About

Helen Hobin filming Emperor Penguins in Antarctica for National Geographic / Disney+.

I am an Emmy Award-winning and BAFTA nominated wildlife cinematographer, specialising in filming behavioural long-lens, with a keen eye for story and character.

I am based in Bristol, UK, and available for work as first or second camera.

Filming long-lens emperor penguin behaviour with RED Raptor/CN20 on the sea ice in Antarctica.

From February to November 2024 I overwintered in Antarctica for nine consecutive months filming the breeding cycle of an emperor colony for National Geographic’s ‘Secrets of the Penguins’. In 2026 our small camera team won the News & Documentary Emmy Awards for ‘Outstanding Cinematography: Documentary’ for Episode One, ‘Heart of the Emperors’, and ‘Outstanding Nature Documentary’ for the series. We were nominated for the 2026 BAFTA TV Craft Award for the ‘Photography: Factual’ category.

I worked on ‘Frozen Planet II’ (BBC) from 2019 to 2022, filming in Mongolia, Russia, Greenland, Canada, Chile & the sub-Antarctic Antipodes Islands. In 2023 I was nominated for BAFTA TV Craft Award, ‘Best Emerging Talent: Factual’, for my cinematography.

From 2022 to 2023 I worked as a BBC Natural History Unit Camera Bursary on blue-chip landmark series, ‘The Americas’, for NBC Universal. Across ten shoots in thirteen months, my primary role was filming long-lens behaviour, including shooting RED/CN20 & drone aerials from a tree canopy 30-metres up in the rainforest, out camping on sea ice, and from the windswept cliffs of a remote uninhabited island.

Crossing the infamous Drake Passage to reach the Antarctic Peninsula in November 2023, I was part of a small team shooting the BBC documentary special ‘Expedition Killer Whale’.

Please get in touch to request a recent showreel.

Download CV
Helen Hobin preparing to fly a heavy lift drone in Patagonia, on a shoot for Frozen Planet II.

Flying heavy-lift DJI M600 in Patagonia on a thermal-based night shoot, filming pumas for Frozen Planet II. Photo by Claudio Bustos.

Wildlife Cinematographer Helen Hobin filming with a Sony FX6 while waist-deep in a freshwater lake.

Filming fast-paced behaviour on Sony FX6 & Phantom Flex. Photo by James P. Lees.

Skills & Qualifications

Drone Pilot:

UK (GVC / PfCO since 2019)

US (FAA Part 107 since 2022)

Canada (2023)

Inspire 3 / Mavic 3 Cine Pro / DJI Matrice 600 (heavy lift) / Inspire 2 / Mavic 2 Enterprise Advance / Mavic 2 Pro

Long-lens Camerawork:

RED Raptor / RED Helium / RED Gemini / Phantom Flex / SELEX Horizon / Sony FX6 / Z Cam F6 / CN20 / CN10

Specialist Filming Experience:

GSS Trained / Thermal / Gimbal / Camera Trap / Slider / Cable Dolly / Motion Control Timelapse / Low-Light / Crane / Long-Term Timelapse / Focus Pulling / Polecam / Handheld, Splitscreen & Macro Probe Underwater / Underwater Remote Camera / Parabolic Sound

Certifications:

IRATA Level 1 Rope Access Technician (2018)

Lazarus First Aid in Remote Locations (2019, 2022)

PADI Advanced Open Water Diver (2019)

RYA Powerboating Level 2

Mountain & Crevasse Rescue Training

UNIS Sea Ice Safety Course

Firefighting Course

I-Visa valid for work in USA until 2027

Helen Hobin flying a drone at Store Glacier, Greenland, to film a glacier calving.

Flying amid the crash of calving glaciers, using the Mavic 2 Pro & Inspire 2 for Frozen Planet II. Photo by Raymond Besant.

Helen Hobin setting up a 4K camera trap in a snowy forest to film Amur tigers for Frozen Planet II.

Rigging 4K camera traps to capture rare Amur tiger footage in Russia for Frozen Planet II. Photo by Declan Burley.

Helen Hobin films with an underwater camera in a glacial river, wearing a drysuit.
Helen Hobin on a tree canopy platform, secured by a rope access harness, filming for 'The Americas'.

Filming with Z Cam F6 in Nauticam Housing. Photo by Tilly Prior. 

Always happy to be on location, observing and recording stories about the natural world. Photo by Nikki Waldron.