Hemeria

A distant orca exhales where the Pacific meets misty temperate rainforest along British Columbia’s coast, its breath briefly visible in the cool air (Canada). 

About

This image lies at the heart of REVERENCE. Beneath the surface, a whale mother moves through the ocean with her calf close beside her: two immense yet extraordinarily gentle presences, suspended in silence. Their closeness reveals something deeply universal: protection, transmission, trust, and the bond between a mother and her young. Rendered in black and white, the photograph moves beyond the immediacy of a wildlife image. Light, form and movement emerge with extraordinary purity, giving the scene an almost timeless quality.

We chose this photograph for the cover of REVERENCE and the exhibition because it embodies the spirit of Paul Nicklen’s work: wonder before the natural world, intimacy with the lives he encounters, and profound respect—reverence—for what we risk losing. At Paris Photo, presented on a large scale, mother and calf become the gateway into Paul’s world and into more than thirty years spent revealing the beauty and fragility of our planet.