He is best known for photographic projects entitled: "Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands" and "Sunken Villages"; the latter has pictures of the villages flooded during the creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

where his father owned and operated a logging truck and exposed Helbig to aviation.

His first photographic forays were through his high school outdoors and camera club.

Helbig was a member of Canada's national Nordic ski team, is a Canadian champion and represented Canada at the 1987 Nordic World Championships in Oberstdorf, West Germany.

Before turning to commercial photography and art in 2005, Helbig worked as a civil servant in Victoria, BC and Ottawa, ON.