As a child, Paul Nicklen imagined walking through an ancient forest alongside a bear—an unlikely companionship that felt both surreal and natural. Years later, that vision became reality in British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest, where he encountered one of the rarest animals on Earth: the spirit bear.
Guided by Gitga’at expert Marven Robinson, Nicklen spent hours observing the elusive white-furred bear—watching as it fished, rested, and moved effortlessly through its environment, ultimately accepting his presence just feet away. The experience became the inspiration behind his iconic image Ghost Bear, a photograph that captures both the mystery of the species and the fragile beauty of one of the world’s last temperate rainforests.
Spirit bears, considered sacred by First Nations communities, exist only in this region and symbolize the deep connection between nature, culture, and conservation. Through this work, Nicklen invites audiences to see not just the wonder of the natural world, but the urgency of protecting it.
As two of the most influential voices in ocean conservation and climate storytelling, Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier bring these moments to life on stage—using powerful imagery and firsthand experience to inspire action and reshape how we think about our planet.
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Thought Leader: Victor Vescovo
Anderson Cooper 360º: American spacecraft has landed on the moon for the first time in 50+ years
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Paul Nicklen: A Reverence for Nature
Standing in front of any of Canadian photographer Paul Nicklen’s large-scale images in the current exhibition at Hilton Contemporary, one cannot help but be totally…
Thought Leader: Paul Nicklen
