Photographing Seals

07/01/09

Despite having a very good population of Grey Seals, the nature of the Pembrokeshire coastline makes photographing them quite difficult.

The pupping beaches tend to be at the base of steep cliffs and accessible only from the sea. In addition there are no Common Seals on our coastline (apart from an occasional visitor) so it was with a certain degree of anticipation that I travelled across country to see what the famous Donna Nook had to offer.

It is often quoted in wildlife circles that the best place in Britain to photograph wild seals is on the east coast of Britain at RAF Donna Nook in Lincolnshire. I went at the height of the pupping season at the end of November on what proved to be one of the busiest weekends for visitors.
The weather conditions on the day I visited were bad to say the least and a planned two day visit was cut short when, on attempting to drive from my sisters home to DN on the second morning, the car slid off the main road on a treacherous snow surface that had fallen overnight.
Apart from very heavy showers and squalls of rain, sleet and snow the constant driving wind made conditions for photography difficult at best and downright uncomfortable at worst. That wind was forcing fine sand into every nook and cranny so that protecting equipment became of paramount importance.
It had been my intention to write a small piece on Donna Nook but to be honest it has been covered so many times by other photographers that another article would really be superfluous so I shall merely point the readers towards an excellent article by Stephen Street , from which I gained a lot of advice when preparing for my trip, and give a few of my own personal tips.

• BE SAFE Make absolutely certain that you are aware of the state of the tides on the day you go and plan your visit accordingly.
• ALWAYS put the welfare of the seals first.
• DON'T approach any closer than is absolutely necessary and if any animal shows signs of distress or discomfort - BACK OFF.
• STAY ALERT. Keep an eye on what is happening all around you and not just in front of your lens. Although not normally aggressive to humans, Grey seals are large powerful animals with a wicked set of teeth and a surprising turn of speed , especially when compared to a photographer on his knees with a camera and tripod.
• TRY to use a longer lens to minimize disturbance.
• BE PREPARED for the worst weather conditions and dress appropriately. Remember, you can always remove extra clothing if it should get warm. Being cold and wet will not benefit your photography.
• IT'S a long hike out to the sand bars so don't overload yourself with uneccesary equipment.
• PROTECT YOUR EQUIPMENT by using suitable covers / plastic bags etc. Even with plastic bin bags around my camera bag, the sand still found its way in. I used an excellent and very economical little cover made by Opticron which fits over the lens and camera and is secured by the eyepiece cover of the camera.
• YOU DON'T have to go out to the sand bars to get decent photographs. Many of my favourite photos were taken up at the nursery beach near the car park.

I found Donna Nook to be a very rewarding place to visit despite the weather and I'm certain that on a fine day it would be a wonderful experience for anyone. There has been much debate of late over the number of photographers / visitors that go out to the sand banks and the possible disturbance they may be causing to the seals but I have to say that whilst I was there I didn't see any bad behaviour by any photographer and nor did I see any seals which appeared to be in any kind of distress. Add to this the official reports that 2008 saw a record number of seal pups raised there it would seem to indicate that the seals are not suffering at all from 'human disturbance'.


Despite the good reports coming from Donna Nook there has been rumours that 2009 will be the last opportunity to go out on the sand banks at all or at least without some sort of control. I for one hope this will not be the case and that it is left to the individual to behave in a responsible manner.