Comments on: adopted by a seal...

adopted by a seal...

HuronBob — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 18:39:25 -0800

Paul Nicklen grew up in the Arctic, and his photography is amazing...A short, narrated presentation on the National Geographic site.

By: paddysat

paddysat — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 19:48:27 -0800

I remember the Leopard Seal article in NG. It was fantastic. I really enjoyed the narrated presentation. I agree with his statement that amateur photographers 'take' photographs while professional photographers 'make' photographs.

By: Benny Andajetz

Benny Andajetz — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 19:54:14 -0800

I fancied myself a photographer once upon a time; I had tons of gear, did all the seminars, belonged to a photography club, even managed a photography store for a couple of years. Guys like this are the reason I've all but hung it up. Some people just have "the eye". Anyone can have the skills and the dedication (and professional wildlife photography takes shitloads of both), but very few have that special artistic sensibility. Thank god there are people like Paul Nicklen (and Art Wolfe and Galen Rowell and....) Thanks. Good post.

By: HuronBob

HuronBob — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 20:02:19 -0800

Benny, don't "hang it up"... I'm in the same boat, I've got the gear, (well, some of it, anyway) I run hot and cold in terms of the dedication needed to just get out there and shoot... I've published next to nothing, but, every few weeks (or months), I get a great shot and it makes it all worth while...

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 20:26:07 -0800

Wow. That shot of the polar bear underwater is amazing.

By: Oyéah

Oyéah — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 20:31:23 -0800

That is one of the best things I have seen in a great while. I am a professional photographer, and he has some amazing vibe to attract that seal's compassion, and to engender absolute trust from a wild thing, is a great quality. His images...mmmmm aesthetically delicious.

By: hal9k

hal9k — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 20:47:26 -0800

he has some amazing vibe to attract that seal's compassion, and to engender absolute trust from a wild thing, is a great quality. I credit his choice of wearing a wetsuit instead of a tuxedo.

By: b1tr0t

b1tr0t — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 20:48:09 -0800

A computer gave me a nicely formatted file the other day. Not quite the same.

By: Lectrick

Lectrick — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:08:31 -0800

The thing about the female seal bringing him food as if it was concerned that he'd go hungry... wow. WOW.

By: madamjujujive

madamjujujive — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:30:33 -0800

So cool, HuronBob - thank you. More fabulous images at his website.

By: jouke

jouke — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:44:57 -0800

previously

By: jouke

jouke — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:47:58 -0800

I think that female Leopard seal adopted him as a pet.

By: HappyHippo

HappyHippo — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 22:09:08 -0800

Wow Wow and WOW......great post!

By: homunculus

homunculus — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 22:41:10 -0800

On MoFi, Pallas Athena compared the seal to a cat bringing home a bird, which they do to try to teach their pet humans how to hunt, except here the cat is 12 feet long and underwater. I think it's a great comparison.

By: gallois

gallois — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 23:07:37 -0800

Beautiful.

By: Flashman

Flashman — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 02:34:37 -0800

On this post on the Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards, I noted that Paul Nicklen had more on display than any other photographer, and that he'd also been honoured in the World Press Photo awards (warning, grisly whale-butchering images).

By: Flashman

Flashman — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 04:29:06 -0800

I hadn't actually noticed before, but Nicklen took both second and third prize at the World Press Awards, the latter set including his Nat Geographic images of polar bears. The beautiful picture of the swimming polar bear reminded me of this sad bit of news this week.

By: Pallas Athena

Pallas Athena — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 05:09:42 -0800

thanks homunculus! it kind of boggles my mind how this large, dangerous, carnivorous creature, which was twice his size and could easily have seen Nicklen as food, instead saw him as something like itself.

By: HuronBob

HuronBob — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 05:30:27 -0800

Pallas, my apologies for not giving you a "via" on this post....I actually intended to do so..then that particular brain cell died and I forgot... my thanks to you for posting it over at Mofi...

By: illiad

illiad — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:05:01 -0800

I credit his choice of wearing a wetsuit instead of a tuxedo. Funny crack, but technically incorrect. If he's in Arctic water, he'd be wearing a drysuit. In a wetsuit he'd be fucked in a very short time in water at that temperature. (I'm a cold water drysuit diver.)

By: CitizenD

CitizenD — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 12:37:12 -0800

thanks, huronbob.

By: fourcheesemac

fourcheesemac — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:29:14 -0800

Great photos, thanks for the post On my way to the Arctic myself in 10 days, for a month, and can't wait; even as a half-assed photographer myself, that place just photographs itself sometimes

By: Pallas Athena

Pallas Athena — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:25:29 -0800

Cheers HuronBob, but it was homunculus, not I, who made the MoFi post. And a jolly good post it was!

By: homunculus

homunculus — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:02:54 -0800

Paul Nicklen and friends at the Aspen Institute: Signs of Climate Change 2008.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:09:00 -0800

In other news: Death of a legend :(