Sony and Conservation International to bring 3D Wildlife Photography to Biodiversity Convention

Since 1995, CI and Sony have worked together to make global biodiversity accessible to audiences worldwide. This year, in addition to digital cameras, camcorders and editing equipment, Sony provided CI with NEX-5 interchangeable lens digital cameras with 3D capabilities to enable CI photographers to capture some of the first-ever 3D images.

Using Sony’s 3D technology, CI’s President Dr. Russ Mittermeier and photographer John Martin traveled to Suriname’s Central Nature Reserve – a protected area of the country that has rarely, if ever, been visited by humans in modern times. While there, Martin was able to photograph dense rainforests, often difficult to portray with traditional photography, in 3D significantly improving the image viewing experience. Because the forests of Suriname play an important role in mitigating the effects of global climate change, CI and Sony hope that bringing these 3D images to the conference will inspire attendees to support the conservation of biodiversity all over the world.

Sony’s 3D technology was also used to capture still images of Brazil’s biologically diverse area of Pantanal. The Pantanal is the world’s largest wetland and has the highest concentration of fauna in the Americas. CI sent Brazilian photographer Luciano Candisani, who has a long history of working in the open plains of the Pantanal, to experiment with how 3D could portray life in the region with a fresh perspective. As COP10 attendees will see, the results are captivating. Sony and CI will continue to explore how 3D photography and video can help achieve conservation results.