In today’s episode, W. Scott Olsen speaks with Steve Gettle, an award-winning American nature and wildlife photographer whose four-decade career has taken him around the world, with work published by National Geographic, Audubon, the BBC, and other major outlets.
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Steve Gettle is a nature and wildlife photographer whose work is shaped by patience, observation, and a deep engagement with the natural world. Over more than four decades, he has photographed wildlife across a wide range of environments, creating images that balance visual clarity with a strong sense of atmosphere and behavior.
His photographs have appeared in publications including National Geographic, Audubon Magazine, Canadian Geographic and the BBC, and have been exhibited at institutions such as the Natural History Museum in London and the American Museum of Natural History in New York. His work has also received recognition in major international wildlife photography competitions.
Alongside his own photographic practice, Gettle leads workshops and photographic journeys around the world, often together with photographer Nicole Sudduth. Their teaching emphasizes close observation, understanding animal behavior, and developing a deeper connection with the natural environments they photograph.
STEVE GETTLE
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Jason
September 18, 2026 at 00:46
I first met Steve and Nicole in Newfoundland as they visited with one of their tour groups. I spend my entire summer photographing puffins in the area they visited with their tour, and see many tours visit the site year after year. Of all of the photography tour guides I meet in a summer at the puffin sites, Steve and Nicole are among the most respectful of others near to their group. Some guides are quite rude or arrogant towards non-group participants. Steve and Nicole were always kind and respectful of others. It’s refreshing to hear Steve talking about his work and to know how he behaves in a professional manner while on tours.