Paul Nicklen is a Canadian photographer, filmmaker, and marine biologist who has documented the beauty and plight of our planet for more than thirty years. Over that time, he has said it is one thing to capture the natural World in a moment of grace and dignity, but that pales in comparison to an image that shines a brighter light on the environmental crisis and drives everyday people to action, even if only in some small way. Nicklen did not come to this style of documentary photography by accident. He was born to it. Through the power of the image and, just as importantly, emotion and raw power, his work has been singled out for creating a unique connection between image and viewer by featuring wild subjects in some of the most extreme conditions known on Earth. Few have the chance to see our Blue Planet below the water’s surface, and yet his work takes us there. This is vitally important, now more than ever, because of the inexorable advancement and expansion of the climate crisis. The ocean is vast, and yet we know so little about it. Space might be the final frontier, but the sea may be the more profound mystery. In 2014, Mr Nicklen co-founded the non-profit organization SeaLegacy, a conservation and production organization on a mission to ignite hope and change for our planet through ocean stories. SeaLegacy inspires millions to stand up and have a voice for the pristine places threatened by the climate crisis. Nicklen is a Sony Artisan of Imagery and aligns with Rolex’s Perpetual Planet initiative on collaborative efforts to preserve the natural World. In 2019, his alma mater, the University of Victoria, bestowed an honorary PhD on him for his lifelong efforts to use photography in the campaign against climate change. In 2022, he received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, from Simon Fraser University. Nicklen has won more than 30 of conservation and photography’s most prestigious awards, including the BBC’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year and the World Press Photo for Photojournalism. In 2019, Mr Nicklen became the youngest person inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame (IPHF). Still, he would willingly exchange all those awards for that one image that helps change the World and saves the planet. He has exhibited in galleries, museums, and institutions around the world and is in the personal collections of Hollywood icons, rock stars, and royalty.
