Paul Nicklen
Role: National Geographic photographer, filmmaker, conservationist Affiliation: National Geographic, Sea Legacy (co-founder) First appearance: 2016 (Wetpixel coverage of eBook release)
Biography
Paul Nicklen is a Canadian wildlife and nature photographer, filmmaker, and ocean conservationist best known for his more than two decades of work documenting Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems for National Geographic. He is internationally recognized for his intimate portrayals of polar wildlife and his advocacy for ocean and climate conservation.
Nicklen co-founded Sea Legacy, an environmental conservation organization focused on ocean protection through visual storytelling.
He is widely known for a memorable encounter with a leopard seal in Antarctica that tried to feed him penguins — described in his own words in a 2017 NPR Fresh Air interview with Terry Gross: “I definitely fell in love with this seal. It’s embarrassing to admit this to you. … I’d fall asleep at night with tears coming down my cheeks. … And all of a sudden here’s a top predator, and not only are you getting to see it, it’s interacting with you; it’s trying to force-feed you penguins, it’s trying to take care of you. It’s a very very humbling thing.” ([1])
Key Works
eBook: Photographing Wild: Techniques of a National Geographic Photographer (2016) — A 200-page downloadable ebook published through Craft & Vision. The book describes 16 ways to make stronger photographs and features colleagues including Jimmy Chin, David Doubilet, and Brent Stirton. Forty percent of proceeds from sales went to Sea Legacy. Released September 2016. ([2])
RED Collective film (2017) — The RED Collective (Red Digital Cinema) featured Nicklen in a short film about his approach and philosophy to filmmaking and photography, and how this connects to his conservation work with Sea Legacy. ([3])
Conservation
Nicklen’s photography and filmmaking are inseparable from his conservation advocacy. His work focuses on the fragility of polar ecosystems and the impact of climate change on sea ice habitats — themes that run through his National Geographic assignments, his Sea Legacy work, and his public talks and interviews.
In a 2017 NPR Fresh Air interview, he spoke about climate change’s impact on sea ice, the leopard seal encounter, and the emotional dimensions of spending a life photographing threatened ecosystems. ([4])
Timeline
- 2016-09: Releases eBook Photographing Wild through Craft & Vision; 40% of proceeds to Sea Legacy ([5])
- 2017-04-26: Featured in RED Collective short film on photography philosophy and Sea Legacy ([6])
- 2017-06-07: NPR Fresh Air interview with Terry Gross; discusses leopard seal encounter, climate change, polar photography ([7])
References
Sources
- Wetpixel article, Jun 7, 2017: Interview With Underwater Photographer Paul Nicklen On Nprs Fresh Air ↩
- Wetpixel article, Sep 22, 2016: National Geographic Photographer Paul Nicklen Releases Ebook ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 26, 2017: Video Paul Nicklen By The Red Collective ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 7, 2017: Interview With Underwater Photographer Paul Nicklen On Nprs Fresh Air ↩
- Wetpixel article, Sep 22, 2016: National Geographic Photographer Paul Nicklen Releases Ebook ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 26, 2017: Video Paul Nicklen By The Red Collective ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 7, 2017: Interview With Underwater Photographer Paul Nicklen On Nprs Fresh Air ↩
- National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen releases eBook (article) ↩
- Video: Paul Nicklen by the RED Collective (article) ↩
- Interview with Paul Nicklen on NPR’s Fresh Air (article) ↩