Arts

Vancouver photog Kris Krüg on shooting the Gulf oil spill for TEDXOilExpedition/National Geographic

Granville editor talks to local photographer/citizen journalist ahead of the FreshMedia ReMixology event Wednesday night.

By Becky Gavigan /

Credit: Kris Krüg

Hilary Henegar talks to local photographer/citizen journalist ahead of the FreshMedia ReMixology event Wednesday night

 

“As we come up on the horizon in the plane, all the way to the left all you can see is oil, and all the way to the right all you can see is oil—and then you see seven boats out there cleaning it up,” said Kris Krüg. “And you’re like, ‘WTF?’ There’s no compartment in your brain where you can stick it in. It’s kind of like a bomb just dropped on your head.”
 

A confession:

Kris and I did this interview more than a month ago… I know, I know. The well has been capped, the oil dispersant is quickly dispatching the globs of crude (and the public’s attention), and we are all forgetting the anger, disgust, devastion—and, oh yeah, crippling sadness—we felt as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill continued to spew millions of gallons of oil into the ocean and all over a delicate ecosystem. But I was busy relaunching the site. Sorry.

 

I’ll make it up to you by letting you know about tonight’s FreshMedia ReMixology event. Kris will be sharing more of his photos and talking about the experience to moderator Gillian Shaw from the Vancouver Sun.

ReMixology

“Toward Cooperative Media Making: How can professional and citizen journalists collaborate?”

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

W2 Storyeum, 151 West Cordova, Vancouver

More info

After I got off the phone, I couldn’t decide whether to cry, scream or allow myself to simply shut down.

 

Earlier in the day, Kris Krüg, a well-known Vancouver photographer (among other things) who has blogged for Granville in the past, contacted me wanting to do an interview. He’d just come from a grueling one-week stint in the Gulf of Mexico, shooting the devastation wrought by BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill for National Geographic and TEDxOilSpillExpedition, and was amped to tell his story.

 

Speaking from his girlfriend’s family home in a suburban gated community of Florida, decompressing after a long stint on the road, Kris reflected on what he’d seen, the people he’d met and ways we in Vancouver can make a difference in the Gulf.
 

In the video slideshows below, listen as Kris talks about his experience shooting the Gulf in June 2010. His photos are incredible. So is his story.

 

All photography by Kris Krüg. Find more from the series on his Flickr stream.
Slideshows by Hilary Henegar.

 

I have the last part of the interview still to share but haven’t had a chance to put it together yet. It’s a crucial part though: After seeing the photos of horizon-to-horizon oil slicks and hearing of the Gulf communities Kris met whose lives will never be the same again, you’ll be feeling pretty gutted—which is why I asked for his thoughts on what we—little ol us living way up here in the la-la land of Vancouver—can do. His answer is great. And doable. And most importantly truly empowering.

 

Check back soon for that final piece!