Michael Nichols: Wildlife Photographer

This week’s highlighted photographer is Michael Nichols. If you read National Geographic every now and then, chances are you’ve come across some of his photographs. I learned about his work when reading the article “Ivory Wars: Last Stand in Zakouma” (National Geographic, March 2007), which was really amazing for the record. Very disturbing, but also quite inspirational and fascinating (You should read the article!). You can also follow this link to see more cool shots from that story.

I came across his work a second time reading about camera traps, which are essentially motion triggered cameras setup in the wild, in the hope of catching a great shot. The shot of the leg of a crocodile coming out of the river is the one that struck me the most. First of all, because it looks like what I imagine pre-historic times were like. I feel like it could be the leg of a Megalosaurus or something like that. I also really enjoyed the shot because it captures a moment that no one would have ever seen otherwise. All of this using a camera that was not activated by a human at all. That’s what I like about camera traps: removing the human being from the equation, capturing otherwise impossible shots.

Speaking of otherwise impossible shots… He also managed to get a very funny series of shots taken of a baboon who was intrigued by the sound of the shutter and its reflection in the lens. The baboon essentially did a photo shoot of itself (some shots are very up-close too!). You can find the series if you dig on the National Geographic website (which I did for you!).

Here is the famous shot that intrigued me so much:

Here are a couple of interesting links:

• Michael Nichols’ personal website: It has lots of interesting photos and articles;
• Article about camera traps by Michael Nichols;
• National Geographic profile on Michael Nichols
• Canon Professional Network: An interesting article/biography of his;

Again, check out the books by Michael Nichols:

* Most images courtesy of National Geographic Magazine.