In the case of Canada’s Paul Nicklen, the most unforgettable images are often those taken beneath the sea ice, the photographer submerging himself in 29-degree Fahrenheit salt water in the world’s polar regions to see what’s there. His photos of leopard seals and other deadly predators captured at incredibly close range (as in inches away) call attention to the wildlife most vulnerable to melting sea ice. Putting his body on the line is a necessary hazard for Nicklen in his efforts to raise awareness, and he often finds himself acting against his better judgments: “If your gut tells you not to do it,” he says of taking risks for the sake of his work, “you have to ignore your gut.”
     Similar measures have been taken by Clyde Butcher, a black and white photographer who makes the Florida Everglades his home, and Michael Nichols, known as “the Indiana Jones of Photography” for his extensive photographic journeys through caves and the jungles of Africa. In order to achieve the detail of the large format pictures he favors, Butcher has to wade through swamps with his bulky equipment, and for his part Nichols claims he’s had malaria on 25 occasions. But as the exhibit proves, none of that has stopped either one of them.