Christian Wappl, born on the island of Raiatea, French Polynesia, is an Austrian biologist and nature photographer based in the outskirts of Vienna. He spent the first nine years of his life travelling the world on a sailing yacht with his parents, including a circumnavigation of the globe. Seeing the world’s rich biodiversity at such a young age left Christian with a deep connection with nature, which eventually led to a Master’s degree in biology.

During his studies, he picked up a camera to document his work and soon discovered that photography was more than taking snapshots for future reference. Travelling both for science and photography, he has since been to Morocco, India, Southeast Asia, Central America, the Caribbean, the Galápagos Islands and French Polynesia - as well as a number of European countries. From an initial focus on reptiles and amphibians, Christian expanded his photography to a wide variety of subjects and techniques, earning critical acclaim in national and international photography competitions in the process.

A significant part of his photography is conducted in pristine and vulnerable habitats, particularly in the tropics. His other strong photographic focus is the interaction of man and nature. He hopes to inspire conservation by showing people the beauty and diversity of nature in remote corners of the world, but also in their own backyards.

Christian is a full member of the Association for Nature Photography (GDT) and the Austrian Association for Animal and Nature Photography (VTNÖ).