ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Camille Seaman - Photographer
TED Senior Fellow Camille Seaman photographs big ice and big clouds.

Why you should listen

Camille Seaman takes photographs all over the world using digital and film cameras in multiple formats. Since 2003, her work has concentrated on the fragile environment of the polar regions. Her current project concerns the beauty of natural environments in Siberia. 

Seaman's photographs have been published in Newsweek, Outside, Zeit Wissen, Men's Journal and more, and she has self-published many books on themes like “My China” and “Melting Away: Polar Images” through Fastback Creative Books, a company that she co-founded. In 2008, she was honored with a one-person exhibition, The Last Iceberg, at the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC.

Read the TED Blog's Q&A with Camille Seaman >>

Browse a gallery of stormcloud photos >>

More profile about the speaker
Camille Seaman | Speaker | TED.com
TED2011

Camille Seaman: Haunting photos of polar ice

Camille Seaman: Photographies fascinantes de la glace polaire

Filmed:
1,161,964 views

La photographe Camille Seaman photographie des icebergs et révèle au monde la beauté complexe de ces énormes et très anciens morceaux de glace. Découvrez son magnifique diaporama, "Le Dernier Iceberg".
- Photographer
TED Senior Fellow Camille Seaman photographs big ice and big clouds. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:15
As an artist,
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En tant qu'artiste,
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connection is very important to me.
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ce qui nous unit est très important pour moi.
00:19
Through my work I'm trying to articulate
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Par mon travail, j'essaie de démontrer
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that humans are not separate from nature
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que les humains ne sont pas séparés de la nature
00:25
and that everything is interconnected.
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et que tout est inter-relié.
00:29
I first went to Antarctica almost 10 years ago,
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La première fois que je suis allée en Antarctique c'était il y a 10 ans,
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where I saw my first icebergs.
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c'est là que j'ai vu mes premiers icebergs.
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I was in awe.
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J'étais en admiration.
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My heart beat fast, my head was dizzy,
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Mon cœur battait, la tête me tournait,
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trying to comprehend what it was that stood in front of me.
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j'essayais de comprendre ce je voyais devant moi.
00:42
The icebergs around me
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Je me trouvais devant des icebergs
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were almost 200 feet out of the water,
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hauts de 60 mètres au-dessus de l'eau
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and I could only help but wonder
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et je ne pouvais pas faire autrement que m'imaginer
00:49
that this was one snowflake
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que chaque iceberg n'était en fait qu'un flocon de neige
00:51
on top of another snowflake,
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par-dessus un autre flocon de neige,
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year after year.
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année après année.
00:55
Icebergs are born
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Les icebergs naissent
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when they calve off of glaciers
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en se détachant du glaciers
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or break off of ice shelves.
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ou des plates-formes de glace.
01:05
Each iceberg has its own individual personality.
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Chaque iceberg a sa personnalité qui lui est propre.
01:09
They have a distinct way
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Ils ont une façon bien à eux
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of interacting with their environment
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d'interagir avec leur environnement
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and their experiences.
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et sa propre expérience.
01:16
Some refuse to give up
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Certains refusent d'abandonner
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and hold on to the bitter end,
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et tiennent bon jusqu'à la toute fin,
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while others can't take it anymore
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tandis que d'autres n'en peuvent plus
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and crumble in a fit of dramatic passion.
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et s'effondrent dans un spectacle émouvant.
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It's easy to think, when you look at an iceberg,
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On est porté à croire, lorsqu'on regarde un iceberg,
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that they're isolated,
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qu'il est isolé,
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that they're separate and alone,
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seul, séparé du reste,
01:33
much like we as humans sometimes view ourselves.
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un peu comme nous nous percevons nous-mêmes, parfois.
01:36
But the reality is far from it.
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Mais la réalité est toute autre.
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As an iceberg melts,
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Lorsqu'un iceberg fond,
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I am breathing in
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je peux respirer
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its ancient atmosphere.
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son atmosphère qui remonte aux temps anciens.
01:44
As the iceberg melts,
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Lorsqu'un iceberg fond,
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it is releasing mineral-rich fresh water
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il libère de l'eau fraîche riche en minéraux
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that nourishes many forms of life.
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qui nourrit diverses formes de vie.
01:54
I approach photographing these icebergs
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Quand je photographie ces icebergs
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as if I'm making portraits of my ancestors,
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c'est comme si je photographiais mes ancêtres,
02:00
knowing that in these individual moments
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sachant qu'en cet instant
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they exist in that way
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ils existent sous une forme
02:05
and will never exist that way again.
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et qu'ils n'existeront plus jamais sous cette même forme.
02:07
It is not a death when they melt;
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Quand un iceberg fond, ce n'est pas la mort;
02:09
it is not an end,
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ce n'est pas la fin,
02:11
but a continuation
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mais c'est la continuité
02:13
of their path through the cycle of life.
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de leur cheminement à travers le cycle de la vie.
02:21
Some of the ice in the icebergs that I photograph is very young --
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Une partie de la glace des icebergs que je photographie est très jeune --
02:25
a couple thousand years old.
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à peine deux mille ans.
02:27
And some of the ice
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Et une autre partie de la glace
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is over 100,000 years old.
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a plus de cent mille ans.
02:41
The last pictures I'd like to show you
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La dernière photo que j'aimerais vous montrer
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are of an iceberg that I photographed
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est celle d'un iceberg que j'ai photographié
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in Qeqetarsuaq, Greenland.
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à Qeqetarsuaq, au Groenland.
02:48
It's a very rare occasion
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Il est très rare
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that you get to actually witness
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de pouvoir observer
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an iceberg rolling.
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un iceberg qui tourne sur lui-même.
02:54
So here it is.
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Alors voici.
02:56
You can see on the left side a small boat.
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Vous voyez le petit bateau à gauche?
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That's about a 15-foot boat.
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Il mesure environ cinq mètres.
03:02
And I'd like you to pay attention
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J'aimerais que vous portiez votre attention
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to the shape of the iceberg
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à la forme de l'iceberg
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and where it is at the waterline.
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et où il se situe par rapport au niveau de l'eau.
03:09
You can see here, it begins to roll,
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Comme vous pouvez le voir, il commence à tourner sur lui-même.
03:11
and the boat has moved to the other side, and the man is standing there.
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Le bateau est maintenant à sa droite et il y a un homme sur le pont.
03:13
This is an average-size Greenlandic iceberg.
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Il s'agit d'un iceberg du Groenland de taille moyenne.
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It's about 120 feet above the water,
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Sa partie émergeante mesure près de 40 mètres,
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or 40 meters.
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ou 120 pieds.
03:21
And this video is real time.
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Ce vidéo est en temps réel.
03:23
(Music)
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(Musique)
03:52
And just like that,
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Voilà, en moins d'une minute,
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the iceberg shows you a different side of its personality.
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cet iceberg vous révèle une autre face de sa personnalité.
03:58
Thank you.
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Merci.
04:00
(Applause)
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(Applaudissements)
Translated by pascale lortie
Reviewed by Laura Leotta

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Camille Seaman - Photographer
TED Senior Fellow Camille Seaman photographs big ice and big clouds.

Why you should listen

Camille Seaman takes photographs all over the world using digital and film cameras in multiple formats. Since 2003, her work has concentrated on the fragile environment of the polar regions. Her current project concerns the beauty of natural environments in Siberia. 

Seaman's photographs have been published in Newsweek, Outside, Zeit Wissen, Men's Journal and more, and she has self-published many books on themes like “My China” and “Melting Away: Polar Images” through Fastback Creative Books, a company that she co-founded. In 2008, she was honored with a one-person exhibition, The Last Iceberg, at the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC.

Read the TED Blog's Q&A with Camille Seaman >>

Browse a gallery of stormcloud photos >>

More profile about the speaker
Camille Seaman | Speaker | TED.com

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