Franco Elgueta R. is a wildlife guide, photographer, and conservation filmmaker whose work bridges field science, visual storytelling, and community-based conservation.

 

With a background in Social Sciences and early experience working alongside Indigenous communities in southern Chile, he developed a lifelong passion for exploring how different cultures relate to the natural world. He has contributed to several publications on Chile’s wildlife, including the book Birds of Lafken Mapu. 

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Franco has guided wildlife experiences across some of the most remote ecosystems in the Americas  and beyond, from Puma research safaris in Patagonia to Grizzly Bear tours in Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest. His guiding work is grounded in extensive small-vessel navigation experience in dynamic environments, and in a deep knowledge of animal behavior.

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As a filmmaker and camera operator, Franco has contributed to projects with BBC, APTN, and conservation NGOs, filming species from marine otters on Chile’s coast to Australasian bitterns in New Zealand wetlands. His cinematography has been featured in award-winning documentaries and international conservation campaigns, blending scientific accuracy with an immersive, narrative approach.

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Currently based in Canada, Franco continues to guide in the Great Bear Rainforest while developing film projects that highlight the interconnectedness of species and the human role in their conservation.