The PhotoVogue Festival, the first conscious fashion photography festival that focuses on the common ground between ethics and aesthetics, returns for its eighth edition. From March 6th to 9th, 2025, BASE Milano will host a series of exhibitions and talks analysing the interrelation between humans and Nature, and the relations of kinship we can create with animals, complemented by satellite events at the city’s finest galleries.
The ocean is the birthplace of life on Earth, covering over 70% of our planet and sustaining an extraordinary range of biodiversity—from microscopic plankton to the largest whales. Yet its influence extends far beyond the water’s edge, shaping the health of ecosystems as distant as the Amazon rainforest and the African savannah.
In this conversation, John Steele, Editor-in-Chief of Nautilus, will explore how photography serves as a powerful tool for documenting and preserving the intricate web of life that connects land and sea. Drawing from Biodiversity: Through the Lens, a collaborative exhibition by UNESCO, Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy, Discover Earth, and Nautilus, Steele will discuss how nature photographers capture the breathtaking beauty and fragile complexity of our planet’s ecosystems, offering rare glimpses into the vibrant worlds beneath the ocean’s surface and beyond.
More than just a visual record, these images serve as urgent calls to action, reminding us that the health of biodiversity is inseparable from the health of our oceans and, ultimately, the survival of life on Earth. This discussion will illuminate how photography can reconnect us with the natural world, inspire empathy, and drive tangible efforts to protect our planet’s delicate balance.
About John Steele
John Steele is the Publisher, Editorial Director and founder of Nautilus, the online and print science magazine with a literary voice. Launched in 2013, Nautilus has become a critical and popular success, winning two National Magazine Awards and the Webby Award for best science on the internet.
Prior to founding Nautilus, Steele worked for Ted Forstmann at IMG/Forstmann Little developing television, film and publishing projects. He started his career at CBS News and later moved to NBC News where he was Rome Bureau Chief and later Olympic News Producer for NBC Sports, receiving two Emmy Awards for Olympic coverage.
Steele has also developed several documentaries for PBS including, “Destination America”, “1421, The Year The Chinese Discovered America”, and “My Shakespeare”.
Born in Idaho, Steele graduated with a degree in Philosophy from the University of Utah.
For more about the PhotoVogue Festival 2025, check out: All you need to know about the PhotoVogue Festival 2025
PhotoVogue Festival is a project directed by Alessia Glaviano (Head of Global PhotoVogue) and co-curated by Caterina De Biasio (Visual Editor, PhotoVogue) and Daniel Rodríguez Gordillo (Senior Manager, Education & Community Initiatives Condé Nast).
