AN ENCOUNTER THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING: FROM A LONELY NIGHT IN THE JUNGLE TO A GLOBAL MISSION TO PROTECT BIG CATS AND THEIR HABITAT

One night in 1997, alone in a cabin atop a mountain in the cloud forest of Guatemala, Steve Winter's life changed forever. He was there on behalf of National GeographicHe was photographing the quetzal, the iconic bird with its long, iridescent tail, sacred to the Mayans. Then he received an unexpected visitor: heavy footsteps on the stairs, sniffing, and scratching. Terrified, he grabbed his walkie-talkie and called a naturalist who lived in the valley below, telling him what had happened. The man replied, “Steve, don't worry—it's just a black panther.” A few days later, Steve spotted the same jaguar.

That meeting profoundly influenced his work, directing it towards nature conservation and, in particular, big cats. Since then, he has produced numerous reportages on jaguars for National Geographic, Smithsonian And BBC Wildlife, as well as a documentary for Nat Geo WILDFrom the plains of Indiana to reporting for National Geographic, growing up among the cornfields of rural Indiana, Steve dreamed of an adventurous life, traveling the world with a camera. At just seven years old, his father gave him his first camera, teaching him how to develop and print photos in the home darkroom.

He trained by studying the great masters of photography, such as Eugene Smith, Henri Cartier-Bresson And André Kertész, but they were the images of Charles Moore on Life Magazine to make him understand the power of photography in changing hearts and minds. Working for Black StarMoore's agency was his destiny. From there, he began reporting for Time, Stern, Geo, Newsweek, and other magazines. Although he loved nature, he didn't photograph a wild animal until he was 33, when he documented an expedition to the rainforests of Costa Rica. From then on, he began reporting natural history stories for National Geographic.

A PHOTOJOURNALISTIC LOOK AT NATURE Steve has no scientific background, and at the time, nature photography was dominated by animal portraits. His approach was revolutionary: telling the stories of animals and their environments like a true photojournalist.

ADVENTURES IN OVER 100 COUNTRIES Steve has traveled to over 100 countries, living experiences that are beyond belief:

• Charged by brown bears in Kamchatka.
• Trapped in the quicksand of Myanmar.
• Months spent in India photographing Asian elephants, Indian rhinos, and Bengal tigers.
• Tree-climbing lions documented in Africa.

THE SNOW LEOPARD CHALLENGE One of the most difficult moments was the reportage on snow leopards in the Himalayas: he spent three months at 4,500 meters above sea level with night temperatures of -50°C. That story earned him the title of BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year and the World Press Photo (which he won again in 2014 and 2020).
Beyond the awards, his work had a concrete impact: he helped local communities develop an ecotourism and livestock vaccination program, reducing conflicts with predators.

THE CONCRETE IMPACT OF HIS PHOTOGRAPHY Steve proved that photography can change the world: His story about jaguars in Brazil created a sustainable tourism industry in the Pantanal, leading to an increase in the population of these felines.
A report on tigers in illegal zoos in the US contributed to the approval of the Big Cat Public Safety Act.
The history of the P-22 Puma in Los Angeles inspired the construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, the largest wildlife bridge in the world ($95 million, completion 2026).

STEVE WINTER'S FUTURE Steve continues to work for National Geographic: Next mission (August 2025):

• documenting the last Asiatic lions in Gujarat, India.
• New book (2026): A 200-page photographic volume on big cats.

For him, photography is much more than an art: it is a means to inspire, excite and protect nature.

"I hope to encourage people to take action to save this magnificent planet we share. The greatest lesson is that we are all connected: nature, culture, and the modern world."