Host: Mary

Guest: Stefan Christmann: Nature Photographer, Physicist, and Emperor Penguin Storyteller

Episode Summary: In this episode of All About Penguins, the conversation is with Stefan Christmann, a German physicist turned award-winning nature photographer who has spent multiple seasons in Antarctica documenting emperor penguins. From wintering at Neumayer-Station III to working with the BBC Natural History Unit on the Dynasties emperor penguin episode, Stefan combines scientific training, field experience, and visual storytelling to share one of nature’s most powerful survival stories. His book, Penguin: A Story of Survival, takes us right into the heart of an emperor penguin colony, exploring resilience, community, and the realities of a warming world.

🐧 Key Topics Covered:

• From Physics to Penguins. How Stefan went from studying physics in Germany to living among emperor penguins in Antarctica, and why photography became his way of telling science-driven stories.
• Life at the End of the World. What it’s really like to winter at Neumayer-Station III, documenting an emperor penguin colony at Atka Bay in brutal cold, darkness, and isolation.
• Photography in Extreme Conditions. Field logistics, gear challenges at −40 °C, and how his scientific mindset helps him plan, endure, and keep equipment (and himself) working in the cold.
• Penguin Love & Survival. Stefan talks about “Penguin Love”, the deep social bonds and cooperation that allow emperor penguins to raise chicks in one of the harshest climates on Earth. 
• Creating Penguin: A Story of Survival. How the book came together, what stories and images made it in, and how it invites readers to see emperor penguins not just as icons, but as families fighting for survival on thinning sea ice. 
• Climate Change & the Future of Penguins. What Stefan has witnessed in Antarctica, why emperor penguins are so vulnerable to changing sea ice, and how images can spark awareness and action. 

💬 Quotes to Remember:

“Emperor penguins remind us that surviving the impossible often comes down to staying together.”

“Their strength isn’t individual, it's community. That’s something we can all learn from.”

“Watching them survive the Antarctic winter teaches you what persistence really looks like.”

“Working in minus forty teaches you patience. You can’t rush nature.”

“Their tight-knit communities are the heart of their survival story.”

Connect with Stefan:

• Website: Nature in Focus
• Instagram: @christmannphoto

Buy the book: 

• Penguin: A Story of Survival (website)
• Penguin: A Story of Survival (Amazon)

Thank you for listening!

If you enjoyed this episode:

• Follow the podcast
• Leave a review
• Share with fellow animal lovers and penguin fans!

To learn more about how to help penguins, check - https://lifeguin.com/help-the-penguins/

Get into style and spread awareness about penguins - https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/68837568

Buy us a Kofi - https://ko-fi.com/lifeguin

Send us an email at [email protected]