CRISTINA GOETTSCH MITTERMEIER, one of the most influential conservation photographers of our time, has dedicated her life to protecting the world’s oceans and wild places – inspiring millions to do the same. In 2005, she founded the International League of Conservation Photographers to provide a platform for photographers working on environmental issues, coining the phrase “conservation photography.” In 2014, she co-founded SeaLegacy, a nonprofit using strategic communications at the intersection of art, science, and conservation to protect and rewild the ocean for the benefit of biodiversity, humanity and climate.

Mittermeier is honored with many notable awards, including the Smithsonian Conservation Photographer of the Year, the Humanity Content Creator Award from HIPA and the Imaging Award for Photographers Who Give Back. In 2021, she received the Seattle Aquarium’s Sylvia Earle Medal and Travel + Leisure’s Global Vision Award and was named one of the 100 Latinos Most Committed to Climate Action. Additionally, she is a World Photographic Academy member and the first female photographer to reach 1M followers on Instagram. Her work has been published in 100s of magazines and media outlets, including National Geographic, TIME, CNN, McLean’s, and O. She is a Sony Artisan of Imagery and aligns with Rolex’s Perpetual Planet initiative to preserve the natural world.

Born: 1966

Hometown: Mexico City, Mexico

Education: Biochemical Engineer/Fisheries and Marine Biology

Occupation: SeaLegacy co-founder, photojournalist, author, artist

Expeditions: More than 135 countries to date

Favorite Place: Home

Best Discovery: Life is a fast ride. There are no second opportunities to ride again, so I make lists of the things I can still accomplish and look forward to as 1 age

Favorite Item In The Field: Our boat, the SeaLegacy 1

Personal Heroes: Sylvia Earle, Jane Goodall, my husband

Hobbies: gardening, cooking, watercolors, guitar

Website: https://www.cristinamittermeier.com

Advice: Make lists.