Rachel Bigsby | Award Winning Wildlife & Seabird Photographer

'The Art of Courtship' - Each summer, more than 22,000 Northern Gannets return to the towering sandstone cliffs of Noss to breed, gathering on narrow ledges shaped by centuries of wind and sea. Photographing from a small boat in turbulent swell beneath the cliffs, Rachel noticed a courting pair nestled together on a low rocky ledge. Their graceful movements, the sculptural curves of the sandstone and the striking patterns left by generations of seabirds offered the possibility of something special. With the boat constantly rising and falling, the composition existed for only a few fleeting seconds. As the vessel aligned with the cliffs, the birds intertwined their necks against a dark hollow in the rock, bringing together the elements Rachel had been waiting for. The resulting photograph was awarded the Natural Artistry title at Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023.

'Between Ice and Air' - Against sculpted Antarctic ice, a Wilson’s Storm Petrel traces a passage through the polar air. Beneath its dark wings, snow and ice fold into sweeping curves, shaped by time and tide. One of the ocean’s smallest wanderers, among giants of ice.

'Embrace' - For days, an impenetrable sea fog enveloped the island, casting an extraordinary stillness over the height of the seabird breeding season. Lying down on a cold, damp jetty, Rachel hoped to capture the monochromatic beauty of Razorbills against the ethereal mist. Then, emerging from the fog, a solitary Razorbill returned from a fishing expedition to reunite with its waiting partner. Their delicate greeting, expressed through the gentle meeting of beaks, revealed an intimate moment of devotion.

'Curled Against the Cold' - Curled against the Antarctic cold, a Chinstrap Penguin rests amid the beautiful disarray of its annual moult. Wisps of old plumage cling to its rounded form, while others surrender to the wind like tiny ghosts of a former self. Where others might see an ungainly creature, Rachel found an unexpected tenderness in its imperfection, a delicate tapestry of feathers caught between what was and what is yet to come.

'Formal Arrangement' - Two Imperial Shags, their elegant forms entwined in a study of contrast and composition. One stands tall while the other bows beneath a crown of windswept feathers. Crests sweep like ink across ivory, pale eyes gleam beneath intricate markings, and every curve finds its counterpart.

'Abstraction of Instinct' - A colony of King Penguins dissolves into a flurry of feather and gold, their elegant forms swept into painterly strokes of movement. Beyond the frame, the unseen presence of a Sea Lion sends a ripple of alarm through the gathering. Captured through a slow shutter, instinct becomes abstraction, where the urgency of survival unfolds in a wild choreography of colour, motion and light.

'Flight and Flame' - At the horizon's edge, where daylight surrenders to dusk, a Northern Gannet appears to ignite the evening sky. Drawn to the extraordinary warmth of the setting sun, Rachel experimented with a slow shutter speed, allowing the bird's movement to paint delicate trails of molten gold across the frame. Rather than freezing the familiar elegance of a Gannet in flight, she sought to capture something more elemental: the fleeting marriage of light, movement and imagination.

'The Last Light Home' - At the wild edges of New Zealand, the setting sun spills molten gold across a restless sea, where waves break against ancient rock and storm clouds gather overhead. Against this dramatic meeting of light and water, Australasian Gannets ride the evening winds, their outstretched wings tracing familiar paths towards home.

'Of Salt and Stone' - In the solitude of the Tasman Sea, where waves rise and unravel into white, a Flesh-footed Shearwater rises on the wind, reading the ocean's restless moods with an instinct honed by an enduring wanderer. Beyond, the dark volcanic spire of Ball's Pyramid rises like a relic of a forgotten age. A creature of ceaseless movement against a monument of ancient stillness.

'Auk Angel' - With wings raised skyward and its head tilted towards the heavens, a Razorbill assumes an almost angelic structure against the soft grey skies of a remote seabird colony. This symmetry was the creative intention and culmination of hours spent observing the birds on a dreich May morning of muted tones. Rachel had been searching for the artistic possibilities offered by these conditions and the alignment of feather, form and light to transform an ordinary gesture into a striking expression of natural artistry.

'Edge of Recognition' - Beyond the great wings and endless ocean crossings, a Black-browed Albatross reveals a more intimate world. An obsidian eye emerges from a sea of ivory feathers, framed by the delicate sweep of its namesake brow; no longer a distant silhouette upon the wind, but a living presence watching the world in return.

'Guardian of the Gannetry' - Upon ancient cliffs sculpted by centuries of wind and sea, thousands of Northern Gannets gather, their lives woven into the restless rhythm of the ocean. Yet among this extraordinary multitude, Rachel has always been fascinated by the quiet significance of the individual, each bird belonging to something infinitely greater than itself. Through the artistry of an in-camera multiple exposure, she brought these two worlds together, allowing the ethereal presence of a solitary Gannet to rise above the colony it calls home. Its watchful silhouette becomes an almost mythical guardian, suspended between sea and sky, while the countless lives beneath it merge into a tapestry of feather, rock and shadow.

'Cloaked in Constellations' - Cloaked in charcoal constellations, young Northern Gannets wear plumage seemingly stitched with stars. Known to island communities as 'Guga', these remarkable seabirds begin life wrapped in soft white down, gradually exchanging their youthful speckles for the immaculate white and ink-tipped wings of adulthood. Yet it is these early years that have always enchanted Rachel most. Where others might admire the elegance of an adult Gannet, she finds herself captivated by the intricate beauty of its younger counterpart, the quiet poetry of becoming, a fleeting chapter in a seabird's life when the ocean seems to have written its stars upon their feathers.

'Unapologetic' - Fresh blood stains the face of a Southern Giant Petrel, a crimson testament to life in the unforgiving Southern Ocean. Against the stark purity of white, there is nowhere for nature's harsher truths to hide. An opportunist of the wild, the Petrel wears the evidence of survival without shame or apology.

'Steering the Storm' - Beneath a bruised and brooding sky, the North Sea rises in rebellion, its waves torn into mountains of white water by the relentless wind. Yet above this wild and restless kingdom, a solitary Northern Gannet holds its course, wings outstretched, untroubled by the fury below. Here, the Gannet is no mere traveller through the storm, but a creature of its making, as much a part of the wind and waves as the sea itself.

'Between Feathers' - This is the moment between what was and what will be. A young King Penguin stands wrapped in contradiction; adult feathers sleek and certain, down still clinging like a memory unwilling to let go. Layer upon layer, texture upon texture, a patchwork of chaos slowly surrendering to form.

'Heart of the Tasman' - Against the volcanic giant of Ball's Pyramid, a procession of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters traces a passage through the Tasman Sea. Guided by an ancestral knowledge of wind and water, their slender wings carry them effortlessly through this immense wilderness.

'The Hunger Below' - The sky fractures, the sea erupts and hundreds of Northern Gannets descend upon the ocean in a spectacle of hunger and survival. Amid the thunder of wings, the cries of seabirds and the explosion of white water, Rachel sought to capture the sheer intensity of this ancient ritual. Above, the gathering storm; below, a fleeting shimmer of silver. And between the Gannets, a wild choreography of instinct, urgency and life itself.

'Chinstrap' - In the hush of Antarctica, a Chinstrap Penguin folds into sleep, its head resting in a gentle crescent, its delicate black markings drawn like ink upon untouched snow. A little creature of shadow and ivory, where every feather finds its place in nature’s quiet calligraphy.

'Against a Raging Sea' - Fragile in scale, formidable in spirit, two Razorbills press onward against a raging sea, their small silhouettes almost swallowed by mountainous waves. To Rachel, this is the very essence of a seabird; a life shaped by the ocean, yet never surrendered to its fury.

'A Royal Ritual' - On a remote island in the restless Southern Ocean, two Royal Penguins perform an ancient ritual of courtship. One carefully selects a pebble, while the other waits, their movements entwined in pursuit and promise.

'Dagger' - Few seabirds possess a weapon quite as distinctive as the Arctic Tern's slender, crimson bill. An instrument of remarkable precision, it serves the bird in hunting, feeding and fiercely defending its territory during the breeding season. Yet, in this portrait, Rachel sought to reveal its beauty rather than its iconic ferocity. With its head gently bowed, at rest on a nearby wall, Rachel used the soft, muted background to allow the vivid crimson to command attention, while the bird's stillness formed a striking point of symmetry.

'The Watcher' - High above the restless North Sea, the great seabird city of Bass Rock rises from the water, its ancient cliffs crowded with thousands of Northern Gannets. For Rachel, few places capture the extraordinary spectacle of seabird life quite so profoundly. Seeking to convey both the intimacy of an individual bird and the immense world to which it belongs, she brought two perspectives together through an in-camera multiple exposure. The watchful gaze of a Gannet emerges above its bustling colony, its enormous silhouette seemingly woven into the storm-laden sky. Rendered in monochrome, the photograph blurs the boundaries between portrait and landscape, offering a dreamlike vision of a bird and its kingdom, inseparable from the sea, the stone and one another.

'Shaped By The Sea' - Beyond the thunderous impact of a Northern Gannet's plunge lies a moment few ever notice, when the ocean settles and water folds itself around a bird shaped by the sea. A meeting of feather and water, where golden plumage dissolves into liquid silk and sunlight transforms the surface into molten gold.

'Shadow Dancer' - Beneath the fierce South African sun, an African Penguin casts its elegant shadow across pale coastal sand. Embracing the harsh midday light, Rachel deliberately overexposed the scene, leaving behind a delicate dance of shape and shadow.

'A Kingdom Multiplied' - Upon the windswept shores of Macquarie Island, a kingdom of 100,000 breeding pairs of King Penguins stretches towards the horizon, an overwhelming tapestry of colour, movement and life. Enchanted by the magnificent chaos of this gathering, Rachel turned to in-camera multiple exposure, weaving layers of feathers, golden crowns and restless silhouettes into a single frame.

'Echoed Course' - In the solitude of the Southern Ocean, two Campbell Albatross trace passage. Beside a solitary rock stack, one glides with wings outstretched, while another follows far beyond, its distant silhouette echoing the first. A repetition of form and freedom. Two ocean wanderers, separated by distance yet united by the same ancient journeys.

'Whispers on Water' - Upon a sea as smooth as velvet, a solitary Storm Petrel dances between darkness and light, its delicate silhouette mirrored upon the ocean's luminous skin; arched wings, forked tail and the faint outline of its tubular nostrils emerging against the silvered water.

'Life and Death' - Upon a weather-beaten rock at the meeting of two great seas, life and death exist in heartbreaking proximity. Northern Gannets stand watch above their young, while beneath, the lifeless bodies of their partners lost to avian influenza lie among the salt-stained stone.... Yet the colony endures, and new beginnings unfold in the shadow of unimaginable loss. A portrait of grief and resilience, where the ocean bears witness to both the cruelty and wonder of existence.

'The Souls That Follow' - Old maritime folklore tells of Northern Fulmars carrying the souls of fishermen lost to the sea, condemned to wander its restless waters for eternity. Through the solitude of the Northwest Passage, these spectral wanderers became Rachel’s constant companions, their pale wings tracing the ship’s passage through the Arctic. Captivated by the Fulmar and its ghostly reflection, she found something hauntingly beautiful in the old sailors’ tales; as though the ocean had briefly revealed a soul gliding above its own ghost.

'Between Two Worlds' - Neither wholly of the nest nor yet belonging to the sea, a young Northern Gannet stands upon the threshold of another life. Wisps of down cling like the last whispers of childhood, giving way to feathers destined for wind, salt and open water. Enchanted by this tender meeting of textures, Rachel wanted a portrait of a life between chapters, still wrapped in the innocence of its beginnings, while somewhere beyond the cliffs, the ocean waits to welcome it home.

'Wings in Weather' - Amid the falling Antarctic snow, the wings of a young Antarctic Tern unfold in delicate symmetry, each feather etched like fine filigree against the winter white.

'The Fisherman' - The Atlantic wind carries a lone Puffin homeward, its colourful bill laden with silver sandeels, each one glistening with the memory of the sea. Celebrated for its vibrant colours and comical charm, the Puffin is seldom portrayed without its familiar brilliance. Yet Rachel chose to strip away the distraction of colour, allowing light, texture and form to tell a quieter story. In monochrome, the delicate geometry of feathers, the shimmer of scales and the unwavering determination of a returning parent take centre stage. Each fish represents another journey across open water, another offering to a hungry chick waiting ashore. Rendered in silver and shadow, this familiar seabird becomes something altogether more intimate: a devoted fisherman, carrying the ocean home in its beak.

'Fish Flight' - In the silver skies above a northern seabird colony, an ancient courtship unfolds. Known as 'fish flight', this delicate aerial ritual sees a male Arctic Tern display his freshly caught prize, enticing a prospective mate to follow. In the foreground, the female cries, assessing the hunting prowess of the male behind her, whose glistening offering may reveal his potential as a future provider. Rachel was captivated by this beautiful display of instinct and intention, where a single silver fish becomes far more than a meal, but a promise of nourishment, partnership and life yet to come.

'Secrets of the Sea' - Beneath a veil of ivory feathers, a Black-browed Albatross conceals all but a single watchful eye. Fine plumes rise like sea mist, their threads softening the gaze of this ancient ocean wanderer.

'Dragon' - On a remote island in the North Sea, Rachel encountered European Shags for the first time, captivated by their prehistoric character and dark, armour-like plumage. Nestled within a shadowed crevice, one bird revealed an unexpected treasure of iridescent feathers shimmering in bottle green, like emeralds upon obsidian; an extraordinary beauty so often concealed in darkness, a dragon cloaked in glistening armour.

'A Show of Strength' - Feathers rise like a crown of thorns, each barb bristling with defiance as a Southern Giant Petrel unfurls its mighty wings. Across its ruffled neck, layers of plumage ripple like windswept scales, a wild tapestry of shadow and silver. Every feather speaks of strength, every gesture a declaration of dominance. A formidable sovereign of the Southern Ocean, wearing the tempest in its feathers.

'Bait Ball' - Southern Giant Petrels descend upon a fleeting feast, their great wings colliding in a frenzy of feather and flesh. Through an intentional slow shutter, movement dissolves into sweeping arcs of brown and gold, while the visceral crimson of fresh placenta punctuates the chaos.

'A Ballet of Shadow and Snow' - Upon a sculptural iceberg, a gathering of Chinstrap Penguins wanders through the glowing Antarctic light. Their delicate shadows stretch across the ice, tracing its ancient, weathered curves. Beyond, towering mountains stand like silent sentinels, watching over the little wanderers of the frozen sea.

'The Long Incubation' - As evening settles upon New Island, two Black-browed Albatrosses keep their quiet vigil. One shelters a precious egg beneath its feathers, while the other stands watch over their windswept sanctuary. Beyond the nest lies a kingdom of salt, storm and endless ocean, yet here, among the weathered stone, their world narrows to a tender devotion measured in passing tides, patient days and the life yet to come.

'Cathedrals of Ice' - Across the ink-dark waters of deepest Antarctica, great cathedrals of ice rise, their alabaster walls folded and carved by decades of wind and sea. Upon one drifting sanctuary, a handful of Chinstrap Penguins gather like tiny pilgrims at the feet of giants. Beyond, a world of impossible scale, where little lives are cradled in the frozen architecture of the Earth.

'A Matter of Territory' - In a violent flurry of feather and fury, a Southern Giant Petrel lunges towards a young intruder, its great wings unfurled in a fierce warning. The youngster recoils, caught in a confrontation where hesitation leaves little room for escape. Through an intentional slow shutter, Rachel captures the struggle dissolve into sweeping strokes of silver, ash and charcoal. A dance of dominance and defiance.

'Eye of the Giant' - A Northern Giant Petrel rests beneath a cloak of weathered feathers. Its head and formidable bill vanish into the dark folds of plumage, leaving only a single eye. Ice-white. Unblinking. A ghostly glimmer amid the tangled architecture of feather, the spirit of an ocean wanderer revealed in a solitary gaze.

'Featherwork' - On an island in the North Sea, Rachel found herself enchanted by the prehistoric silhouettes of European Shags whose feathers shimmered shades of olive and bottle green, each overlapping the next like hand-cut tiles upon an ancient mosaic.

'Learning the Weather' - Freshly fledged into Antarctic snowfall, a young Antarctic Tern tests its slender wings against the polar wind. Its pale juvenile plumage catches the muted light as snowflakes blur into white.

'Surface Tension' - Beneath the towering monolith of Bass Rock, the sea erupted with the thunderous spectacle of diving Northern Gannets, their wings folded like arrows as they pursued shoals of Mackerel into the depths. Yet Rachel found herself captivated not by the frenzy above, but by the mysterious world beneath. Drifting upon the water at dawn, she began watching for the moment the birds returned from their underwater pursuits, their pale forms emerging through the silvered surface like ghosts rising from the deep, momentarily held by the ocean, its passage traced by a delicate bloom of bubbles.

'Suspended' - Between the towering cliffs and the restless sea, a solitary Northern Gannet drifts into a world of shadow, where fragments of rock and feather emerge from the darkness. Fascinated by the interplay of light and absence, Rachel sought to capture the almost otherworldly beauty concealed within the bustle of a seabird colony, suspended between the illuminated world and the abyss below.

'Compass Home' - Across a boundless canvas of white, a gathering of Auks traces an invisible path towards home, their wings beating in an unspoken rhythm. Like markings upon an ancient mariner's chart, the birds draw compasses across the sky, guided by a sense of purpose and belonging no map could ever describe.

'The Colour of Courtship' - Adorned in their finest breeding plumage, two Imperial Shags entwine their slender necks in an intimate ritual of courtship. Golden crowns glow against feathers of midnight blue, while delicate crests rise like silken plumes.

'The Architecture of Colour' - Each feather is a unit of design, engineered to reflect and absorb light in equal measure. In close study, the deep blues of the Imperial Shag's plumage fracture, revealing the complexity hidden within apparent uniformity.

'A Choreography of Colour' - In a spirited display, two Imperial Shags raise their extravagant crests, one calling with bill agape, the other poised alongside. Violet eyes gleam beneath crowns of burnished amber, while dark feathers rise like plumes of ink. A theatrical exchange of gesture and ornament, where every flourish belongs to the intricate language of seabird courtship.

'Arctic Ascend' - In the waning light of an Arctic afternoon, an Arctic Tern glides above an immense fortress of ice. Beneath, ancient folds of cerulean and cobalt rise from the sea, sculpted by time and tide.

A photograph of a Leopard Seal resting on an icy landmass in an Antarctic polar landscape with snow-covered mountains and icebergs, under a cloudy sky.

A photograph of a Polar Bear, standing on a beautiful blue ice formation in the Arctic, with an icy landscape and a white background.

A photograph of a Polar Bear walking along the waters edge on snow and ice in a minimalist, monochrome landscape.

An abstract black and white photograph of a Beluga Whale swimming in the water, its head partially submerged and visible near the bottom right of the image.

A black and white photograph of a snowy Arctic mountain landscape with a large snow-covered mountain in the background, as a Polar Bear walks across the snow in the foreground.

A black and white silhouetted photograph of a Polar Bear with a glowing outline against a black background.

A visceral photograph of a Polar Bear eating a newly killed Seal on the snow in Arctic Svalbard. The scene is mostly bright white, apart from the fresh red blood of the Seal meat staining the Bear's face.

An abstract black and white photograph of a pod of several Beluga Whale floating in dark water, with some partially submerged and others more visible on the surface, distorted by the water.

A photograph of a large Polar Bear, partially sitting on the snow against a white background. It's fur a wonderful cream colour against the stark white.

A black and white photograph of a large Walrus on the shore in icy waters with snow-covered mountains in the background and waves lashing its back.

A striking photograph of a Polar Bear with blood on its nose and eye area from a recent kill, standing on snow.

A close-up black and white photograph of a sleeping Walrus, focusing on its face and tusks, and the texture of its fatty ripples.

A photograph of a European Badger peering through purple English Bluebell flowers with a soft, blurry background and foreground.

A photograph of a European Badger sitting among purple English Bluebell flowers with a soft, blurry background and foreground in a natural outdoor setting.

A photograph of a European Badger sitting among purple English Bluebell flowers with a soft, blurry background and foreground, among tall trees.

A photograph of a lush forest scene with tall trees and sunlight filtering through the leaves, with a dense bed of purple Bluebell flowers covering the ground as a European Badger peers through from the right hand corner.

A close-up photograph of a young black and white European Badger in a natural setting surrounded by yellow leaves, with a blurred background and foreground.

A photograph of a curious European Badger in a field of colourful wildflowers with a warm yellow background.

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