adopted by a seal...
June 7, 2008 6:39 PM Subscribe
Paul Nicklen grew up in the Arctic, and his photography is amazing...A short, narrated presentation on the National Geographic site.
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.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 7:54 PM on June 7, 2008
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.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 7:54 PM on June 7, 2008
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...
posted by HuronBob at 8:02 PM on June 7, 2008
posted by HuronBob at 8:02 PM on June 7, 2008
Wow. That shot of the polar bear underwater is amazing.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:26 PM on June 7, 2008
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:26 PM on June 7, 2008
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.
posted by Oyéah at 8:31 PM on June 7, 2008
posted by Oyéah at 8:31 PM on June 7, 2008
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.
posted by hal9k at 8:47 PM on June 7, 2008
I credit his choice of wearing a wetsuit instead of a tuxedo.
posted by hal9k at 8:47 PM on June 7, 2008
The thing about the female seal bringing him food as if it was concerned that he'd go hungry... wow. WOW.
posted by Lectrick at 9:08 PM on June 7, 2008
posted by Lectrick at 9:08 PM on June 7, 2008
So cool, HuronBob - thank you. More fabulous images at his website.
posted by madamjujujive at 9:30 PM on June 7, 2008
posted by madamjujujive at 9:30 PM on June 7, 2008
Wow Wow and WOW......great post!
posted by HappyHippo at 10:09 PM on June 7, 2008
posted by HappyHippo at 10:09 PM on June 7, 2008
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.
posted by homunculus at 10:41 PM on June 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by homunculus at 10:41 PM on June 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
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).
posted by Flashman at 2:34 AM on June 8, 2008
posted by Flashman at 2:34 AM on June 8, 2008
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.
posted by Flashman at 4:29 AM on June 8, 2008
The beautiful picture of the swimming polar bear reminded me of this sad bit of news this week.
posted by Flashman at 4:29 AM on June 8, 2008
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.
posted by Pallas Athena at 5:09 AM on June 8, 2008
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.
posted by Pallas Athena at 5:09 AM on June 8, 2008
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...
posted by HuronBob at 5:30 AM on June 8, 2008
posted by HuronBob at 5:30 AM on June 8, 2008
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.)
posted by illiad at 9:05 AM on June 8, 2008
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.)
posted by illiad at 9:05 AM on June 8, 2008
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
posted by fourcheesemac at 4:29 PM on June 8, 2008
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
posted by fourcheesemac at 4:29 PM on June 8, 2008
Cheers HuronBob, but it was homunculus, not I, who made the MoFi post. And a jolly good post it was!
posted by Pallas Athena at 9:25 AM on June 9, 2008
posted by Pallas Athena at 9:25 AM on June 9, 2008
Paul Nicklen and friends at the Aspen Institute: Signs of Climate Change 2008.
posted by homunculus at 11:02 PM on June 19, 2008
posted by homunculus at 11:02 PM on June 19, 2008
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