Wildlife photographer Paul Nicklen has spent more than three decades capturing images of the natural world. After years of painstakingly revisiting millions of shots from his archive, Nicklen has compiled a set of images that mean the most to him.
The photo selection is presented in a stunning new book – Reverence – now available to preorder exclusively through Hemeria. Nicklen will be exhibiting his work at the Iconic Images Gallery in London, United Kingdom, from the 9th November 2026.
Here are some of our favourite shots from the book, from hunting grizzly bears and marching penguins to diving whales and curious narwhals.
Grizzly bear
An adult male grizzly bear makes his way across a river in Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA. This bear was searching for salmon during the feeding season. Photo by Paul Nicklen
King penguins
Thousands of king penguins gather on the shoreline of South Georgia to breed and rear chicks, forming one of the largest colonies on Earth. Photo by Paul Nicklen
Lion cub
A young lion cub from one of the Namiri Plains prides stares at its reflection in Nicklen’s camera lens in Tanzania’s Serengeti ecosystem. Photo by Paul Nicklen
Humpback whale
A humpback whale fluke rises through dense fog in Monterey Bay, California, USA. This area is a rich feeding groundwhere whales hunt krill and small schooling fish. Photo by Paul Nicklen
African elephant
Craig, the famous super tusker who passed at the age of 54, stands tall on Maasai community lands, adjacent to Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Photo by Paul Nicklen
Narwhals
Narwhal gather en masse at the Arctic Bay floe edge to eat cod in the spring. Photo by Paul Nicklen
Grizzly bear
A large male grizzly bear stands on the Fishing Branch River in Yukon, Canada, a key salmon run area for bears. Photo by Paul Nicklen
Lion
A male lion silhouetted atop kopjes overlooking the Namiri Plains under an overcast sky in Tanzania, a region known for high densities of big cats. Photo by Paul Nicklen
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