2025 SDN Visual Storytelling Festival Speaker Series

Crossroads of Climate Action
Visual Narratives of Communities on the Frontline

Tuesday, April 22, 1:30 pm ET via Zoom

Jakob Dall
Pamela Elizarraras Acitores
Kiliii Yuyan
Justin Dalaba, Moderator 

Greenlandic hunter Qumangaapik Kvist takes a smoke break on his qamutit, or sled, on a long day of unsucessful seal hunting. Traditional subsistence hunting remains common today in the town of Qaanaaq, Greenland, although the hard work and meager financial rewards mean few young people like Quma are interested in continuing this way of life that has endured for millennia. Income from subsistence hunting has drastically declined in the wake of animal rights activism, beginning in the 80s with the ban on seal products to current day, as quotas have been imposed on narwhal hunting, superseding traditional hunting stewardship.Photograph by Kiliii Yuyan.

Join us for an inspiring virtual panel discussion around climate change and advocacy during he Social Documentary Network’s 2025 Visual Storytelling Festival. Three world-renowned explorers and documentary photographers will share their unique perspectives on stories at the intersection of climate justice and environmental challenges across continents and culture. Each photographer will offer insights into their approach and mission behind projects exploring social and cultural impacts of climate change in collaboration with scientists, indigenous leaders, and NGOs. We hope this session will empower individuals seeking to make change through visual storytelling in their respective communities.
 

Justin Dalaba

Justin Dalaba is a conservation photographer and videographer working to advance understanding of climate challenges and solutions in collaboration with researchers and indigenous partners across the Northeast U.S. Originally trained as a conservation biologist, he embraced visual storytelling to share impactful stories that inspire change. While pursuing his Master’s in multimedia communications at Newhouse School in Syracuse, New York, he became the first recipient of The Alexia student conservation grant. He has been stalked by a Florida panther, mistaken for a spawning salmon, and shared an outhouse with the world’s only alpine parrot.
 

Jakob Dall

Jakob Dall is a international award-winning freelance photojournalist based in Copenhagen and works for daily newspapers, magazines and NGOs worldwide. He has also worked as photo editor and photographer at the newspapers Dagbladet Information and Berlingske Tidende in Denmark. Jakob Dall´s photo stories focus on how individuals are affected by events which often receive little media coverage. Through his photos of people from areas of conflict, disaster and crisis he wishes to show the faces and the realities of life in areas that need attention and help from the international community.

In parallel with his frequent assignments for different NGOs, Jakob is working on a personal long-term project “Climate Change Documentary” about the impact climate change has on living conditions and daily life for people around the world. Dall has won awards from World Press Photo, Picture of the Year International (POYi), Picture of the year Denmark and the international EISA award for his photoessay about climate change impacts in Ethiopia. He has also received the photographers “Fogtdals Grant” to continue his specific work with climate change impacts around the world.
 

Kiliii Yuyan

Kiliii Yuyan, a photographer of Chinese and Nanai/Hèzhé (East Asian Indigenous) descent, creates photographic stories for National Geographic and other major publications. His projects in the Arctic, and with Indigenous cultures have required wilderness survival, coldwater diving, and a penchant for listening. Kiliii has survived a stalking polar bear, eaten mangoes from the stomach of a fruit bat, and found kinship at the edges of the world. In 2023, Kiliii received the National Geographic Eliza Scidmore Award for Outstanding Storytelling and was named one of PDN's 30 top photographers in 2019. His work appears in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Amon Carter Museum, and has been honored by numerous photographic awards. He educates and inspires with speaking events around the world.
 

Pamela Elizarraras Acitores

Pamela is a documentary photographer and explorer from Mexico, who has built a body of visual work around climate justice and gender equality. 

She is one of the founders of Climate Words, empowering action through climate literacy,  and Latinas for Climate, creating gender equality in environmental initiatives. Drawing on her background in product design and her expertise in photojournalism, Pamela weaves design thinking with storytelling to craft impactful frontline stories, inspiring action and fostering climate optimism through her work. 

She is a member of The Explorers Club, Protect Our Winters, and Arctic Angels, and local Arc’teryx Ambassador, leveraging her role to amplify climate action and inspire collective change.

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