Paul Nicklen

Photographer
Paul Nicklen

Photographer Paul Nicklen uses his camera to reveal the nature of a world melting away under human-induced global warming. Whether he is ice diving, covering hundreds of miles of terrain in -40F temperatures or mastering aerial shots from his ultralight plane, Nicklen has specialized in photographing polar regions since 1995. His images reflect a reverence for the creatures inhabiting these isolated environments and his unique personal and professional background enables him to take on the most inhospitable places on our planet.

In recent years, Nicklen’s journey to generate global awareness about wildlife and environmental issues has taken him on expeditions such as tracking Stellar sea lions in the Aleutian Islands, diving with narwhals off of Northern Baffin Island, swimming with leopard seals in Antarctica, photographing walruses on sea ice in Nunavut and living on the open tundra with bears and wolves for a three-month solo trek.

Nicklen has published 10 stories for National Geographic, the most recent from South Georgia, Antarctica in December 2009. His latest book, Polar Obsessions, was published by National Geographic in November 2009. He has received more than 20 international awards, including World Press Photo (Nature: First Prize Story 2010), Pictures of the Year International and BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

As of October 23, 2010

On The Web

www.paulnicklen.com/
/Paul-Nicklen-Photography/128942563363
@PaulNicklen
@paulnicklen

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Featured Photographs

  • Paul Nicklen
  • Paul Nicklen
  • A polar bear swims submerged in Lancaster Sound in the Nunavut Territory of Canada, its image mirrored in the icy water. The continuous loss of ice platforms where polar bears forage has led to shorter hunting seasons, increasingly threatening their survival.
    Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, Canada June 2004
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
  • Paul Nicklen
  • In the land of the midnight sun, a polar bear hunts in ‐40°C temperatures at 3 a.m.
    Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada 1994
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
  • Paul Nicklen
  • Paul Nicklen
  • A polar bear shakes off after a dive under the ice.
    Admiralty Inlet, Nunavut, Canada 1995
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
  • Paul Nicklen
  • A bowhead whale surfaces from a long dive at the floe edge.
    Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, Canada June 2007
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
  • In spring, narwhals push into cracks and holes created by the receding ice pack as they migrate toward summer grounds. Narwhal tusks, once thought to be unicorn horns and prized by medieval royalty, have been valued for centuries. Today, the quest for their tusks threatens narwhal populations near Baffin Island, where photographer Paul Nicklen spent 12 years photographing the whales, hoping to give a voice to these gentle giants. Raised in the traditional Inuit village of Nunavut, Paul was deeply conflicted about covering the killing of narwhals. By drawing attention to overhunting and reckless methods, his pursuit of the issue could impact the livelihood of the local Inuit and would inevitably involve severing ties with old friends. In the end, Paul was moved to do the story in hopes of encouraging a dialogue about the way these animals are hunted.
    Admiralty Inlet, Baffin Island, Canada July 2006
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
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  • Narwhals cross tusks as they jockey for air.
    Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, Canada July 2006
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
  • Paul Nicklen
  • A narwhal wields a broken tusk as it catches a breath. The tusk will likely grow back.
    Admiralty Inlet, Baffin Island, Canada July 2006
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
  • Paul Nicklen
  • Paul Nicklen
  • Paul Nicklen
  • A male walrus flicks his tusks on the ice, sending a warning to the halfsubmerged photographer. The giant tusks of adult walruses can grow up to 90 centimeters long. Females prefer to congregate in Russian waters to the east, so the walrus population in Norway's Svalbard Archipelago is primarily male much of the year.
    Bellsund, Spitsbergen, Norway July 2007
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
  • Paul Nicklen
  • Encounters with polar bears have been one of the highlights of Paul Nicklen's career. Bear tracks on ice raise urgent questions about the tenuous road ahead for these endangered creatures.
    Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, Canada February 2007
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
  • Paul Nicklen
  • Paul Nicklen
  • Paul Nicklen
  • Paul Nicklen
  • A walrus returns to shore after diving and feeding on clams. The walrus population has slowly increased since Norway banned hunting in 1952. But as oceans warm, sea ice melts and glaciers recede, all wildlife living in the Svalbard Archipelago face an uncertain future.
    Poolpynten, Prins Karl Forland, Norway July 2007
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
  • Paul Nicklen
  • Paul Nicklen
  • A leopard seal greets underwater cameraman Göran Ehlmé at Antarctica's Anvers Island.
    Anvers Island, Antartica, 2006
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
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  • Paul Nicklen
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  • Paul Nicklen
  • Paul Nicklen
  • The inquisititive female becomes more insistent in her efforts to feed the photographer the penguin.
    Anvers Island, Antarctica February/March 2006
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
  • A female leopard seal delivers her catch, a live penguin chick, dropping it on the photographer's camera.
    Anvers Island, Antarctica February/March 2006
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
  • A gentoo penguin chick peeks under the ice to check for patrolling leopard seals before tempting fate.
    Port Lockroy, Antarctica February/March 2006
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
  • Frustrated that the photographer has refused her offering, the leopard seal blows streams of bubbles.
    Anvers Island, Antarctica February/March 2006
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
  • In a rare quiet moment during breeding season, a bull elephant seal throws sand on its back to keep cool. Getting close to the massive, mercurial creatures is a dangerous dance.
    Gold Harbour, South Georgia Island November 2008
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
  • King penguins and elephant seals gather on the beach during breeding season. The ultimate beach party, this profusion of wildlife is fueled by a krill‐rich current from Antarctica.
    St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia Island November 2008
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
  • A ringed seal scans for polar bears before taking a breath.
    Admiralty Inlet, Nunavut, Canada July 2004
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen
  • Tusks of all lengths indicate these walruses are of various ages. The group has gathered on the Svalbard Archipelago, which can see as many as 2,600 walruses in a summer. By the early 1900s, ivory hunters had nearly wiped out Norway’s walrus herds.
    Bellsund, Spitsbergen, Norway July 2007
    Photo by: Paul Nicklen

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