Interview with Paul Nicklen

Celebrated photojournalist Paul Nicklen has travelled deep below Arctic and Antarctic sea ice to take pictures of sea lions, narwhals and polar bears. Nicklen, who grew up in Kimmirut,on Nunavut's Baffin Island, shares his passion and unique understanding of polar wildlife through stunning,award-winning photos which are published in magazines such as Canadian Geographic and National Geographic. His images depict the impact of melting ice caps on both polar region's ecosystems, including how some of the oldest species of animals on the planet, such as the bowhead whale, are affected

		PHOTOGRAPHER Paul Nicklen After making the transition from stock photography to story-telling images with his work for Canadian Geographic, Paul Nicklen has gone on to a successful career in photojournalism. On April 22, he will share images and stories from his fascinating experiences in the Arctic and Antarctic as part The Royal Canadian Geographical Society Speaker Series at the Centrepointe Theatre in Ottawa. To view more of Paul Nicklen's work, visit: www.paulnicklen.com
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Q Can you explain how your upbringing in Kimmirut, Nunavut, shaped your love of wildlife and your passion for photographing it?

A I think that when you grow up without television, telephone or radio in a small northern community of 140 Inuit people, your entertainment involves being connected to the natural world. As a child, I really learned how to watch and appreciate all the conditions of snow and ice because those were my toys. The biggest thing I learned, living in that environment, was patience. I think for many children today, if they have a down moment they're on their cellphone or playing video games. There are so many different distractions at people's fingertips. But by sitting there in a meditative state for four hours a day just watching, I learned a lot about patience and how to be at peace with nature. It's amazing how much your eyes open up to when you sit there quietly.

Q Your usual working conditions are underwater in freezing temperatures below metres of sea ice some of the most dangerous conditions in the industry. What makes you so comfortable photographing wildlife in the Arctic and Antarctic?

A Besides patience, growing up I learned safety. I learned how to read the weather and the ice. If you take someone out of New York City, for example, and send them up to the Arctic for a photo shoot, they're probably going to spend 80 percent of their time trying to survive and 20 percent of the time shooting. It's amazing how much time people can waste just trying to stay warm. If you send me to the Arctic to do a shoot, I'll spend 95 percent of my time shooting and five percent surviving. However, if you send me to the jungles of Borneo to do a shoot, I'll probably be dead in two days! I'm so at peace with the polar environment and I know the ice. The best way to work in the Arctic is not to fight, but instead to go with the Inuit and follow their daily rhythm.

Q You photograph some amazing animals that may not be familiar to many people. What do you hope to achieve with your photography?

A I'm trying to get people to care about the polar regions and, most of all, the melting poles. The Arctic and Antarctic are melting faster than anywhere else on the planet and the consequences are greater there than anywhere else. If we lose ice, we stand to lose an entire ecosystem, and that's what people don't understand. I think most people aren't going to care about climate change until their streets are being flooded. But by then, it will be too late. Who cares if we lose ice in a place that most people never visit? But because we're losing this ice, we stand to lose polar bears, ringed seals, walruses and whales since they are so connected to their ecosystem. I'm trying to use photography to show people how connected these animals are to the ice.

Q You hold a degree in marine biology. How has this knowledge helped you in your photography?

AI think it really helps me understand ecosystems. I'm not just out there shooting pretty things. I really understand. I studied a lot of invertebrate biology, which is a key to understanding all species of life, from the tiniest creatures to the phytoplankton that grows on the side of the ice to the zooplankton that feeds on that to bigger animals feeding on that. It also helps me with animal behaviour, but that's more from the experience of being with these animals all the time.

QYou shot some stunning images of Arctic and Antarctic wildlife for a pictorial called "Polar Vision" in the January/February 2008 issue of Canadian Geographic. In the story, you were quoted as saying that you were frightened by the leopard seal due to its aggressive reputation. How do you overcome these fears?

A You work slowly. You don't just run up to a leopard seal and jump on its back. I worked with a friend who has been in the water with leopard seals and I followed his guidance. I'm around wildlife all the time and am gone nine months of the year travelling and photographing, so I really have grown to learn the meaning behind various animal behaviours. I was nervous with the leopard seal. It's a 1,000-pound animal. But I spent enough time working slowly and got within six inches of it. It requires patience and understanding of the animal's body language. Leopard seals are full of threat displays and are a playfully aggressive animal. But if you look at a leopard seal you can see they usually have no scars on their bodies and they really don't want to fight, they don't want to be bitten and they don't want to bite you.

QBecoming a wildlife photographer was something you decided to do before finishing your degree at the University of Victoria? Why did you decide to go this route after working as a marine biologist for four years?

AI felt helpless in marine biology. I worked extremely hard and would be out in the field for three months working with polar bears. We would be working 18-hour days and at the end of it, I would have two sheets of paper with data on it. I would show it to about 30 people in the government system, do one scientific talk and that was the end of it. I found that decisions, especially when you work for the government, are motivated by politics rather than what's right and wrong. As a photojournalist, I can remove myself from that. I can be unbiased and tell unbiased stories. By shooting for National Geographic magazine, for example, I have the opportunity to reach 40 million people with one story versus ten peers within the government system.

QWhat has been your favourite assignment for Canadian Geographic and why?

A My favourite assignment for Canadian Geographic was definitely photographing stellar sea lions off the coast of British Columbia to illustrate their declining population in "Lions of the deep," published in the September/October 1999. That was the cover story. After doing a mentorship with Flip Nicklen, no relation, he recommended I shoot a story for Canadian Geographic. That story for was my first stepping stone and my first attempt at actually shooting a story instead of just a bunch of pretty pictures. It was one of the crucial moments in my career in terms of making a transition from a pretty-picture stock photographer trying to make money to someone who really believed in the story.

Interview by Michela Rosano.