Morgan Heim is a conservation photographer, filmmaker, National Geographic Explorer, Senior Fellow and Interim Executive Director of the International League of Conservation Photographers. Blending science, culture, and whimsy, she explores the deeply personal human stories behind protecting wildlife and the ecosystems they depend on.
With degrees in zoology and journalism, Heim brings scientific understanding and journalistic curiosity to stories ranging from wildlife migration and climate-threatened seabirds to conservation on public lands. Her work goes beyond information, taking audiences to the emotional heart of conservation.
Heim believes stories about the planet should reflect the passion of the people endeavouring to protect it. Rather than focusing on a single species or ecosystem, her work is driven by questions. What compels people to venture into the unknown, whether to the ends of the Earth or into the mysteries of their own backyards? How do they continue when the odds are stacked against them, and can joy and humour remain part of the story?
This curiosity has led Heim to embrace the surprising story, focusing on people and places that reveal something unexpected about life on Earth and our relationship with it. Her subjects have included deer migrations, the impact of drug cartels on public lands, climate-threatened seabirds and the unexpectedly complex lives of Arctic reindeer.
Heim founded Neon Raven Story Labs to produce high-impact conservation stories through photography and film. Her imagery has been recognised by Wildlife Photographer of the Year, BigPicture, and the Siena International Photography Awards, and her work has appeared in National Geographic, Audubon, Smithsonian, and The New York Times.
Film has become an important extension of Heim’s conservation storytelling. Her short film Reindalen, produced by Neon Raven Story Labs and the University Centre in Svalbard, won the Conservation Short Form category at the 2025 Jackson Wild Media Awards. Her approach across still and moving images combines scientific understanding with character-driven storytelling, seeking emotional connections that can encourage audiences to care about complex conservation issues.
Alongside her creative practice, Heim serves as Interim Executive Director and Senior Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, bringing her experience as a photographer, filmmaker and conservation communicator to an international community of visual storytellers. She also speaks at major photography and conservation events and serves as a juror for international competitions.
Community remains central to her work. In 2023, Heim co-founded the Wild Coast Film Festival in her hometown of Astoria, Oregon, supporting wildlife rescue through conservation filmmaking. Whether working internationally or close to home, she encourages audiences to remain open to curiosity, play and wonder, and, in her own spirit, never to grow up too much.
Exhibitions:
Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibit, 2023 Highly Commended Photo Story, 2022 Highly Commended Animals in Their Environment & Big Picture: Wetlands, 2018 Highly Commended Photojournalism
Siena International Photo Awards, 2025 runner-up documentary short, 2023 Winner Storyboard, Remarkable Work Storyboard, Honorable Mention, Animals in Their Environment
PA2F Environmental Photography Awards, 2025 Runner-up ChangeMakers; 2023 shortlisted, Changemakers
Eastern Mennonite University, The Final Owls solo exhibit, 2024
Films:
Curlew Man, 2026, in production
Reindalen, 2025, Jackson Wild Short Form Winner
Harvesting Hope, The Nature Conservancy, 2024
Will Run For Soil, 2024, in post-production
Deer 139, Banff Mountain Film Festival 2019
The Snow Guardian, 2016 Film4Climate, 2nd Place COP 22
