Paul Nicklen
Paul Nicklen is a photographer, filmmaker, and marine biologist whose work defends the natural world with reverence and urgency. From the deep blue to the Savannah, his imagery transforms awe into action—using storytelling to inspire protection of life on Earth.
Reverent Witness
•
Raised on Ice
•
Wild
•
Reverent Witness • Raised on Ice • Wild •
More about Paul
Paul Nicklen is a Canadian photographer, filmmaker, and marine biologist working at the intersection of art, science, and conservation. For more than three decades, he has documented Earth’s wildest and most fragile places—creating intimate, arresting images that stir emotion and demand urgency.
Renowned for both beauty and technical mastery, Nicklen’s work transports audiences onto polar ice, into remote coastal communities, and beneath the ocean’s surface. His photographs have been exhibited across five continents and collected by cultural leaders, heads of state, and royalty.
-
His impact has earned the field’s highest honors. In 2025, Nicklen and his partner Cristina Mittermeier shared a National News & Documentary Emmy Award for Photographer, directed by Academy Award winners Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi. Over his career, he has received more than 30 major distinctions, including Wildlife Photographer of the Year and World Press Photo Award for Photojournalism. He was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame as its youngest living member, holds honorary doctorates, and is a member of the Order of Canada.
A Sony Artisan of Imagery and Rolex Perpetual Planet Explorer, Nicklen believes images and the stories they call can spark movements. In 2014, he co-founded SeaLegacy, using powerful ocean storytelling to ignite protection. For Nicklen, accolades are just mile markers—each in service of a single pursuit: inspiring humanity to act and safeguard life on Earth for generations to come.
Speaking Topics
Science
Exploration
Nature
Conservation
Navigating the Future
Resilience
Watch Paul in action
Presentations
Hope & Reverence
For the first time in 15 years of marriage and collaboration, National Geographic photographers Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier will share the stage together—revealing a new chapter in their journey as partners in life and art. After years beneath the ice and waves, they’re turning their lenses toward the land, capturing Africa’s megafauna with the same urgency and grace that has defined their ocean work. Through breathtaking visuals and raw storytelling, Hope & Reverence chronicles their bold pivot—from sea to savanna, and from documenting loss to rediscovering hope to save a world on fire—and themselves.
“We’re trying to climb to the tallest mountain and scream that this planet is dying and that WE are at risk. But the only emotion greater than fear is hope.”
– Paul nicklen