Michael ‘Nick’ Nichols began as a staff photographer for National Geographic magazine in 1996, later rising to the editor at large for photography in 2008. Nichols’ beginning in photography date back to a time when he was part of the US Army’s photography wing back in the ‘70s. Starting 1982, he was a member of the prestigious Magnum Photos for thirteen years. In 2014, he received the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award for his infrared image of a pride of resting lions.
“I didn’t choose to be a wildlife photographer. I wanted to be an artist, and became a photojournalist, telling stories that needed to be told. When I did a story about gorillas, I realized I had a special ability to work in environments others found difficult, and I could communicate for nature using photography…Just like a war photographer’s strength is in social issues, I wanted my strength to be about nature and the environment.”
Nichols’ work since the inception of his photography career, has revolved around arduous protagonists—lions, elephants, tigers, chimps, and even 300-feet-tall, 1,500-year-old redwood trees. His photographs from the farthest corners of the world are often shaped by his activism and relationships with scientist-conservationists like Jane Goodall, J Michael Fay, Iain Douglas-Hamilton, and Craig Packer. This activism was cultivated in his childhood that was spent in the woods of his native Alabama, reading Tarzan and John Carter of Mars adventures.
This story is from the July - August 2016 edition of Creative Image.
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This story is from the July - August 2016 edition of Creative Image.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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