Paul Nicklen (born July 21, 1968) is an acclaimed Canadian photographer, film-maker, author and

marine biologist Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms in the sea. Given that in biology many scientific classification, phyla, family (biology), families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others th ...

Early life

Paul Nicklen was born on July 21, 1968, in Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Canada. By the mid-seventies, Paul's family - made up of his parents, a teacher and mechanic, and his brother, moved to the tiny

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...

town of

Baffin Island Baffin Island (formerly Baffin Land), in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is the largest island in Canada and the fifth-largest island in the world. Its area is , slightly larger than Spain; its population was 13,039 as of the 2021 Canadia ...

in Canada’s Arctic Circle. The Nicklen family was one of three non-Inuit families in the area. The island in which he grew up had no access to television, radio, or cell phones, forcing Paul to more deeply appreciate the nature of his surroundings and learn crucial skills to surviving Arctic temperatures. It was this lifestyle alone that flung Paul Nicklen toward the career path that he pursues today. Nicklen claims to have always felt a "deep connection to nature" and developed an awareness "of the patterns of the wildlife around him". By his twenties, he began studying marine biology at the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...

. It was around this time that the idea to photograph the wildlife that he grew up with was sparked within himself. Nicklen went on to pursue this idea in an attempt to "bridge the gap between science and people, using the power of visual storytelling.”

Career

Since the beginning of his career in conservation photography, Nicklen has quickly become the only Canadian photographer for ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

'' Magazine, and has published eleven stories for ''National Geographic''. Along with these feats, he is a member of the

International League of Conservation Photographers International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

(ILCP). He has written several books including
Born to Ice
' (2018) and
Polar Obsession
' (2009). Major exhibits of his work include
Extreme Exposure
' at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles, California in 2009 and most recently, he opened the Paul Nicklen Gallery in Soho, New York City, New York in April 2017 as a space for conservationist photographers and other artists to participate in the fine art scene. In 2011, Nicklen was a speaker at TED2011. His talk
"Tales of Ice-Bound Wonderlands"
focused on disappearing sea ice as a result of climate change and global warming, further pushing toward his mission to generate global awareness of climate and wildlife issues. Along with writing books and speaking publicly about his goals of improving the environment, he also produces documentary photography that "informs and creates an emotional connection with wild subjects in extreme conditions." On more occasion than one, Nicklen has come inches from death due to these extreme working conditions such as below hypothermic temperatures and coming face-to-face with deadly wild animals, but no altercation with death has ever halted him from attempting to deliver important messages about the fate of our planet. In 2014, Nicklen co-founde
SeaLegacy
an organization that uses visual storytelling and photography to further the cause of ocean conservation with modern conservation photography pioneer

Cristina Mittermeier Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier (born Cristina Sofía Goettsch Cabello: November 26, 1966 in Mexico City, Mexico) is a Mexican photographer, conservationist, biologist, and author. Cristina Mittermeier is the marine biologist and activist who pione ...

. The foundation is a non-profit inspiring "millions of people to stand up and have a voice for the pristine places threatened by climate change." Since being founded, the organization has paired up with Emmy Award winning cinematographer and conservation photographer
Shawn Heinrichs
and his foundation, th
Blue Sphere Foundation
in 2019. SeaLegacy aims to pave the way toward a greener planet by bringing "together the world’s top photographers, conservationists, scientists, storytellers and strategists to lead a bold new movement to engage one billion people in ocean conservation."

Awards

Nicklen has been awarded over thirty of the most notable awards given to photographers in his field "including the

BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Wildlife Photographer of the Year is an annual international wildlife photography competition staged by the Natural History Museum in London, England. There is an exhibition of the winning and commended images each year at the museum, which late ...

and the prestigious World Press Photo for Photojournalism." He has also received awards from Pictures of the Year International, Communication Arts, and the Natural Resources Defense Council BioGems Visionary Award. Along with this short list of the many he has been awarded, he is also recognized as a part of th
International League of Conservation Photographers.
A short list of awards includes: *World Press Photo First Prize, Nature Stories 2003 *World Press Photo First Prize, Nature Stories 2006 *World Press Photo Second prize, Nature Stories 2007 *World Press Photo Third Prize, Nature Stories 2007 *World Press Photo First Prize, Nature Stories 2009 *World Press Photo First Prize, Nature Stories 2010 *Award of Excellence, Pictures of the Year International Competition 2010 *Wildlife Photographer of the Year, BBC Wildlife and Natural History Museum 2012 *World Press Photo First Prize, Nature Stories 2013 *Lifetime Achievement Award, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada *Honorary Doctor of Science, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Magazine articles

South Georgia (December 2009) *

Svalbard (April 2009) *

Sailfish (September 2008) *

Hunting Narwhals (August 2007) *

Vanishing Sea Ice (June 2007) *

Leopard Seals (November 2006) *

Where Currents Collide (August 2006) 4 other stories by Paul Nicklen can be found on th
National Geographic
website.

Books

* ''Seasons of the Arctic'' – 2000, Sierra Club Books, San Francisco * ''Polar Obsession'' – 2009, National Geographic Society * ''Bear-Spirit of the Wild'' – 2013, National Geographic Society *''Born to Ice'' - 2018, teNeues Publishing Company

References

External links

Photographer's website

ILCP website
*
Photographer's Gallery Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicklen, Paul University of Victoria alumni Canadian photographers Living people 1968 births National Geographic photographers Members of the Order of Canada