Nicolas Hahn is an Argentinean photographer dedicated to capturing the beauty and perils of the marine world, as well as communicating humanity’s complex relationship with nature.

As a child, Nicolas’ mind was always drawn to the natural world. Magazines and books about sharks, frogs, and snakes transported him to places he couldn’t physically reach at the time, and his imagination would wander through a tunnel of endless possibilities, where the inexhaustible diversity of species evoked a profound sense of mystery.

In his early twenties, Nicolas worked in the diving industry. In 2016, while in Indonesia, he witnessed how the increasingly severe El Niño phenomenon caused widespread heat stress and death on coral reefs — offering a clear glimpse into the decline of ocean health and the looming climate crisis.

After years spent honing his diving skills, Nicolas picked up a camera to better appreciate and document the underwater world he was exploring. Photography quickly became a joyful way of channeling his unending curiosity for nature.

With a desire to solidify his path as a photographer and focus his lens on conservation issues, Nicolas applied for the Save Our Seas Foundation’s 2023 Ocean Storytelling Photography Grant — which he won — leading to his first photographic assignment, documenting the little-documented waters and fishing markets of Angola.

Now, after years of working far from home, Nicolas is turning his camera toward South America, where he recently completed the first phase of his long-term project, Austral Seas, exploring environmental stories from the waters of Argentina, Chile, and Peru.