About Solvin Zankl

Solvin Zankl

Solvin Zankl was born in Marburg, Germany in 1971. He began his career as a photographer in 1989. Inspired by the experience of a one-year stay at the West Indies Laboratory at St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, he documented sea turtles in their natural environment. During his civilian service at the North Sea coast, he became even more acquainted with large and small ocean wildlife. He studied Marine Biology at the University of Kiel, Germany. Photographing life above and below the sea surface became a crucial element of his Master studies and took him to Northern Scotland, Norway, Indonesia, the Bahamas and the Caribbean Sea. 

Since 1999 Solvin Zankl has been working as a professional photographer. He is specialised in wildlife stories from different environments, including coasts and the deep sea, deserts, forests and freshwater habitats. Aiming to document the behaviour and the individual character of his subject, he not just acquired ample knowledge of the natural world, but also developed new ways to capture it creatively. In addition, his images contribute to international conservation projects, for example dedicated to the protection of the golden lion tamarin in the Atlantic coastal rainforest, the hawksbill sea turtle in the Caribbean or the harbour porpoise in the Baltic and North Sea.

Solvin Zankl’s images appear in magazines worldwide, including GEO, stern, National Geographic Magazine,BBC Wildlife, Natural History Magazine, Terra Mater, Illustreret Videnskab as well as bioGraphic, the multimedia magazine of the California Academy of Sciences. His work has been recognised with the German Award for Science Photography and the Fritz Poelking Award. In 2010, he was part of the judging panel for the for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

Solvin Zankl has published a number of high-quality photo books. Tiefseewesen takes readers on a deep dive into the world of plankton, fish, octopuses and other fascinating creatures (Delius Klasing). Wildnis Eichepresents insights into the oak tree as a microcosm of life, and Ozeane celebrates ocean life from all latitudes and depths (both Frederking & Thaler).

Solvin Zankl’s exhibitions and photos are presented throughout Germany and Europe, including at Gasometer Oberhausen, Experimenta Heilbronn and Stadtmuseum Schleswig or festivals such as Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Edinburgh Science Festival and Horizonte Zingst.

Go to Publications for a selection of printed stories. Please follow into the Portfolio with pictures from unique places around the world.