About the workshop
A special place
This workshop takes place during the pupping season where grey seals haul up on to the Norfolk beaches to give birth, nurse their young and mate to give birth again next year. If you're lucky you might even get to see a baby seal being born.
There's also a lot of action and vicious fights can break out with mothers trying to protect their young and males trying to dominate for the right to mate.
Grey seals are huge animals and the UK is home to 40% of the world's population. Bulls (male seals) can reach 11 feet (3.3 m) long and weigh up to 47 stone (300 kg). The cows (female seals) can reach up to 8 feet (2.5m) long and weigh up to 29 stone (190kg). Even the pups (babies) are long. Around 3.5 feet (1m) and 3 stone (18kg) at birth. These animals are much bigger that the harbour seals you will typically see on UK beaches.
Course contents
This course is about telling a story through your photography and also about field craft. You will leave the day will lots of wonderful images of these magnificent mammals.
We will cover:
- Composition to tell your story
- Understanding how to safely photograph grey seals
- Fieldcraft to avoid stressing the seals
- Making the most of the light
- Foregrounds and backgrounds
- Capturing catch lights in the seals eyes
- Choosing the right camera settings
- Understanding the tools available to you to judge exposure
Timing
We will meet an hour before sunrise, There is about a 45 minute walk to reach the best locations so that we can make the most of the golden morning light (subject to the weather conditions). So it's important to be there on time.
The workshop will last until lunchtime, but this is a public place and so you are welcome to stay on afterwards and continue to practice what you've learned.
There is also the possibility to photograph owls as we walk to the location (but there is no guarantee of this). Barn owls, long-eared owls and short-eared owls have all been regularly seen at this location and time of year.
Important
It is important that you adhere to my instructions at all times. This is for your safety. Grey seals can be dangerous. They have sharp teeth, a nasty bite and their mouths contain all sorts of harmful bacteria. Grey seal cows can be vicious if they perceive a threat to their pups. Grey seal bulls move fast and can inflict life changing injuries. If you treat these animals with respect and use the field craft techniques I will show you, you can get close enough to create wonderful memories and excellent photos safely.
See more
Check out this video on grey seals on the Norfolk coast:
Key information
Event type: Workshop up to 3 people
Start time: 7am
Equipment needed: A DSLR or mirrorless camera with a lens of 400mm+ at full frame, 300mm+ at APS-C and 200mm+ at micro four thirds. Ideally you will a shorter focal length telephoto (eg 70-200mm), although this isn't essential.
Children: 18s and above for this course please. This is for insurance purposes, because grey seals can be dangerous. I have other workshops available that young people can attend.
Location: Norfolk coast
Site entry charges: None
Duration: 5 hours minimum
Accessibility: We will be walking for about 45 minutes over sand dunes. To capture some types of shots you will need to be able to lie down - this is also important to avoid stressing the seals. If you can't lie down you would be better suited to another workshop.
Comfort: Food and drink are not included. There is nowhere nearby to buy food or drink. You will likely need to bring drinks or a flask to see you through the session. There are no toilets nearby.
Parking: Parking is on a public street.
Public transport: Not possible at this location/time of day.
Accommodation: Not included. There are hotels and B&Bs within about a 20 minute drive.
