press off by saying “I don’t think I called in for a press conference,” and then walked by the press and several of the hosts, passed by 20 kids with balloons and flowers not even looking in their direction and walked straight into the PM’s building.
Later he started his lecture by saying, “Now, I understand many of you have seen my movie as it has been playing in theatres here in the Faeroe Islands in the last few days. Let me just say that there are a few new slides in this so even if you have seen the movie, there is some new pictures.”
And then he gave the exact same lecture as in the movie.
Plus a few new slides.
That the ticket price was 1,400$ a seat, that’s actually a minor detail. Few of those who bought a seat did come to listen, but rather to be with Al Gore, in the same room.
But.
His speaking pattern, his gestures, his introduction (“My name is Al Gore. I used to be the next president of the United States.” [laughter in the audience] “I don’t think that was funny.”) – I mean
everything was the same.
It was a dull experience. I’ve seen the movie three times.
And here I was at the
TransAtlantic Climate Conference 2008 – where the theme obviously was the Atlantic and small islands – and Al Gore didn’t give it a thought, not a comment. Just rolled out the lecture as usual.
 |
| The TransAtlantic Climate Conference 2008 |
He did though mention that he would be very interested to speak to anyone in the audience after the lecture, if anybody had special knowledge on birds in the islands.
But he never stayed long enough for anybody to approach him on the subject. Next thing he was sitting in a car, reading a paper as it was more interesting than the people standing outside the car.
Then he was gone.As you can imagine, the 20+ press people who attended he TACC08 from around the world was a bit frustrated about what to make out of the Al Gore visit. He didn't say anything, actually, that was news. In fact, he did not say anything new.
 |
| Brazilian writer Luiz Cegato & press contact Tórun Ellingsgaard |
Some journalists simply gave up, others found some angle or other, like
Luiz Cegato from Brazil getting help from 'the Faroese Princess Cleopatra (Κλεοπάτρα)'
Tórun Ellingsgaard to make some positive stories from the conference. Emma and I had plans about features from around the islands as well as features about the actual scientists and entrepreneurs at the TACC08 conference. So what ...
Now, I had a thing with Al Gore before I met him and which made me very interested, as a citizen, to see and hear what he would bring.
I’ve seen his movie three times. And what strikes me is that every time I feel it is a very important subject that I want others to see and learn about.
Yet I’ve never been able to grasp exactly what it is that will be happening or why. I wouldn’t be able to explain my kids, a friend or anybody else what the deal is with climate. Only that something awful will be happening if we don’t act.
Which is odd, because I can both understand and explain things I’ve seen, read and studied.
So that made me think, there’s something about this thing that is not right. But also now that I would be meeting the man, Al Gore, in person, I would be able to get in on it. It would be crystal clear for me after this.
Not so.
It’s a worthwhile cause and everything, but there’s just something that doesn’t add up. Something is not right.
In looking for what that could be, eventually what it was that I had not completely grasped about this, I tried hard not to fall asleep during the lecture.
I mean, I tried real hard and was only gone for perhaps 60 seconds in total.
First of all, I admire the gestures, the speaking pattern and the voice. Al Gore reminds me of the people I know who have learned acting and singing, those who adjust the voice to a room as the first thing they enter a stage og speaking chair. I’m not trained in it, but you throw out a few sounds and then you get the right balance in your voice, thus making it sound very clear and easy to understand no matter how the room is and what sound equipment is being used.
Those who master that technique have a distinctive better presence in front of an audience.
Al Gore has that in. He has a terrific voice for lectures.
Also, I was wondering if he has personal stylists and art directors helping him. For example, he shows a cartoon his daughter made (she’s with the Simpsons) and he stands to the side, looking very interested and patient to the screen, as the rest of us, throughout that piece. He’s not checking notes or something in the dark. He’s paying attention to this important matter. For the 784th time or something. He does that in the movie, and he does that live.
Magnificent!
He pauses, he points out, he emphasizes, he looks at the audience in a certain way when putting a rhetoric question – well, he even uses his red laser pen in the exact same way as in the movie.
There’s not a single joke or punch line, comma or explanation mark or anything in the lecture that is not well considered, tested in front of a test audience and used in that certain way.
And it works perfect. It’s a great movie, it’s a great show.
It’s more professional than the Oscars Show. Flawless. Really.
 |
| Flawless |
As one Faeroese shop owner said “I don’t understand … [after she heard in the radio what he did here and how he did it] …
Why did he come?”
Or as the kid in the Hans Christian Andersen’s tale “The Emperors New Clothes” said: “But he doesn’t have any clothes on!”
Why is Al Gore doing this road show about the climate crisis, without being able to make it understood what the problem is.
Less what the solution is.
I made a personal note that most of the time he was in company with the director for the Atlantic Airways which must be the one person symbolizing the largest amount of energy use in the Faeroe Islands.
Odd.
I know one reason is that the director of the Atlantic Airways liked to be seen with Al Gore.
But what strikes me odd is that Al Gore did not get with any of the 20 or so climate scientists present at the conference.
 |
| Bogi Hansen |
There’s
Bogi Hansen who’s the Atlantic’s Al Gore. His presentation and slides are not as nice as Al Gores, but on the other hand he’s a scientist and managed to explain even very complicated things in a way so that they made sense.
 |
| Bogi Hansen showing the Nordic Sea as a giant bathtub. |
If you gave him Al Gore’s art director, hairdresser and driver he would do a better show than Al Gore and do more for the climate than Al Gore.
Al Gore must have noted that many people could do a great job for the climate.
So why doesn’t Al Gore point at a guy like that, put him in the limelight and make another speaker for climate, another ambassador for a better tomorrow?
Wouldn’t cost him anything, wouldn’t make himself less popular or famous.
Thinking back, Al Gore’s slideshow doesn’t credit any people but his teacher in high school, his daughter and some harmless scientists playing with gas and fire. He doesn’t mention any important scientists, important solutions or any people whatsoever who might make a difference.
Everything he does points back to Al Gore.
No power given to anybody who could use it for something worthwhile and push more power or results back to Al Gore and the crusade for the environment.
It would be clever if it were a presidential campaign buildup. I don’t think it is.
“Been there, done that.” He’s not on the way back to the White House.
Is it as simple as something to do that is well paid? And a popular subject that it is easy to get agreement on as the wheel to popularity?
In fact, climate is so popular that many statesmen around the world have made them self spokespersons for the climate.
“We got to act on the climate changes.”
Which is something we all can agree.
Climate is good, we don’t want to loose that. Not that we understand what is it, what might happen or not. But we can agree we should keep climate.
I’m not a conspiracy guy that goes around and look for conspiracies every day, but in this case I did think, “Who’s benefiting from this?”
And all I could come up with was Al Gore. I can’t point at a gasoline company, Coca Cola, weapons industry, building industry, a country, an organization or any other interests that would clearly benefit from the stir Al Gore is making about climate.
But I decided to keep looking for some other reason than Noble Al Gore having something worthwhile to do, with a popular cause, while making a good living out of it.
Then some days ago I saw
this video:
 |
| The right to an education (UN Human Right no. 26) |
And I thought,
maybe that is it.As an example of what Al Gore is NOT speaking about.
It cost less than 50$ a year to have a child attend a normal good and sufficient school in third world countries. That’s 500$ to give full 10 years of school to a person.
Ever noted the difference between an educated, literate person and an illiterate one? The difference is considerable, not only in personal ability, but also that person’s ability to acknowledge and take responsibility for his family, the town, the society, the world.
What if your neighborhood didn’t have had a school? How would that have affected your life?
That is, I feel, an important issue, which I’m not reminded about very often. Even the problem is clear-cut and the solution is quite as clear cut and within reach.
Only thing needed is someone putting attention on it, hence the willingness for people and their governments to focus on it.
Many such real problems exist.
So could this be about all those things; all the problems and issues that we’re not supposed to raise questions about?
“Let’s focus on the climate!”
That is an odd choice, isn’t it?
But even worse: I don’t think it’s a conspiracy. I think it’s simply Al Gore’s way of thinking, his judgment and his priority. It’s a scary thought, but what if the man that was supposed to be the next president of the United States only see climate problems and not all the other issues actually threatening the planet and the people on it, in this very moment, but only see sea level raise 7 meters (23 feet) in 100 years?
Now, that is an interesting thought.
And what if – because it’s still if – the seal level raises 7 meters in 100 years?
Or even in 10 years?
What I remember from Al Gore’s movie, the memorial site of the Twin Towers, Gorund Zero, will be flooded.
Wow.
I know that in planning and building a new town at the harbor in my local city, 4,000 new apartments plus shops, business and parking houses and infrastructure finished in year 2012, a raise of sea level is implemented in the design.
It won’t mean a thing.
And in Hamburg, Germany, they have had the same raise in sea level implemented for years in designing and planning of new buildings and city areas.
So, Germany will continue to exist even if the ice melts.
But Ground Zero will be flooded. Which it was in fact before they build the Twin Towers because the building site is below sea level already.
Nevertheless.
It will be flooded again.But why bring such a problem to our attention? Think about it and make your own conclusions.
In the weeks up to meeting Al Gore I’ve also personally been speculating about what the actual problem was and what I was personally doing. You know, I’m a person and there’s 6 billons of me on the planet. So what have I been up to in this regard?
One thing was that I couldn’t exactly point out what the problem was, hence not what to do about it.
Environment is a good thing. Less energy usage is a good thing, if nor for any other reason, then to save on the energy bill.
So I summed up the impact: In our home we have implemented low energy bulbs. But mainly in those places where we anyway have light turned on all day and night. That is in the kitchen, the bathroom and some living rooms. We have about six light bulbs that never sleeps. Thee of them is energy saving bulbs now. The others aren’t because those are with a dimmer and you can’t use energy saving bulbs with a dimmer, so those are just dimmed at night.
In my reading lamps and in the living room where we have low energy light bulbs, I tend to turn them on early and leave them on for the entire evening, if I suspect I’ll be needing them later, so they are ready: Because low energy light bulbs tend to need to warm up for 5-10 minutes before the light gets the right color temperature and produce 100% the light expected from them.
But what else. I have a car that can drive long on gasoline, but we still dry stuff in the drying machine, which is the culprit in most households.
What else do we do? Not much, except blame the Americans that they use 40 times as much energy a person as an average European.
And then whenever we buy a new fridge, every ten years or so, we try to get one with a label saying “ecological” or something. Our Miele washing machine has that, though it is 12 years old. Makes you wonder, by the way, if the worth of such a label is anything but “better than the previous model.”
I guess, if someone really had a case and wanted to rely the message, they could do it better than it has factually been done by Al Gore.
Yes, I know about the Oscar, and I know about the Nobel Price.
But what is the actual outcome so far, in terms of changes, in terms of climate improvement or climate change slowing down?
Maybe he just likes to promote the idea that chaos (or even Armageddon) is coming?
I don’t know. Figure it out for yourself. But one thing I have learned, and which meeting Al Gore has confirmed is this:
Look, don’t listen. Look and see what you actual see. Call it ESP, call it intuition or anything you like.
But what your impression is, that’s usually the right one. No matter what other people is telling you.
Including me.
EpilogueWhat Al Gore’s presence did – and more thanks to those who thought out the idea of inviting him, as well as the sponsors who paid him to attend – was to put attention on some interesting and positive sides of climate innovation and progress at the
conference.
Solutions.
 |
| This dam supplies the Faeroe Islands with 30-50% of the electricity. |
The above is a huge dam on the Faeroe Islands that I visited in the snowstorm. It supplies 30% – 50% of the Faeroe Islands electricity consumption via water energy.
 |
| Faeroe Islands |
At the conference was twenty or more scientists, inventors and businessmen as speakers – and which all points to solutions and to the future.
 |
| Professor Corinna Schrum of University of Bergen |
This lady,
Corinna Schrum, is Professor at the University of Bergen, where she leads the research team on coastal and small scale oceanography. She basically spoke about the possibilities to work in this area in universities. But I liked the photo I did of her with her Mac AirBook, that’s why.
Climate crisis or not.
Reducing energy use and and improving CO2-production is good things for the atmosphere, for business, for economy.
Common sense. Easy to grasp.
 |
| L. Gilli Trónd of Ocean Rainforest Ltd |
This fellow,
L. Gilli Trónd, is the founder of
Ocean Rainforest, a company which is developing methods for
cultivating seaweeds on open seas, with the long term goal of offering a scalable alternative to bio-fuel production.
Not only would planting seaweeds on a large, but not that large, area of the oceans, solve all our CO2 production problems. In short; it would fix the climate crisis, Al Gore makes a living of describing. But moreover, you can use it for bio fuel – as well as a number of other things where it would take the place of existing materials such as plastic, etc. in building and production things.
 |
| Jan-Allan Müller of Injector Innovation Ltd |
This fellow,
Jan-Allan Müller, he’s in it for the money. He’s a former football player, in fact he was the very first pro football player of Faeroe Islands. But he’s a business man who, when he sees business opportunities where he can make some money by saving clients som money on fuel, pick up great scientific ideas and make them into business, including finding the investors the clients and all.
So far the companies he are heading,
Trawldoors Ltd and Injector Innovation Ltd, has marketed a trawl door (that’s the back doors of a large fishing ship) that
save 20% or so of the fuel used by those ships.
Another new invention is the ship propeller, which he is showing a small model of. That will also be sawing fuel – which equals money, energy and pollution.
Also, the many scientists did put things into perspective. Say, the trawl door that save energy, that’s great. But what was pointed out was that the result thereof would be more effective fishing because ships will put out bigger trawls – that’s the simple market economy of it. And that’s why it was also debated what to offer of other types of business to fishermen, as there would have to be fewer of them in the future (as there is not an unlimited amount of fish, so if the boats fish more per boat, ther has to be fewer boats. Simple as that.)
I think those Faeroese and foreign people brought the common sense, the ideas and the solutions to the world’s problems to the congress, without neglecting the “third wheel,” which is: When the future changes, which opportunities and problems will then unfold, and how might the world react to those (which in turn then again will create a new scenario of new problems and new possibilities).
And by that put Al Gore’s lack of direction, solutions and innovation into perspective.
For me at least.
Hei∂run Petersen (17)
I’ll get back to more from the Faeroe Islands. I have 8,000 pictures I'm sorting and doing feature stories on for magazines and newspapers. In closing, let's have some music. This lady is an award-winning violinist, Hei∂run Petersen, whom I just heard and saw playing in the break of the conference, had to shoot a series of, and not until later learned more about. I’ll get back to that in another post, another day – which will be the story of “The half symphony orchestra of the Faeroe Islands!”
Not kidding.
Meanwhile, let's hear your take on this climate crisis, Al Gore and the genious of the Faeroese entrepreneurs and scientists...
I think I would agree with Martin here that unfortunately people listen to celebs more than scientists. He could probably talk about anything and people would pay.
I think climate change and the science used to study it is very important for the long term understanding of the planet. I also think some people see it as a gravy train.
It was very interesting to see how Al Gore chose to repeat his film word for word without engaging with other scientists present. Maybe he isn't good at 'hoofing it'!
Great photographs as always.
Thanks for sharing with us, I am now a little wiser!
One could put a lot of words and thoughts on it, but I think I simply just got the concept of it by being there. That's what I mean, "look, don't listen"