Sealed With A Kiss

2023

It was wonderful to start a new year of photography on the Norfolk coastline photographing Grey and Common seals during their pupping season.

Getting close means risking the mothers abandoning their new born pups, so the only option was to lay low in the sand and shoot from a distance. This approach also meant the seals behaved more naturally and continued with their mothering duties.

I spent much of my time focusing on this mother and her pup, their bond was so tight and I became obsessed with capturing it in a single frame.

They affectionately touched noses several times, but each time they were facing away from me. I knew I had to be patient, because if I managed to get the shot then it would be a very special start to the year.

A while later, after a short swimming lesson, they settled, touched noses and fell asleep. That was my moment, the first moment of 2023.