rachelle mackintosh, Life & death (ANIMALS 2026)

Web:

faunographic.com

Around subantarctic South Georgia island, wildlife is reclaiming the old whaling and sealing stations - industrial-era sites that harvested elephant and fur seals, whales and even penguins to render their bodies into oil. At Ocean Harbour, these female elephant seals were living their best lives right next to a modest cemetery where men who once hunted their kind are now at rest. (side note, elephant seals are very much in touch with their feelings, but it's worth noting that their lacrimal gland produces tears to lubricate and protect their eyes, giving them the appearance of crying.). I know it's always more pleasing for images to include things in threes, but for this piece I thought doing pairs created more tension.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.