Environmental Integrity

“Why do I care about it? One time out there, on one of my trips, I got to what’s wild, and I looked it in the eye. And when you feel it, I don’t think you can ever go back.”

–Nick Nichols, National Geographic Wildlife Photographer

It’s one thing to have a talent for capturing split-second encounters with a camera. It’s another to have the power to share that instant with the whole world through a medium like National Geographic. Michael “Nick” Nichols wields his photographic skill like a double-edged sword: one to translate the essence of wildness into color print, and the other to instill a sense of wonder and understanding in his audience’s imagination. When Nichols embarks on a new shoot, he is not only reporting on behalf of a journalistic magazine, but effecting change with each click of the shutter. His coverage of tigers in Bandhavgarh National Park in India and various animals in Africa for the magazine’s Megatransect wildlife survey have created reason for the establishments of parks and reserves across the world.

Nichols’ approach is unconventional: he doesn’t aim for pretty. The allure to nature is not beauty, but rather in finding the tension of wildlife. His photos often convey a sense of movement and raw, graphic energy that can only be found at the “edge of survival.” Rather than incorporating the theatrics of his fellow photographers, who often build enclosures or use technological tricks to fake a shot, Nichols shoots for days at extremely fast-paced exposure rates. He doesn’t alter the environment to craft a perfect shot. Instead, he works to find new angles and natural sources of light to depict the animals’ habitat with ingenious innovation.

A ceaseless work ethic became embedded in Nichols during his experience as an expedition photographer. He struck through to the core of the adventurous spirit as he continued shooting even in the most hopeless of conditions. Nichols strives to depict the struggle of the accompanying story through his photographs.

The photographic ethics Nichols struggles with concern the subjects he captures. He questions whether his motives and techniques to shooting Sita, a tiger in India, were valid. Invading the habitat of any animal involves putting a certain amount of pressure on that creature. Where does the photographer draw the line between shooting for the sake of making the animal’s story known and invading the animal’s privacy? Nichols doesn’t uphold the view that “getting a photograph trumps all of your other sensibilities.” Rather, his methods mirror those of his subjects: his stealthy, meticulous manner fits in seamlessly amongst the suspended whispers of the forest.

Through his work with Jane Goodall, Nichols managed to capture the subtle interactions between this compassionate human being and her primate friends. In 1995, Nichols followed her as she established the Tchimpounga Sanctuary in the Congo to help nourish starving animals. The photo below is a candid shot which tells a poignant tale: Dr. Goodall, after approaching an aggressive male chimpanzee, bowed her head and offered her hair to the animal. Nichols attributed this moment to how he and Jane “often communicate without speaking.” With the proper lighting and an artful touch, photography often has that effect.

The environment that Nichols is most comfortable with is the jungle. His exposé entitled Ndoki: The Last Place on Earth featured the elephants, chimpanzees and Babenzele pygmy peoples of Dzanga Bai in the Central African Republic. He wanted to convey the deep, mysterious greens of the rainforest, so he used a 100-speed to mix flash with natural light. Through the foliage in the pictures you can discern endangered species performing their daily rituals.

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