About me
Christian Vizl was born in México City and has been a photographer for over three decades. He has won dozens of international professional awards including Wildlife Photographer of the year, International photographer of the year and Sony World Photography awards. He has served as judge in several international underwater photography contests and his images have been published in numerous outlets including National Geographic and Ocean Geographic.
Artist Statement
“Every since I was a kid, as far back as I can remember, I was attracted to the sea. I dreamt about what lay beneath the waves, and how would it look if suddenly all the water vanished, leaving in stasis all the animals and living creatures. In this way, I could walk inside the ocean and see them all, suspended for a moment in time and space.
I have devoted my life to exploring and contemplate the amazing beauty of the ocean and it has been an incredible journey that has brought me a deep feeling of connection with nature, but sadly during my lifetime I have witness the ever-increasing devastation that we humans are creating in this planet. Today the world’s Ocean is in grave danger. Overfishing, pollution, plastics, radiation, climate change, acidification and other human pressures threaten the fundamental nature of the ocean and it´s animals are being pushed to near extinction. The time to act and reverse our negative impact is now, before it´s too late risking loosing everything.
The majority of humans see marine animals merely as tons of food, but I see them as so much more than that. They don´t have a voice that we can understand, so the higher purpose of my images is to be a voice of the ocean and for the ocean, hoping that people can get a glimpse of who they really are, beautiful sentient individuals, with feelings and different personalities, with complex behaviors and interesting lives that science is only starting to understand.
I believe Photography is capable of real service to humanity, promoting empathy and initiating change, so my main purpose as a photographer is to create poetic images showing the incredible beauty of these animals knowing they carry the power of changing our perception and spark the love and empathy that we all have inside. If we want to have a future in this planet, we need to understand that our lives are interconnected to all living animals, and our own well being is directly linked to the well being of these animals. As Dr. Sylvia Earl stated, “No blue no green, if the oceans die, we die”
All the images where taken in their natural environment, with great respect to the animals, and for postproduction I only use basic settings in Lightroom.”
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Photography is all about light, and in my opinion, it is the single most important aspect when it comes to creating appealing, inspiring and touching images. Beyond technical issues, what´s most important is how I apply and manipulate the light that´s available in order to create pictures with dramatic effect, carrying depths of emotion and using contrast and tonalities as means to emphasize form and structure of the scenery. I focus on the emotional impact of the final shot that will connect on a deeper level with the people that observe these photographs. Just as a poet uses words to create poetry, a photographer uses light to create images. So when I’m underwater taking pictures, one of my goals is to create poetic images through the use of light.
I try to capture sublime moments of the marine environment, the essence of being there, in that experience and in the presence of that particular animal, capturing their splendor and soul. It´s sheer beauty and poetry with images that inspire, make us vibrate through the beauty in every corner of the ocean, an epic sight that make us dream of a better world, where we value and care for all expressions of life.
Editorial credits
Published photographer in various magazines and newspapers, such as National Geographic, National Geographic Blue Hope Book, National Geographic Traveler Magazine, Instagram, My Modern Met, Zoom Magazine, Elle Décor, Cooph, WIRED, Outside magazine, Field magazine, Ocean Geographic, Scuba Diving, Sport Diver, Asian Diver, Scuba Diving and the Undersea Journal, Alert Diver, Scuba Diver Through The Lens, Dive Photo Guide, Plongee, Tauchen, Apnea, Hotbook, Cuartoscuro, México Desconocido, The Times (UK), Daily Mail (UK), and others.
Photographer in Residence, Ocean Geographic Magazine www.ogsociety.org
Field editor at Scuba Diver Australasia and Asian Diver www.uw3some.com
Award winning book
His first book was published in 2019 (Earth Aware Editions) under the title “Silent Kingdom”. Through 224 pages it showcase an ethereal collection of black-and-white underwater photography. It has an introduction by Dr. Sylvia Earle and texts by David Doubilet, Ernie Brooks, Michael AW and CODEMAR.
-Winner at book/nature category and second at book category at the Px3 Prix de la photographie Paris, 2019
-Gold medal, books/nature category, BIFA awards 2019
-Winner, book category, TIFA awards 2019
Awards
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2020
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Winner, HIPA ninth season, portfolio category. 9th place, nature category, World Photographic Cup. 3rd place, Journeys and Adventure category, Sienna International Photo Awards. Commended, The Beauty of Nature category, Sienna International Photo Awards.
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2019
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Winner, outdoor category, AFAR photo awards. Winner, Nature photographer of the Year award at the Px3 Prix de la photographie Paris. 2nd place, Sony World Photography Awards, Professional category, nature. Winner, World Photographic Cup, “Best of Nation” award. Gold Medal, nature category, World Photographic Cup. 2nd place, All About Photo Awards. Judge at the “2019 DEEP Indonesia Photo Competition” Judge at the 2019 Asia Pacific UW photo challenge competition. Judge at ADEX 2019 Voice of the Ocean competition. Judge at Asian Photographer of the Year 2019 Bronze, Black and White, Our World Underwater 2019. Winner, nature category, Better Photography Magazine Photograph of the Year awards. Two images with honor awards, underwater category, Montphoto. Silver medal, nature category, BIFA awards. Gold medal, nature category/underwater, TIFA awards.
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2018
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Winner, Monochrome Awards, Professional category, nude. Judge at the 2018 Asia Pacific UW photo challenge competition. Nominee, International Color Awards competition, wildlife category. Third place, wide angle category, Scuba Diving Magazine contest. Honorable Mention, International photography awards, category nature underwater (https://www.photoawards.com/winner/zoom.php?eid=8-154350-18) Nominee in 4 categories: Nature, Nude, People and Wildlife. International Color Awards.
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2017
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Third place, Sony World Photography Awards, Professional category, nature. Winner, World Oceans Day photo competition, theme winner 2017. Second Place, International Photography Awards, Professional Nature Underwater category. www.photoawards.com/winner/index.php?compName=IPA%202017&level=pro |
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2016
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Winner, Man and Nature category, Mosaico Natura México. www.mosaiconatura.net Honorable Mention, Fauna category, Mosaico Natura México. Winner, submerged world category, Memorial Maria Luisa photo contest www.memorialmarialuisa.com/uk/vencedores.php Honorable mention, submerged world category, Memorial Maria Luisa. www.memorialmarialuisa.com/uk/vencedores.php Winner, Nature: Seascapes (Professional), International Photographer of the Year. www.iphotographeroftheyear.com Third place in Seascapes and Wildlife categories (Professional), International Photographer of the Year. www.iphotographeroftheyear.com Honorable mentions in Seascapes and Wildlife categories (Professional), International Photographer of the Year. www.iphotographeroftheyear.com Third place, plants category, Oasis photo contest, www.oasisphotocontest.com Honorable mentions, black and white and seascape categories, Ocean Geographic Pictures of the Year. Highly commended, wrecks category, Underwater Photographer of the Year London Competition. www.upylondon.com/2016winners.aspx “Nominee” Fine Art Photography Awards, categories “People” (series) and Wildlife” (series) www.fineartphotoawards.com
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2015
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Winner, Wildlife Category, Monochrome Awards www.monoawards.com/winners-gallery/monochrome-awards-2015/professional/wildlife 5 Honorable mentions, Wildlife Category, Monochrome Awards Nature Photographer of the Year, ND Neutral Density Photography awards. 1st place “nature –underwater-“ ND Neutral Density Photography awards. 2nd place “fine arts –nude-“ ND Neutral Density Photography awards. Honorable Mentions in “Nature –seascapes-“ and “Nature –underwater-“ ND Neutral Density Photography awards. 2nd place “nature” professional category, Fine Art Photography Awards. Nominee in “travel” professional category, Fine Art Photography Awards. -Judge in “Verasub”, underwater photography contest held in Veracruz, México. -Highly commended, Underwater world category, Asferico photo contest www.asferico.com -2 honorable mentions in contest Memorial Maria Luisa. -Honorable mention national contest of wildlife photography “Mosaico Natura” category "Wild plants and fungi" -Ocean Geographic Pictures of the Year 2014. Winner and honorable mention in Black and White category, , Runner up and honorable mention in “Seascapes” category.
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2014
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-Winner, Wildlife Photographer of the Year, “plants and fungi category”. -Two images highly honored Natures Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards, “Oceans” category. -Second Place, Macro in Scuba Diving magazine's 2014 photo contest, "Through Your Lens - 10th Year". -3 images auctioned at the 6th annual auction “ArteSana” organized by Patronage of the National Museum of Anthropology, México City. - Invited as Guest speaker at ADEX, biggest Asia diving Expo. -Sony World Photography Awards, 2014 third place, professional competition, travel category, with series “cenotes”. www.worldphoto.org selected amongst 69,114 images from 166 countries. -Asferico Photocontest 2014, Winner, Man and Nature category. www.asferico.com -Asferico Photocontest 2014, “highly commended”, plants and fungi category. www.asferico.com |
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2013
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-Selected “World Champion” 2012-2013 by underwaterphotography.com
-‘Face to Face’ has been shortlisted in the top 10 images in the Nature & Category in the Open Competition of the Sony World Photography Awards 2013. (selected from 54,851 images entered from 170 countries)
-‘Natural Harmony’ has been commended in the top 50 images in the Nature & Wildlife Category in the Open Competition of the Sony World Photography Awards 2013. (selected from 54,851 images entered from 170 countries) -Gold Medal in underwaterphotography.com, freshwater category for “Enlightening the soul” -Silver Medal in underwaterphotography.com. freshwater category for “Hidden Beauty” -Bronze Medal in underwaterphotography.com, freshwater category for “Core Essence” -Gold Medal in underwaterphotography.com, sharks category for “Great Apparition” -Bronze Medal in underwaterphotography.com, wide angle marine life category for “The Wall” -6th place in underwater category, Oasis Photo Contest 2012, (more than 24.000 images of 48 countries participated). -Highly honored nature’s best Photography windland smith rice international awards 2013, outdoor adventure and small world categories. -2nd place, wide-angle category, world shootout underwater photo competition. -Judge at the first Anilao Underwater Photo Competition, held dec. 4-8 in Anilao, Philippines. |
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2012
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-Bronze Medal for “Grand Cenote 2273” in Our World Underwater Competition, category Wide Angle Unrestricted. -Winner monthly march contest 2012 of Dive Photo Guide, for "Delfiniti 8190" -“Featured article” about the collection “Selkie Connection” in web magazine Dive Photo Guide (www.divephotoguide.com) -A jury for the special edition of Edition Fifty Fathoms “fifty finest” elected “Delfiniti 9096”, publication that includes the best 50 fine art underwater black and whites photographs. -Winner of the April contest of UnderwaterPhotography.com (biggest underwater contest in the world) with "Grand Cenote 374" -Runner up in the may contest of UnderwaterPhotography.com -Winner in Scuba Diver Magazine 2012 underwater photo contest -Elected to participate in Edition Fifty Fathoms special edition on Macro photography -Successfully auction of one of my pieces (60 x 45" fine art print) at the annual art auction of the National Museum of Anthropology "Arte Sana". July 2012. -Winner of the October contest of Underwaterphotography.com (biggest underwater contest in the world) with “Great Apparition”. |
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2011 |
-National Geographic published "Grand Cenote 2273" as photo of the day of June 15, 2011. -Bronze Medal in Our World Underwater Competition, Novice category for "Juan Pablo 4"
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Exhibitions
2019 -Sony World Photography Awards, Medellin, Colombia, “Museo del Agua” or Museum of Water.
2018 -Casa del Lago, Chapultepec, México City. Solo exhibition “Silent Kingdom, a world beneath the waves”.
-National Exhibition Center (Jonquière, Québec, Canada) group exhibition “Le monde sous – marine”
2016 -Jose Luis Cuevas Museum, group exhibition celebrating the world art day.
-Modern Art Museum of State of México, group exhibition “Sin Comisario”.
2015 -Photographic exhibition “Fotografía tu mundo” Torres Bicentenario Museum, Toluca,
State of México.
-Underwater photography group exhibition at FMoPA (Florida Museum of Photographic Arts) Tampa, Florida, USA.
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2012 |
Photographic Group Exhibition, XEspacio de arte, Condesa, México D.F. Art group Exhibition, Colectiva A + B, Boca del Río Veracruz, Veracruz. Art group Exhibition “La Magia de Oaxaca y Cuba”, México DF Art group Exhibition “Exposición colectiva 2013” Jean Louis Silve Gallery, Valle de Bravo, México. |
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2011 |
Group Fine Arts Exhibition MARVA casa de arte at hotel St. Regis, México D.F.
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2010
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CAF Centro de Arte Fotográfico, Group Photographic Exhibition, México D.F. |
Non-profit Organizations support
Member at Silvia Earle´s mission blue organization. www.mission-blue.org
Parley for the Oceans www.parleytv.com
Wildscreen Exchange www.wildscreenexchange.org
Member of Ocean Artists Society www.oceanartistssociety.org
Ambassador at Coral Guardian, organization inspired to take responsibility for the sustainability of Coral Reefs. www.coralguardian.org
Supporter www.reefcalendar.org
Supporter: www.bite-back.com