Louie Schwartzberg: Nature Is Our Greatest Spiritual Teacher

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1:03I'm Oprah Winfrey. Welcome to Super Soul Conversations, the podcast. I believe that one of the most valuable gifts you can give yourself is time. Taking time to be more fully present. Your journey to become more inspired and connected to the deeper world around us starts right now. Louis Schwartzberg sees the world through a different lens, and nowhere is that more apparent than in his short film called Gratitude. Gratitude began as a passion project for Louis, combining his stunning imagery with the moving words and narration of spiritual leader and Benedictine monk, Brother David Steindlrost.

1:47It is a celebration of the gift of life and a call to open our hearts to the everyday wonders that surround us. When Louis screened Gratitude as part of a regional TEDx talk, he had no idea how the film would be received. Much to his surprise, it resonated well beyond the audience he spoke to that day, picking up steam online and garnering more than 6 million views around the world. It serves as a beautiful reminder of what many of us already know, that Gratitude has the power to transform lives. Please welcome Louis Schwartzberg. Great to be here. It's so great to have you here. Well, I just want to say that I think it's the most fundamental lesson that you can take away from Super Soul Sunday.

2:32And one of the things we talk about all the time here is gratitude. Did you have any inkling that the gratitude video would go viral? Was that your idea? Was that your intention? It was part of a TED Talk I did about nature and beauty. And when they posted it, it kind of hung there for a while and then boom, it went viral. And I really had no idea it would do that. But I think it resonated with people. I think there's a hunger out there where people want to connect to something that's bigger than themselves. And I think through the portal of nature, it can open your heart and you can develop gratitude for the little things in life.

3:05It's so easy to be grateful for a flower, for a bug, for a beautiful day. This is what I've come to know, that nature is our greatest spiritual teacher. You know, I see God as nature, nature as God. I see it all intertwined. So what has nature taught you? Oh, it is God. Because it is life personified. And to be able to capture it in the way I do it with time lapse and slow motion, I'm able to kind of unveil the mystery of nature. So you may not have known Louis' name before now, but you have most certainly seen his work. With a career spanning more than three decades, acclaimed photographer and filmmaker Louis Schwartzberg has turned his passion for capturing nature's beauty into his life's work.

3:59An award winning cinematographer, he is a master of the art of time-lapse photography. It was when he was a student at UCLA that Louis discovered his gift for visual storytelling, finding his voice through his innovative approaches to photographing nature. Over the years, he accumulated a library of breathtaking footage that first caught the attention of advertisers. And eventually, other TV and film producers took note, wanting to use Louis' awe-inspiring shots in their projects. Today, Louis remains as dedicated as ever, capturing nature's beauty to touch people's hearts. His feature films, including the 3D IMAX Mysteries of the unseen world spotlight the wonders of life we tend to overlook or take for granted.

4:47Louis' TED Talk on the beauty of pollination will forever change the way you feel about these amazing insects. By capturing and sharing the everyday miracles that our eyes may otherwise never witness, Louis Schwartzberg hopes we will experience a deeper spiritual connection to the world around us. Your work often lets us, I think, see the unseen, things that, you know, are too fast or too slow or too small or too vast. And I know you're fascinated with bees. Tell us why. Well, when I heard about the fact that the bees were disappearing, which is perhaps the most serious environmental threat to mankind, because a third of the food we eat comes from a pollinating plant.

5:33So I learned that bees, bats, butterflies, hummingbirds, that relationship with flowers provides the food we need. And the reason why I wanted to tell that story... We kill the bees. We kill the bees off, we're killing ourselves. Exactly. It's the web of life. Yeah. And so it's a, not only is it an important environmental story, it became a spiritual story. because basically the intersection between the animal world and the plant world is where life regenerates itself over and over billions of times each day. It's the foundation of life on our planet. So it's a keystone event, but it's also a spiritual and mystical event.

6:13Yeah, just like everything in nature is. Yes. How were you able to get this close to the bees without being harmed by them? Well, we created a little mini set so that I could get in there with a macro lens. and we get to experience their world. You know, like a redwood tree looks at us like we're scurrying ants, but then a mosquito looks at us like we're a big giant moving in slow motion. What I think is wonderful to share with people through the magic of cinematography is that there are other worlds and we get to experience that world and what that does, I think it opens your heart and makes you realize we have blinders on.

6:48We can't just live in our own little reality. There are many realities and guess what? they're real and I can show that to people. And that's what you're doing through your photography. Yes. When did you know that? I mean, did you start out wanting to do that? I, it came out of necessity when I graduated from UCLA. Well, I always wanted to shoot in 35 millimeter film, but I couldn't afford it. So when you shoot time lapse, you're shooting like one frame every 20 minutes. So it would take me like a month to shoot a four minute roll of film, which I could afford. But it opened my heart because it's a transformational experience to see a flower open and close.

7:25What you're seeing is like life to death. And that opens your mind and your heart in a spiritual way to the transformative relationship of life on our planet. Yeah, that's so interesting because I feel that way. One of my favorite things to do in life is to sit under the oaks at my house. And sometimes when the leaves are falling, I see that as the transition of... I don't even see it as life to death. I see it as life to another form. Right. Because, you know, all energy just changes. Yes. All just changes form. Yes. So you're one of the pioneers of the art of time lapse photography. You were doing this before people even knew what it was.

8:06Yes. Right? Yes. When did it occur to you that this was a way to, I just love this. Well, it takes you into the world that is, you know, a portal into nature. wisdom, nature's intelligence. You know, we didn't know that plants could move and crawl and creep to the light. It just opens up your consciousness to the fact that there are other worlds, just like your dreams are another world. But this is real. So how long is this really? The time lapse? Time lapse of these shots could take like a month, you know, to get the vines going up a tree and for the flower to open up a passion flower. And they're saying, I'm alive.

8:49I'm, I need to get pollinated, you know. I need to be in that cycle of life. I'm alive. Come on, bees. I need, I need to reproduce. Mm-hmm. Which is a beautiful, life-affirming idea. But how did you know that before, I mean, how did you know before you did the first time lapse film, before you did that vine? Okay, so we see that and we see a vine as a living, moving, creeping, crawling thing, which I'm sure a lot of us until this moment never even thought of it as. It's a living, creeping, moving thing. Alive. It's alive. Well, most people, they walk by flowers. They don't think of them as moving.

9:26Yes. But through time-lapse, we see that they're actually in motion. They're dancing. They're doing the dance of life. Yeah.

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10:54Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free. That is Upwork.com to connect with top talent ready to help your business grow. That's U-P-W-O-R-K.com, Upwork.com. so you've been filming flowers for 35 years yes 24 hours a day seven days a week non-stop because i end up only shooting like two seconds per 24 hours per day so i've squeezed 35 years into 12 hours of material because it takes time to do it i kind of call it compressed energy and I do it purely because of the beauty. But then when I learned about the bees disappearing, I said, well, it's a bigger story here because it's really about survival.

11:43This is a love story that feeds the earth. Yeah, it's so interesting because you see that they are alive. They're opening, it's a heart opener, isn't it? It's a heart opener, yeah. Completely. And you don't have to use words. So you film for 35 years to compress down to 12 hours worth of footage? Yes, yes. Wow. Because all these may take four days, five days a week to see him actually move. Four days or five days before he actually... For every shot. For every shot. Yeah. Wow. So you never get tired of shooting flowers? Never. Because these are magic moments that I want to capture. And then, you know, if I'm in Maui and you see a beautiful sunset, it's not good enough for me just to enjoy that.

12:24I hate to say it. I'm a bit of a workaholic and compulsive. I want to share it with the world. That's my mission. You were like, well, I don't do photography other than now with my iPhone. Everybody thinks you're a photographer. But I will tell you this, that beautiful things in nature are too good not to share. And it's a ritual for us who live in, for those of us who live in Maui. All my neighbors call each other. A lot of people come and sit on my porch for the sunset. And we compare sunsets. Like, oh boy, last Tuesday, you should have seen that one. And then, oh, this one doesn't compare to the one that we, I mean, you should have seen last summer.

13:02We're still talking about one the summer of 2009. We really are. Like, every time there's a great sunset, my friend Bob will go, well, it doesn't compare to 2009. It's the greatest show on Earth. It is the greatest show on Earth. If they charged, there'd be hordes of people doing it. But because it's free, I think we sort of take it for granted. Except I will say that there are places on Earth, Maui being one of them, other parts of hot white where people do take the time to stop. And, you know, photographers have a different way of seeing the world. My brain is always thinking where it's a perfect place to be to capture that magic moment.

13:38And I'm always, it's like catching a wave. You know, it's not just shooting the sunset. Isn't it amazing how everyone is different, too? Yeah. Every wave is different. Every sunset is different. Right. The light every day is different. Yeah. Yeah. And so therefore it's a gift. So you were a city child. Yeah. Born in New York City. When was the first time you remember connecting with nature? Well, my parents were Holocaust survivors, so they never really experienced nature. And I think the only thing I ever did in Brooklyn was, like, I raced popsicle sticks down the gutter. When I went to UCLA...

14:09You raced popsicle sticks down the gutter? Yeah. That was my closest nature experience. I hadn't heard that one before. But do you know what's cool? When I finally experienced nature when I was in college, in a day or two, you automatically connect. So even though I didn't have it in my upbringing, your heart connects because you're back home. You don't need a lot of education to really get the idea to connect. But I think so many people, even watching this now, are thinking, I'm going to ask you this question. How do you connect to nature? I think unless you live in an open space or you live in an area where nature is a part of your daily life, I think most people, as you say, you pass a flower by and you basically ignore it.

14:54You don't pay any attention to the tree in your yard. I think you have to slow down. You can do it in your backyard. You can do it in the park. Yes. But if you go into, like, you know, nature's wonders, a place like a national park, for example, you're in a temple that will open your heart instantly because what you're doing, it's looking into a mirror. Every cell in your body is rejoicing at the fact that you're looking at energy. that is a reflection of physically who you are and spiritually who you are. Absolutely. But you don't even have to go as far as a natural part. You know, one of the things that excites me, particularly in the springtime, is when the baby grass is coming in.

15:32Yeah. And it's baby grass green, which is my favorite color on Earth. It's baby grass green. What is the thing that excites you the most in nature? Oh, there's so much. I think recently I've been shooting slow motion shots of things like hummingbirds and bees, bats, and butterflies. Let's talk about hummingbirds. Aren't they special? They're incredible. I mean, they're so territorial. They're feisty. I didn't know that. I mean, they actually can float in midair. And we don't see that with the naked eye. Because this is slow, slow, slow, slow, slow down. Yeah, 16 times slower than normal. So this is what it's like to be a hummingbird, which is so cool.

16:13God, I hope I can have a dream that I'm a hummingbird. So when you first recognized that nature was your passion, did you immediately feel a heart opening? Absolutely, because when people see these images, it's one common phrase over and over. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. And I thought about what that means. I think the O means it makes you present. Yes. The my means it's connecting deep inside your soul, letting your inner voice come out. And God is that universal energy we all want to be connected to. And it's a common reaction every time. The jaw drops. It's like, oh, my God. So I want that heart open.

16:54I'm basically like, in a sense, like yourself, a messenger. I'm just communicating that energy to open up people's hearts. And nature is an important message because what it's saying to me is that we need to live in harmony with the planet. And we need to protect it and save it. And one of the ways is through beauty. Beauty is nature's operating instructions. It'll tell you exactly how to live your life. Beauty is nature's operating instructions. Tell me how that is. Explain that. Because it motivates you to make the right choices by seducing you with color and taste and touch and smell to do the right things.

17:31I mean, a romantic poet would say it's love. The scientists call it manipulation. But basically, it's about DNA moving forward. It's about the creative evolutionary process moving forward, because beauty is the dance of life that every creature is doing. And so it isn't just pure seduction. It's about life moving forward. That's critical. You've said that shooting nature has helped you to become more mindful, more present. How is that? I think it slows you down to appreciate the moment by connecting with what is deepest, the deepest part of your soul. And when you do that, then you appreciate the little things in life.

18:13And I think that cultivates gratitude, it cultivates compassion, it connects you with the outside world. I mean, if you look at it from a scientific point of view for a moment, right, light energy going into your eyes, activating your retinas, sending electrical impulses to the brain to create an image. And that sends electrical impulses to your heart. And that's when you feel compassion and a connection to the outside world. Because we sort of do live in our heads. True? Right. But when you feel an emotional connection to the outside world, then again, you will do whatever it takes to protect it.

18:50Because we're hardwired to protect what we fall in love with. Do you consider your films to be a visual meditation? It is a visual meditation. I think it's actually visual healing. You don't have to think about it intellectually. You just have to, I think, let go and feel it emotionally. Does looking through a lens give you a different perspective literally and also figuratively? It does because I'm able to kind of compose and shape what I want people to see with the tools of cinematography, whether it's focus and composition and lighting, things that nature taught me. And I think it does, it kind of becomes more concentrated energy.

19:33And I think as artists, that's our job is to help people see things that perhaps we don't see on the surface. I know that focus is critical to your art, but you also believe that focus can be a spiritual practice. Absolutely. Life is a force of energy. That's what we don't realize. Life is a force of energy, and I think it's unstoppable. Well, that's what we talk about on this show all the time, that that's what we all are. We all are emitting an energy field and an energy force. And one of my favorite lessons from Jill Bolte-Taylor is that you have to be responsible for the energy that you carry and bring into the presence of other people and also into the world.

20:14We truly do stand on the shoulders of our ancestors, and we're just a link in that evolutionary change. Hey, it's Paige from Giggly Squad. Summer gave your home a workout. Cookouts, long weekends, probably at-home improvement lists that never quite got finished. And now it's fall's turn. And Lowe's is making the changeover easy with their Labor Day deals. Right now, save up to 45 % off select major appliances. So if something's been on your list, this is the time. Doing laundry? You can save an extra$100 on select laundry pairs. And if you're getting the yard ready for fall, head over and grab three bags of Miracle-Gro 0.75 cubic foot garden soil for just$10.

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21:40Do you know, having cameras, I was mentioning this a few moments ago, that having cameras in our phones has made everybody think that they're a photographer. Right. What can we learn about ourselves from the kinds of photos that we shoot or snap? I think if you take photos of what you connect and recognize as the deepest part of your soul, what's great is we have these phones and we can capture that at any moment. Yeah. So basically, it almost become like breadcrumbs on a trail. Yeah. Because what's beautiful is to look back and ask yourself, can I feel that same emotion that I felt at the time I took that photo?

22:14Because guess what? You've changed since you took that photo. Could have been a day ago, could have been a year ago. And you can measure how you've grown and how you've evolved over time. By what's important to you. Exactly. Yeah. Whether or not you're still taking pictures of French toast or have you evolved to Monarch butterflies. Whatever turns you on. Whatever turns you on. Yeah, there may be some spiritual value in French toast, too. Or a rusty nail or a fire hydrant. Yeah, yeah. You told my producers that in your photography, one of the things you're trying to do is shift people's consciousness.

22:50How is that? I think by being a messenger for nature. And basically, I think what I'm hearing the planet saying to me and nature is that they need to live in harmony with the planet because we are kind of off in the wrong direction. Yeah. We're hurting the ecosystem that gives us life. And I think they're just saying, hey, let's get our, you got to get your act together. Do you think though, Louis, that we have to reach a point where something desperate and disastrous happens before we wake up to it? Like we lose all the bees and we lose our ability to produce, you know, you know, half the world's food.

23:30I mean, do you think something really drastic has to happen before we get it? We have all the answers to fix the environment. What we're missing is a change in behavior. And that requires a shift. Or a plan. My favorite line from Katrina, Anderson Cooper, when he was down interviewing the mayor, and the mayor was saying, we were hoping that the levees wouldn't break. We were hoping that people would take care of their... We were hoping. And he said, hope is not a plan. Right. Hope is not a plan. We need a plan. We do need a plan and we need to change our behavior. And I'm an optimist. And I believe that nature will hopefully guide us in the right direction.

24:08Nature's trying. They're trying. Nature's trying. And I'm trying to connect to people's hearts. Because if you give people a to-do list, oh, you should recycle or do this or do that, they're not going to do it. But if you fall in love with something, it hurts to throw away a piece of paper when you love a forest. We're hardwired to protect what we love. And I want people to fall in love with nature in order to protect it. So my producers tell me that you have another project that you're excited about. Yes. Now you're in love with mushrooms? Yes, because mushrooms create soil. Without soil, no plants.

24:42Without plants, no people. It's the largest organism on the planet. It's got a fiber network under the ground that communicates. Mushrooms do? Yeah. Mushrooms are the fruit, and mycelium is the root structure. They found a patch in Oregon that's 2 ,500 acres. Mushrooms are the giant internet of nature. They're everywhere under the ground, transmitting nutrients and information for life to prosper. To the soil. Yeah, and it doesn't have a brain, but it's conscious and intelligent. And just because we don't understand the language of nature doesn't mean it's not intelligent. It's just our inadequacy to be able to communicate with nature.

25:27So nature has its own language. Totally. It's the language of the living universe. I believe that. Yeah, it's true. I believe that. So you have filmed now in what, 54 countries, I read? Yes. 54 countries all over the world. Yeah. How has your work around the world influenced your view of life and spirituality? I've noticed that everywhere in the world, people want the same thing. Amen to that. They wanted just the best for their kids, shelter, food, love, happiness. But we all do it differently, which is beautiful. The diversity of cultures around the world is extraordinary, but it all comes down to the same basic needs.

26:09We all want the same thing. Exactly. And what is that thing that you would say we all want? Well, happiness, love, shelter, comfort. Yeah. I would say too, I would add to that, we all want to know that we matter. Yeah. Yeah. That our being here meant something and means something. Right. Would you say? By being connected and feeling that you're connected to something that's greater than yourself. Yeah, greater than yourself. And that's why I've built this library of magic moments that I've accumulated over the years. And somehow I pieced it together into a story like the story you want to tell about the world.

26:49I don't know at the moment why I'm capturing that particular moment, but I know it's part of a greater story. And that story is to share how we're all connected and how beauty does motivate and open our hearts. What is the soul? I think the soul is a window into a living universe that makes us celebrate life. Okay. Finish these sentences. The world needs... The world needs to live in harmony with nature in order to create a sustainable planet for our children. I believe. I believe that life is a force of energy. Art is. Art is being in the creative zone, and it's a reflection of the creative energy of a living universe.

27:38Good. Photography is. Photography is my practice and my way of connecting with the outside world. Nature is? Nature is truth manifesting the order and the intelligence of a living universe. Really good. Beauty is? Beauty is our heart opener that will make us fall in love with the planet in order to protect it. I find joy in? Capturing magic moments to share with people. What is your definition of God? That's a biggie. Yeah. I think it's a sense of wonder at realizing that life is a force of energy and we need to celebrate life. What do you think is the purpose of human experience? to be connected with the living universe and realize you're just playing a small part in it what do you know for sure that everything is energy and life is change what do you think happens when we die that's our question you know the older we get doesn't doesn't seem like life accelerates and gets faster and faster it does and then people say like right before they die they see their life passed before them yeah so perhaps at the moment that you die it all accelerates so fast, puts you into a time warp where you just go into another portal of time and space.

29:09That's what you think happens. I do. What a pleasure. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. That's great. I'm Oprah Winfrey, and you've been listening to Super Soul Conversations, the podcast. You can follow Super Soul on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you haven't yet, go to Apple Podcasts and subscribe, rate, and review this podcast. Join me next week for another Super Soul Conversation. Thank you for listening.

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