Winners Gallery
Finalist Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Romain Barats Antarctica
"It’s amazing how fast gentoo penguins are able to build a colony during the austral summer in the Antarctic peninsula," says Barats. "Port Charcot is usually a good place for this. This sheltered bay surrounded by mountains and icebergs is a perfect base for gentoos. We anchored our sailboat in this bay for three days, near the colony. We got in the water every day to enjoy the spectacle of these highly curious birds, who came to check on us so many times. Clumsy on land, these birds are fast and agile in the water."
BEHIND THE LENS
Romain Barats France
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Taken while freediving
- Shot on expedition
- Early morning shoot
- F/5,6, 1/500s, iso 1000
Romain is a medical doctor and award-winning photographer and cinematographer with a deep passion for nature and wildlife. His work has taken him to some of the planet’s most remote and challenging environments, where he has served as an underwater cameraman for acclaimed productions like Our Planet 2 (Netflix), Chasing Ocean Giants (Discovery+), and Patrick and the Whale (Emmy-nominated). These expeditions not only honed his visual storytelling skills but also connected him with expert local guides. Romain now shares his passion through his expedition company, The Wildlife Odyssey, offering immersive wildlife photography experiences to nature enthusiasts worldwide.
