Yann Bigant
Based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Yann Bigant is an independent documentary photographer focusing on conservation stories taking place in Southeast Asia for NGOs and the media. His photos have been published in international media outlets and his personal fine art work has been exhibited in festivals and galleries.
He is available for photo, video & drone commissions, and his existing images are available for licensing.
Bio
Born in Paris and coming from a scientific background, Yann Bigant studied architecture in China. Working on a memoir on the place of traditional houses in rapidly changing urban contexts, he started to photograph cities across Asia, interested in the transformation of their visual identity. His first project, Chinese City (2009-2013), was exhibited in France and Italy.
Fascinated by seemingly barren wild places and the relationships - experienced or imagined - we develop with them, he started to photograph landscapes. Using a medium format film camera, he showcased the high valleys of Kham in Mountains of Eastern Tibet (2015) before using both digital & analog in Silences (2020), a study on Arctic landscapes.
Concerned by the disappearance of the natural world, he has been involved in conservation for more than 10 years. He co-organized a scientific expedition to Greenland, developed conservation projects in Indonesia and communicated on environmental issues, before turning to conservation photojournalism and storytelling. His personal focus is on bird conservation and wildlife trade.
Yann is dedicated to tell social and conservation stories in Cambodia and across Asia for NGOs and the media. His work has been published in South China Morning Post, Mongabay, Dialogue Earth and local outlets; his clients includes the international organizations UNICEF, SNV and iDE, the Research Institute for Development (IRD), the production company Wildlight (UK), the communication agency 17 Triggers, and several SMEs. See his tearsheets.
He is also a rock climber and a diver, and speaks English, French and Chinese.
Awards
(conservation)
2026 Bird Photographer of the Year - Conservation, Silver
2026 Delta Birding Festival - Conservation story, Finalist
2025 Nature and Humans - Conservation story, Finalist
2024 Bird Photographer of the Year - Conservation, Highly Commended
Exhibitions
(fine art & conservation)
2026 Earth in Focus Nature Film Festival (group show), Singapore
2025 Angkor Photo Festival (group show), Siem Reap, Cambodia
2024 Angkor Photo Festival (projection), Siem Reap, Cambodia
2023 DongGang International Photo Festival, Yeongwol, Korea
2023 Good Natured film festival (group show), Oxford, UK
2023 Pray for Prey (group show), Futures Factory, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
2022 MHOPe (group show), Odom garden, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
2020 Silent Cities (group show), loosenart, WEFO20 Rome, Italy
2020 Ex-Nihilo Gallery, Grenoble, France
2017 Photo Month, Ancien Musée de Peinture, Grenoble, France
2016 Pygmaphore Gallery, Grenoble, France
2016 European Photography Festival, Milan, Italy
2016 Landscapes, Coffee Groupies, Shanghai, China
2015 Pygmaphore Gallery, Grenoble, France
2014 Les Anges de Verre Gallery (group show), Arles, France
2013 L'Image Publique festival (projection), Rennes, France
2013 Architecturales (group show), La Rochelle, France
2012 L'O.R.A.G.E festival, Montpellier, France