Humans are shaped by animals’ bodies, minds, and spirits,
but we often do not take the time to appreciate them in all of their beauty.
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| A photo of two elephants taken by Frans Lanting. |
Frans Lanting gave this Ted Talk at a Ted Conference TED2014
in March of 2014. The purpose of his speech was to encourage people to look to
animals, and live their lives more similarly to them. He was both promoting his
photography, as well as encouraging humans to be better versions of themselves.
Lanting has traveled the world in pursuit of his art. He has lived with the
animals, and had many experiences that most humans will not have the joy of
partaking in. With this, he brings the public the gift of his work.
Lanting speaks of a tribal story that talks of how all
animals on earth are the same, and even though they look different on the
outside, their souls are the same. When they would all meet together for a
sacred ritual, they would all take off their skins and dance. A human came to
the cave and laughed at the spectacle because of a lack of understanding. The
animals were embarrassed, so they fled. And this was the last time that the
animals revealed themselves so truly. It is this lack of understanding that
Lanting wishes to address in his Ted Talk. His goal is to connect people with
animals through his photography, and help them see into their souls. Lanting
wants to reach beyond genetic differences, and allow people to see the
similarities between all animals and species. Humans must rejoice in the unity
of life and try to return to the time that once existed during the sacred
dancing ritual, and learn to join the animals.
Lanting’s speech relied heavily on the visual aids, as he
was talking about his photography. His stories of his experiences provided
sound, first hand evidence for his arguments. His gestures and movements were
extremely minimal so as to not distract from the pictures being shown. His
voice was calm, steady, and soothing, which helped the audience to be drawn
into the natural beauty of all of the animals being showcased. The audience was
captivated during the entire speech, remaining very quiet, but attentive to
what Lanting was saying. Lanting is a very well known photographer, and has
been featured in National Geographic, as
well as Audubon and Time. Because of this, the
audience most likely had very high expectations of Lanting’s work and ideas. Overall,
this Ted talk was very influential, and should help many to see why the symbiotic
relationship between humans and animals is so important, and that a greater
understanding and friendship can and should be reached.
This Ted Talk can be found here.
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