Legendary National Geographic Photographer Spoke in Moscow

Nature Photography Day, organized by the Union of Naturalist Photographers with support from National Geographic (NG), was held on Saturday, December 15. Three international photography experts were on hand to talk about their work, including the famous polar photographer Paul Nicklen.

The first speaker was Sophie Stafford, editor-in-chief of BBC Wildlife Magazine and a permanent jury member of the prestigious “Wildlife Photographer of the Year” competition. Stafford spoke about wildlife photography and presented her favourite pictures from past decades.

Cristina Mittermeier spoke next. As the founder of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), Mittermeier spoke about the power of photography to help protect the environment. She argued that outstanding wildlife photographs can draw the public’s attention to endangered areas of the planet and help preserve their unique ecosystems.

Paul Nicklen spoke about his work with National Geographic. Audience members were especially intrigued to hear him describe how he photographed sea leopards — his coldest and most dangerous assignment, but also his most unusual and interesting. Nicklen, who was named “Wildlife Photographer of the Year” for his underwater shots of Emperor Penguins, mentioned that those images never appeared on the cover of the North American edition of National Geographic and added: “I would like to give a big thank-you to the editors of National Geographic Russia for running my photos of Emperor Penguins on the cover of their magazine.”

Nicklen quickly sold out of all the copies of his book on polar photography and then held a book signing for a long line of eager people.

As part of Nature Photography Day, each of the guests received a complimentary special edition copy of National Geographic Russia magazine entitled “The Best Photography.” The publication includes Paul Nicklen’s most famous works.