Winners Gallery
Finalist Conservation (Impact) Photographer of the Year
Romain Barats Deception Island, Antarctica
Three gentoo penguins stand beside the rusting remains of the former Hektor whaling station at Whalers Bay, Deception Island. Once a centre of Antarctic whaling, the site is now being reclaimed by wildlife and the harsh polar environment. The penguins appear almost like sentinels, watching over the ruins of an industry that once exploited these waters. Today, the silence is broken not by machinery, but by the return of the wildlife that has made this place its own again.
BEHIND THE LENS
Romain Barats France
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Taken shoreside
- Accessed by boat
- Canon R5m2, Canon RF100-300 with converter 1.4
- ISO 500, F/8, 1/800sec
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.
