Chris Packham celebrates the work of wildlife photographer Rachel Bigsby
Guest editor of this week's Radio Times magazine, the Springwatch presenter shares some of his favourite snaps by the award-winning Bigsby.
Rachel's photographs are exceptional – I photograph wildlife and I look at a lot of wildlife photography but her work stands out as very special. And it's not just me who is a fan – last year she won one of the toughest categories in Wildlife Photographer of the Year and the equally tough portfolio category in Bird Photograph of the Year.
She has a great eye for composition, favours bold, striking, often symmetrical-ish and graphic images. She is also clever, excluding the clutter of the wild world and letting her subject do all the visual talking It's exciting to see a 26-year-old woman smashing it in a field that has been too long dominated by men.
Before you ask, she shoots with Nikon and you can see more of her work on Instagram, YouTube and her website rachelbigsby.com.
'Odin' – male polar bear
Wow! What a beauty, looking right down the lens, engaging with the viewer, a powerful predator smeared with blood, perfectly framed and exposed... It's very strong.
Summer sow
Another lovely portrait but this time full of colour with the sunset 'bokeh' (out of focus highlights) and a bouquet of wildflowers in the foreground. With only the badger sharp, the attention is focused on the subject which again is connecting with the viewer. Rachel has been photographing these badgers for a few years and I know she will do even better.
'Embrace' razorbills
Sublime. Intimate. Perfect. It's like a pencil drawing, all the background has been whited-away to leave these two fabulous seabirds sub-silhouetted. The stripes and detail in the beak give them some form and I love the fact that the eyes are barely discernible, a bold move in portraiture.
'Surface Tension' gannet
This photograph has a rich painted appearance – thick deep colours framed against the black sea in low light like an old Dutch master with just a hint of lacy silver in the bubbles. There is something quite ominous here, something afoot in a world that doesn’t belong to us. Vermeer's sea goose sliding into the brine...
Arctic tern
Four colours: white, grey, black and blood red. Pin sharp and (so very almost absolutely) symmetrical. No eyes, just a very simple pattern which defines one of the best birds in the world. It's a fabulous portrait.
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Chris Packham is the guest editor of the latest issue of Radio Times magazine – for more from Chris, pick up the latest edition now.
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