Tough. Focused. Persistent. Driven. Nichols will be the first to tell you that he has the greatest job in the world. Just for fun, he recently compared himself to some of his idols, the Rolling Stones, deciding that truthfully, he had it better.

True, Mick and the boys could rent multiple houses right on a perfect beach, but could they come face to face with surfing hippos? Maybe they could rent a Hummer and go on safari for a great photo of a giraffe out of the sunroof, but could they get so close to a tiger they could hear her drinking from a small pool? Exactly.

Nichols is an activist at heart. He makes photographs of things that cannot speak for themselves. In doing so, he has had extraordinary success giving them voices. Nichols' photographs of Congo and Gabon during the "Megatransect" expedition helped convince the President of Gabon to establish a series of national parks.

When Jane Goodall wanted to make a book about her beloved chimps, she called Nichols. Their joint publication, Brutal Kinship, demonstrated how chimpanzees are closer to humans physically, emotionally, and intellectually than we ever imagined.

Armed with a sense of humor that is without fear or favor and southern charm that evokes his Alabama upbringing, Nichols is an engaging and provocative presenter.

The Last Place on Earth: The Megatransect Expedition
Determined to document the vanishing riches of central Africa's last undeveloped reaches, Nichols set out with ecologist Mike Fay on the "Megatransect" expedition, a grueling 456-day, 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) trek from Congo's deepest forest to Gabon's virgin shore. In this presentation Nichols shares his stunning images of wildlife and the expedition team and excerpts from Fay's journals.

Giving Voice: Using Photography and Media as Powerful Conservation Tools
In this presentation Nichols takes us on a historical journey through the many places, lives, and creatures his images have helped. He emphasizes that, for all the glory that comes with being published, what wakes him up in the morning is the ability to make a difference.

The Last Wild Tiger
Featuring dramatic video of tigers in the wild, shot by filmmaker Erin Harvey, and images form his own book Year of the Tiger, Nichols gives us a rare opportunity to experience one of nature's most powerful and fiercest animals, and describes the threats facing these endangered predators.

The Great Apes
Using images from his books The Great Apes: Between Two Worlds and Brutal Kinship, Nichols introduces audiences to chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans, and illustrates the plight facing their very survival.