Rachel Bigsby Celebrates Success of Inaugural Heritage Expeditions Wildlife Photography Workshop
- Rachel Bigsby
- Dec 24, 2025
- 3 min read
After a year of planning, Rachel Bigsby has successfully concluded her first wildlife photography workshop in partnership with Heritage Expeditions, marking an important milestone in her expedition-based education programme and a strong foundation for future collaborative voyages.
Spanning seventeen days at sea, the expedition journeyed through some of the most ecologically significant and least accessible seabird habitats on the planet. Operating deep within the Southern Ocean and across the subantarctic and Chatham Island groups, the voyage offered workshop participants rare and meaningful access to remote ecosystems that are seldom experienced, let alone photographed with depth and intention.
“To be able to share these mesmerising seabirds with a small group of committed photographers, and to do so in partnership with a company that genuinely values conservation and education, was incredibly rewarding.”
From the first days at sea, the voyage unfolded as a continuous pelagic spectacle. Multiple species of Albatross accompanied the vessel, while Petrels, Prions and Shearwaters provided near-constant photographic opportunities. These conditions challenged participants to refine both technical skill and creative decision-making while working in heavy seas and rapidly changing weather.
Landings and zodiac operations across Macquarie Island, Campbell Island, Auckland Island, Chatham Island, the Bounty Islands and the Antipodes Islands revealed dense seabird colonies set within extraordinary and often stark landscapes. Royal, King, Gentoo, Little and Crested endemic Penguins dominated many sites, alongside endemic Shags, burrowing Petrels and nesting Albatross, offering rare insight into breeding ecology at scale.
“One of the most powerful aspects of the expedition was simply spending time observing in our own, dedicated zodiac. These colonies operate on an almost unimaginable scale, and being present long enough to understand their rhythm completely changes how you photograph and how you think.”
A personal highlight of the voyage for Rachel was circumnavigating Pyramid Rock in the Chatham Islands, the sole breeding site of the Chatham Island Albatross, as well as visiting the Bounty Islands; one of the most remote island groups on Earth, where fewer people visit annually than those who climb Mount Everest.
Throughout the expedition, Rachel’s workshop focused on fieldcraft, creativity in wildlife photography and visual storytelling under challenging subantarctic conditions. Participants were guided through photographing fast-moving seabirds at sea, composing images that reflect remoteness and scale, and developing work that communicates ecological significance rather than isolated moments.
“My goal was never just to help people come home with strong images, I wanted them to feel confident being creative in difficult environments, but also to think deeply about why they’re making photographs and what story those images are telling.”
Alongside mentoring the workshop group, Rachel continued to produce her own photographic work during the expedition, adding to her growing body of subantarctic imagery. Together with behind-the-scenes documentation of the workshop experience, the resulting photographs form a compelling visual record of a rare and ambitious journey. Reflecting on the workshop’s success, Rachel emphasised the collaborative nature of the voyage.
“This expedition was very much a shared experience. The openness of the group, the support of the expedition team, and the privilege of working in such extraordinary places made it something I’ll carry with me for a long time.”
The success of this inaugural workshop underscores the value of meaningful collaborations and signals a promising future for voyages between Rachel Bigsby and Heritage Expeditions that combine exploration, education and conservation-focused storytelling at the highest level.
