Robbie Shone

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A cave explorer and visual storyteller, Robbie Shone is recognised as one of the most accomplished cave photographers in the world. He is based in the heart of the Alps in the scenic alpine town of Innsbruck, Austria. Whilst completing a BA in Fine Art and Photography, Sheffield, UK, Robbie pursued his love of the outdoors. He developed a strong interest in caving, and in particular the challenges that cave photography has to offer.

Over the past fifteen years, Robbie has lit up and captured stunning images of the naturally pitch black world beneath our feet. His work has featured in national and international publications including magazines National Geographic, National Geographic Science, GEO, Red Bulletin, Intelligent Life, Stern, View and Red Bull’s Terra Mater; and books National Geographic’s Night Vision, @NatGeo – The Most Popular Instagram Photos, Bear Grylls Great Outdoor Adventures, and Robin Hanbury-Tenison’s The Great Explorers.

Robbie has received several national and international awards, and is often an invited speaker, workshop lecturer or competition judge. Robbie’s exciting expedition photography has taken him to the remotest areas of China, Papua New Guinea, Borneo, Venezuela, Mexico, Uzbekistan, Sudan, Vietnam, the Picos, the Alps and Crete. He has also worked closely with scouting groups in California, and documented scientists in Portugal, Switzerland and Austria.

Robbie has photographed the ‘deepest’, ‘largest’, ‘longest’ cave systems known. He’s hung on a thin rope, photographing 200m above the floor in the world’s deepest natural shaft; explored the far ends of a 189 km long cave system; and spent a continuous 94 hours underground, in order to photograph the first cave to hold the 1 km depth record for his first coffee-table book entitled Gouffre Berger – L’esprit d’equipe .

Robbie is not restricted to cave photography, with several of his wildlife, travel and landscape images achieving finalist status in highly acclaimed international travel and wildlife competitions.

Robbie holds the IRATA Level 3 Supervisor certificate, which qualifies him to work and supervise people working at height on ropes. Film and television crews including BBC ‘Earth – The Power of the Planet’, ‘Ultimate Caving’ and ‘Blue Peter’ have called upon these skills.