Seal of approval from British Wildlife Photography Awards 2026

I'm delighted to report that my image 'Bubble Bath', showing two young grey seals play-fighting in the surf at Horsey Beach on the north Norfolk coast, has been Highly Commended in the Black and White category of the 2026 British Wildlife Photography Awards.

The image also features in my new book Photography Weekends Britain (published by Bradt on 10 April 2026), as well as the British Wildlife Photography Awards Collection 14.

Here's some background to how the photograph was taken:

The seals were pupping at Horsey Beach, but I couldn’t take my eyes off these year-old youngsters play-fighting in the frothy sea. It’s one of the few shots I got where the seals weren’t completely covered in foam.

Camera settings

Canon R5, 500mm, ISO 640, 1/1000s, f7.1, 11 Nov, 10:10

Sharp focus 

With the seals tumbling about in the waves, I switched from Single Shot to Servo AF mode so the camera continuously maintained focus. I also selected subject tracking to further train the camera’s autofocus system on the seals. It was important to select 1-Point AF and position this on the seal’s faces (centred in the frame) to ensure their eyes were as sharp as possible.

Freeze frame 

Increasing the ISO to 640 enabled me to boost the shutter speed – in this case to 1/1000s – freezing the movement of the seals, as well as the waves crashing over them. The vantage point of the sand dunes at Horsey Beach allowed me to set up the camera on a tripod – otherwise I would have hand-held with image stabilisation turned on.

Pick your moment 

Timing is crucial in an image like this. I wanted the seals to be coming together (to create some symmetry in what would otherwise be a fairly chaotic scene) and for a wave to be breaking over their bodies, but not obscuring them. Switching the camera to high-speed drive certainly helped, but rather than using a ‘spray and pray’ technique, firing off dozens of frames, I tried to time it more precisely and take fewer images. 

Best behaviour 

Spending time watching the seals and understanding some of their habits will help you predict their behaviour and anticipate a more interesting or exciting image. 

Keep your distance 

Using a telephoto lens allowed me to photograph the seals behaving naturally, without any risk of disturbing them – particularly important during pupping season.

These two images (also in my book) were shortlisted in the awards. One shows a seascape at Hartland Quay on the North Devon coast, while the other is a view of a multicoloured canopy of alder trees in the Cotswolds.

Find out more about Photography Weekends Britain here.