I spent a wonderful few days photographing grey seals last week. Referring to the previous post, I have been searching for a new site since the other, well known one has become too popular for my liking. I had no previous experience with this new one so decided to just go and see for myself. There was a window of good weather forecast last week in Norfolk so I packed and went. Sometimes you can prepare too much and since the weather can never be fully guaranteed I tend to just go and see how it goes. I arrived at the site Wednesday afternoon and walked to the where the seals were which entailed a walk of about a mile. However, I wanted to work on the edge of the colony to avoid disturbance which required a further half mile. I didn't do much that afternoon as the light was quickly fading and much of the beach was cast in shadow by the enormous sand dunes. But it was good to know where to go and what to expect the following day. It was getting dark and I hadn't booked any accommodation. Before I left however I wrote down a couple of phone numbers of B&B's I had found on the net and booked into one just around the corner from the beach. Perfect. I'm not a great lover of these I have to say. A small part, well a large one actually, sort of resents spending £50 a night when all I want is somewhere to lay my head. For this reason I would usually use a tent, regardless of season. However, most campsites shut down during the autumn and winter except for a few, largely in National Park areas so I had no choice. I guess I could have slept in the car which I have done during the summer months but in the autumn and winter when it gets dark around 4, that leaves a rather long night of doing nothing. I've also had some wonderful experiences camping, none more so when in March of 2008 while in the Peak District, a storm very nearly had me looking up at the stars instead of nylon! In the end however I was quite glad of the accommodation for after the first full day I was exhausted. These seals were more skittish than those I had previously encountered and had me crawling along the sand and making wide detours climbing the dunes so as not to disturb them. They are after all very sensitive at this time when females (cows) are giving birth or lactating and the males (bulls) are competing for space near a female so that as soon as she finishes lactating he can mate with her.
On the equipment side I tried to carry as little as possible. One camera, a Nikon D300, 300mm f2.8 AFS VR, 1.4x tele-converter, 12-24mm and flash unit. For support I toyed with taking the beanbag instead of the tripod but due to the uneven terrain I opted for the lightweight Manfrotto 190 with the large but low profile Gitzo pan and tilt. This in the end proved to be the best choice. Low angle with great stability. I took an 8gb and 2x4gb cards and at the end of the day downloaded them onto a portable Smartdisk Flashtrax. For clothing I didn't have to dress too warm since the beach was well sheltered by the towering dunes. I wore waterproof leggings which were useful against the sometimes damp sand, thin, thermal gloves and hat kept me comfortable. After that first day, boy did I ache. I'd spent close to 7 hours crawling around getting my body and head into very awkward, un-natural positions. I just hoped it would be worth it. Come the evening a nearby pub kept me fed and watered and a comfortable bed made me reasonably fresh for the following day.
It was a glorious dawn. As I walked the mile and a half to the seals I could hear the call of geese leaving their roost for their feeding grounds. Norfolk being very flat is in many ways similar to the North Kent Marshes where I do much of my photography. It has a feeling of wildness and big skies The final morning was reserved for pups, in particular the continuation of locating one on the edge of the colony on its own away from other seals, where I could slowly crawl up to it to get a wide-angle shot showing its habitat. Through scanning with binoculars I eventually found one, fitted the body with the 12-24mm and polariser and slowly, very gingerly made my way. I kept a constant watch for any signs of stress by the pup but it took no notice whatsoever. Rolling over, sunbathing, occasionally scratching its nose. Adorable. After 15 minutes or so I got to within a meter and obtained the images I was hoping for. I have to stress that getting the image was just a bonus. I had left it to the final day of searching before I was satisfied I had located a suitable pup. If it had shown any signs of distress, I would have backed off immediately.
I hardly saw a soul during my stay and only one other photographer who turned up as I was leaving. I will most certainly return. Perhaps later in the season when the pups are a little older.
