Award-winning National Geographic photographer Steve Winter visits Wellington and Auckland in August to present a behind-the-scenes look at tracking down big cats in the world’s most remote locations.
One of the world’s most extraordinary wildlife photographers, Winter shares his intense encounters and astonishing images of the big cats of Africa, Brazil and Hollywood with New Zealand audiences on his first tour of Australasia this winter.
Winter is a Big Cat legend and twice won the first prize in the nature category from World Press Photo. His decade-long project to document the world’s disappearing tigers recently culminated in his stunning National Geographic book Tigers Forever.
With his National Geographic Live presentations, Winter will take audiences trekking into some of the world’s most remote locations as he tracks down big cats. Finding and capturing rare images of these elusive and beautiful endangered species often requires many months in the field, working under dangerous and difficult conditions.
Where, when, how much
- Tickets cost $39 for the Auckland event, and $49 for Wellington.
- Auckland: Wednesday 5 August; Aotea Centre (ASB Theatre)
- Wellington: Thursday 6 August at Te Papa (Soundings Theatre)
- Bookings: 0800 111 999 or www.ticketmaster.co.nz
For Winter, doing whatever it takes to document these majestic creatures in the wild is all in a day’s work, whether it’s camping at 5000 metres in -40 degree temperatures, being charged by rhinos, or coming face to face with a tiger. Part of each assignment is simply trying to stay healthy – and stay alive.
He will share his gripping tales live on stage, from capturing the nocturnal adventures of a mountain lion in the Hollywood hills and narrowly avoiding becoming jaguar prey in a Brazilian rainforest to documenting leopards in South Africa’s Sabi Sands.
Winter has been charged by a grizzly in Siberia, and trapped in quicksand in the world’s largest tiger reserve in Myanmar. He’s flown over erupting volcanoes and visited isolated villages where residents had never before seen a blond foreigner – or a camera.
Throughout it all you can’t help but be inspired by Steve’s mission: to share the beauty of big cats whilst reinvigorating efforts to save them.
“By saving the world’s top predators, we save huge forests, rivers, wildlife, and ultimately, our planet,” Winter says.
National Geographic Live is made possible through the support of South African Tourism, Adventure World; National Geographic Channel, and Cathay Pacific.
About Steve Winter
Growing up in Indiana, Winter dreamed of travelling the world as a photographer for National Geographic. His first camera was a gift from his father on his seventh birthday, over the next few years, Winter’s dad taught him the basics of photography.
After graduating from the Academy of Art and the University of San Francisco, Winter signed on as a photojournalist for Black Star Photo Agency. Since then, he has produced stories for GEO, Time, Newsweek, Fortune, Natural History, Audubon, BusinessWeek, Scientific American, and Stern, among other publications.
In 1991, Winter began shooting for the National Geographic Society. He has covered many subjects for National Geographic magazine, including Cuba, Russia’s giant Kamchatka bears, tigers in Myanmar’s Hukawng Valley, and life along Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River.
About National Geographic Live
National Geographic Live is the live events division of the National Geographic Society, one of the world’s largest non-profit scientific and educational organisations whose mission is to inspire, illuminate and teach. With a broad roster of talent including renowned photographers, scientists, authors, filmmakers and adventurers, National Geographic Live’s critically acclaimed programs have connected with audiences worldwide for over a century. Currently, National Geographic Live events are held in 32 cities around the world, including New York, Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, Auckland and Wellington. In each of these cities, speakers share behind-the-scenes stories from the front lines of exploration on stage alongside stunning imagery and gripping footage. In 2014, National Geographic Live events were attended by over 150,000 people.
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