Lessons from Grey Seals

by

Dina comes home beaming with new pictures of grey seals. We wonder why she keeps photographing what she has already successfully photographed.
“Why go to the trouble of a long strenuous walks to photograph what you photographed many times before?” Siri asks cheekily.
Dina: “Because I enjoy it. And I never know what I’ll meet out there.”
Siri understands even less why some people travel to faraway countries to photograph wild animals. With their environmentally unfriendly behaviour, they destroy exactly what they supposedly love. “And they photograph what has usually been depicted far better in National Geographic.”

Dina kommt strahlend mit neuen Bildern von Kegelrobben nach Hause. Wir fragen uns, warum sie immer wieder das fotografiert, was sie bereits erfolgreich fotografiert hat.
“Warum machst du dir die Mühe, immer wieder weit hinaus zu gehen, um Kegelrobben zu fotografieren?” fragt Siri frech.
Dina: “Weil es mir Freude macht und ich nie weiß, was mir auf dem Weg begegnen wird.”
Gar nicht versteht Siri, warum manche Menschen in ferne Länder reisen, um Wildtiere zu fotografieren. Mit ihrem umweltfeindlichen Verhalten zerstören sie genau das, was sie angeblich lieben. “Und sie fotografieren genau das, was in National Geographic meist weitaus besser abgebildet wurde.”

To see the grey seals snuggling up together like this, feeling good and doing absolutely nothing, we are reminded of Bob Marley’s One Love 🎵, let’s stay together and feel alright 🎶.

Do we always have to wait for the even better picture? Do we not just follow the questionable concept of getting better and better?
But what is ‘better’? To get better, you take courses that teach you how to take pictures. It’s not different for writers who want to become authors. A standard is set, just like in the school. Incidentally, as early as 2010, in his book ‘You are not a Gadget’, software developer Jaron Lanier alerted us to the fact that the software we use is already undermining the individuality of its users.
Dina’s objection to criticism of getting always better silences us: “You say, I’m getting better and better at cooking and you’re happy about it!”

Warten wir stets auf das noch bessere Bild? Folgt man nicht nur als Fotograf dem fragwürdigen Konzept, immer besser zu werden?
Aber was ist ‘noch besser’? Um noch besser zu werden, besucht man Kurse, die einem beibringen, wie man fotografiert. Für Schriftsteller, die Autoren werden wollen, ist das nicht anders. Es wird ein Standard vorgegeben, wie früher in der Schule. Übrigens hat uns der Softwareentwickler Jaron Lanier schon 2010 in seinem Buch ‘Gadget‘ darauf aufmerksam gemacht, dass bereits die verwendete Software die Individualität ihrer Nutzer torpediert.
Dinas Einwand gegen unsere Kritik am besser zu werden, der uns verstummen lässt: “Ihr sagt, ich werde beim Kochen zunehmend besser und ihr seid sooo froh darum!”


One world, one tide,
Let’s come together and drift side by side.
Seals calling, their voices strong,
Singing to the waves where we belong.

Lying together, who could ask for more?
Waves roll gently, our spirits free,
Together we’ll thrive by the endless sea.
©️Fairyfree Productions Unlimited

For almost all photo course participants, photography is a hobby, i.e. they do not market their photos professionally. Don’t they take their hobby and themselves too seriously? After all, a hobby means having fun without putting yourself under pressure and constantly having to learn. Never outgrowing the school mentality, they fail to recognise the privilege of devoting themselves to a hobby. To our astonishment, Selma calls this “the internalisation of the productive virtues of capitalism“.
Kb mumbles, that photography is the greedy capitalistic gesture that one wants to have and hold everything, even the fleeting moment.

Für fast alle Fotokursteilnehmer ist die Fotografie ein Hobby, d.h. sie vermarkten ihre Fotos zumindest nicht professionell. Nehmen sie ihr Hobby und damit sich selbst nicht zu ernst? Hobby heißt doch, Spaß an der Sache zu haben, ohne sich unter Druck zu setzen und ständig lernen zu müssen. Der Schulmentalität nie entwachsen, verkennen sie das Privileg, sich einem Hobby zu widmen. Selma nennt das zu unserem Erstaunen “die Verinnerlichung der Produktionstugenden des Kapitalismus”.
Kb murmelt so etwas wie “die Fotografie ist insgesamt von der kapitalistischen Gier geprägt, alles haben und festhalten zu wollen, selbst den Augenblick.”

Do you still hear Bob Marley...? Siri and Selma can’t get the tune out of their fairy heads. 🎶
Let’s bask in the warmth from the sky above,
And I’ll tell you: Seal friends, seal family,
Give thanks and praise for the ocean’s embrace,
And we’ll feel alright.
©️Fairyfree Productions Unlimited

Why can’t you just relax like the grey seals on the beach, which Dina perhaps photographs again and again because they show her how to live?

Warum kann man sich nicht einfach entspannen wie die Kegelrobben am Strand, die Dina vielleicht deshalb immer wieder fotografiert, weil sie ihr zeigen, wie man auch leben kann?

Lit.:
Lanier, Jaron: Gadget. Warum die Zukunft uns noch braucht (2010)
Lanier, Jaron: You are not a Gadget (2010)
Barthes, Roland: Camera Lucida (1980)

The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂


© text and illustrations, Hanne Siebers & Klausbernd Vollmar, Cley next the Sea 2024

155 thoughts

  2. I don’t think it is always about getting better at photography. Some of it is the sheer joy of seeing the same animals in the same place every year, and relishing that natural circle of life. Then recording it for future generations to enjoy is also laudable. Great photos to accompany the debate.

    Love from Beetley, Pete. X

    Liked by 7 people

    Reply

    • Dear Pete,

      thanks a lot for your objection. We didn’t think about documentation for future generations.

      Well, there is a magic of repetition like children who love to hear stories told exactly in the same way again and again.
      You suggest that we are photographically documenting something that we fear will disappear.

      Enjoy the glorious weather
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  3. The pictures probably say more about us humans than about the seals. I think she should continue her project, even if it’s just for her own sake. But preferably without taking part in long photography trips or constant shopping around for new photography equipment. The seals will speak to her in their language and the pictures may convey a little about how we ourselves should relate to each other.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Hej, dear Hans

      we agree with you, the pictures say a lot about the photographer. Photographing is Dina’s way of self-reflection.
      Dina is a seal-whisperer. Photographing wildlife is her way of communicating with wildlife as you write as well.

      Thank you very much
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  4. I’ve been asked the same question: Why do you keep photographing subjects you’ve photographed before? My standard answer is: Because I haven’t photographed it now, in this condition, with this light, in these surroundings, etc. I’ll grant that the more often I photograph something, the harder it becomes to keep from repeating myself. But new approaches to a subject do come my way every so often, so persistence is worthwhile. I could also draw attention to the fact that people keep eating many of the same foods throughout their lives and don’t find anything wrong with that.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Dear Steve

      all the time eating the same isn’t fun, is it?
      But, of course, we can see your point and that’s how Dina is arguing. However, we think it is important to question precisely that which many do not reflect on. Insights come from questioning what we are taking for granted.

      Thanks and all the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Dear friends,
    some very interesting points.
    Knowing Dina and how she loves the grey seals and photography and also knowing Klausbernd mindset questioning the motives, I think it’s quite simple. It’s all about happiness and feeling good. It’s a healthy low-lift way to happiness to return to a place over and over again that makes oneself happier. Dina is lucky to have her happy place on her doorstep (excluding the 6 miles trudging on shingle).

    Oh dear, why travel? People are travelling like never before, why is that?
    I assume wildlife and nature reserves are depending on visitors and their support to keep going. So if you go on a safari you’re (made to believe) contributing to the preservation of Africa’s natural treasures. But getting there is not sustainable and the carbon footprints are not tolerable.

    Thank you for introducing Jaron Lanier to me. He was ahead of this time and I look forward to reading his work.
    Kram
    Annalena xx

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    • Dear Analena,

      there is an even more interesting book by Lanier “Who Owns the Future?” (2013) and if you want to read a very philosophical book about how contemporary technology influences it users we recommend “Techgnosis” by Erik Davis. It’s quite an old book from 1998 but it was far beyond its time.

      Dina’s place where she is feeling good, the classic locus amoenus – indeed, it’s all about that.

      Well, travel to far away exotic places to see wildlife is the best way to ruin our planet for wildlife and us.

      We have gorgeous weather and therefore we are doing a lot in garden, preparing it for winter.

      With lots of love
      KRAM
      🤗 🤗 🤗 🤗
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • That’s so fascinating. Although there are thousands of grey seals here from November to January they are mostly quite relaxed. But that’s only the one side of the life of the seals, on the other hand there are huge old seal, beach masters, who fight for their position and their harem more or less all the time.

      All the best to you
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  8. You’re right, Siri and Selma, I can’t get Bob Marley out of my head now. 😉 You are very clever girls, rewriting the text, it made my day! 😊
    As we grow older, it’s a good sign “of getting better” to concentrate on what brings joy and pleasure in life. I’m not a photographer, but I have two friend who loves photography. One would never join a camera club because the backbone of a club is competitions. My other friend joined a club specifically to force himself to enter competitions. He says the discipline of finishing a photograph to competition standard is a good learning point and hearing the judges comments on your own and others photographs is always educational.
    Take care.
    Klem Per Magnus x

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, our dear friend Per Magnus

      Dina argues as your second friend did. She regularly takes part in competitions and likes them for the same reasons as your friend.
      On the other hand, this pressure of getting better blocks creativity. Dina is very good and ambitious, as you know, I think for such good amateur photographers to find themselves in photography they have to go beyond this drive for better. – And when you are an old age pensioner you have the change to overcome this drive for getting better.

      But I am, Kb, (unfortunately) far from the Buddhist ideal of just be.

      With lots of love from us all
      🤗💙💜🤗
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  10. I agree with Dina: because I enjoy it. And I might just have the chance to improve my hobby/craft, even if no one else ever notices. I will know. Plus the seals look like they have life all figured out.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear Brad

      it’s a bit like l’art pour l’art, photography for the sake of photography, and that’s fun. And you hope that getting better brings more fun. Our hedonistic sides love your argument. We know that feeling when you have something mastered perfectly.

      Thanks and happy Sunday
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you very much, dear Margaret.

      The seals on the beach like Buddha under the bodhi tree …

      Dina is a seal whisperer, she loves these about 15.000 seals at our beach when they are breeding in winter.

      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Sue

      happy reading Lanier. The Roland Barthes is not easy reading but very clever.

      Those discussions we like to initiate that’s for us part of the fun of blogging.

      Thank you and keep well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  13. Well yes, if you try to capture something out there, you will never get anywhere. But a camera is a two-way-tool. It aligns you with what you see, and it can show you from where you see. You won’t get anywhere either, but it’s also a way to see yourself.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • We just noticed you are German. Kb is German as well, from Cologne, and Hanne-Dina worked in Bonn for many years.

      Indeed, the camera makes us reflect our standpoint, our perspective, how our perception produces our world.

      Thanks for sharing your ideas
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Yes, i live in Germany (Black Forest) but like you Four I am at home

      in two Languages and often comment in Englich. “Liebe Grüße” from Germany

      Liked by 1 person

    • We know Freiburg quite well. A friend of ours lives there as well as Kb’s first publisher lives in the Black Forest. We learned to ski there.
      Liebe Grüße von der Küste Nord Norfolks
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Hard to beat the response: “Because I enjoy it. And I never know what I’ll meet out there.” Do I ever get tired of hiking or backpacking down a trail I have been on before? Never. There are always old friends along the way, and new things that I have never seen, or at least noticed. As for travel, I agree on the environmental impact. But I will note, that all of the photos I have seen of bears in my life, plus the bears I have seen in zoos, there is nothing that can match meeting one in the woods. Imagine meeting one of Alaska’s giant brown bears when hiking down a trail by yourself in the evening. Or waking up with a small black bear standing on top of you. I’ve been there and have experienced numerous other encounters with nature. They are all priceless to make. Fun post. Thanks. –Curt

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Dear Curt

      before polar bears became media stars, I saw them in the high Arctic, it was power, beauty and the romantic illusion of danger because we were surrounded by guides with guns and hashed back to the ice breaker. I thoroughly enjoyed this trip to the hight Arctic but with slightly bad feelings what we are doing to the nearly untouched nature there. I quickly suppressed these feelings in the face of the grandiose beauty of the Arctic.
      Now living in a village where nature is the new god and conservation is talked everywhere, I see clearer what do to our nature.

      Thank you very much for sharing your bear encounter
      Klausbernd
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Dear Mermaid

      we couldn’t stop humming Bob Marley all day yesterday – now it’s a still there, oh dear.

      Thanks for liking Dina’s photos and agreeing with her
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • I answer as advocatus diaboli:

      In Chinese Buddhism wu wei (doing nothing) is seen as the way to happiness.

      Thanks and all the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • My ‘doing’ has a nothingness about it. It is like an empty paper bag. As we glide along an unscripted road, the bag fills with the joy of seeing things with miracle eyes . And as we walk forward we have no expectación or preconcieved idea of how the horizon will change with each step forward.
      .

      Liked by 1 person

  21. “Gar nicht versteht Siri, warum manche Menschen in ferne Länder reisen, um Wildtiere zu fotografieren. Mit ihrem umweltfeindlichen Verhalten zerstören sie genau das, was sie angeblich lieben. “Und sie fotografieren genau das, was in National Geographic meist weitaus besser abgebildet wurde.””

    Selten so wahre Worte gelesen.

    Touristen (in Masse) zerstören alles, weswegen sie gekommen sind. Die Ruhe der Natur, die Ausstrahlung von Städten und durch den Transport die Umwelt allgemein.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Die negativen Auswirkung des Tourismus sind erschreckend auf allen Ebenen. An unserer Küste sind es speziell die Preise, die erschreckend mit zunehmenden Tourismus gestiegen sind. Zum Glück haben wir hier nur Individual-Touristen, meistens Sommerhausbesitzer. Durch die steigenden Preise werden die Einheimischen verdrängt.

      Hier kann man es sich noch leisten, gegen den Tourismus zu sein, da relativ wenige davon z.B. in unseren Dorf leben.

      Alles Gute
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Ganz übel muss es in Venedig sein, welches wohl eine Geisterstadt in Bezug auf Einheimische ist.

      Aber auch bei Naturschönheiten, in Kroatien gibt es ein Tal, welches von drei Seiten Wasserfälle hat, da schleusen sie am Tag 40.000 Leute durch. Oder die Wasserfälle an der Granze Argentinien / Brasilien, 10.000 Besucher pro Tag.

      Liked by 3 people

    • Letzte Woche gab es ein Foto-Vortrag über Venedig in meinem Fotoclub. Die Stadt mit 50 000 Einwohner hat 30 Millionen Besucher jährlich und im Durchschnitt 120 000 Tagestouristen. Jeden Tag.
      Ich las vor fast 30 Jahren mit mit Vergnügen “Mit Frau Meier in die Wüste” von Manfred Schmidt. Diese Reisereportagen sind köstlich! Damals fuhren die Busse nach Venedig.
      Heute kommen riesige Kreuzfahrtschiffe und entladen tausende von Besucher die kaum Geld ausgeben. Ein Graus!

      Liked by 2 people

    • In the Norwegian fjords and Iceland as well. Travelling kills itself. In Iceland people have problems photographing because there is a wall of other photographers. The magic of travelling has gone, it isn’t fun any longer.

      Liked by 2 people

  22. Photography captures not just images but moments where we found beauty and enjoyment. I photograph our garden and its flowers constantly and have done so for over thirty years and will continue to do so and each photograph is new and different and interesting. It is not a case of photographing the same subject again and again but of enjoying it afresh repeatedly. Click, click, click!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Dear Anneli

      the poems were the idea of Siri and Selma. Great!
      Hanne-Dina likes the masses of seals. From November until January our beach is overcrowded with more than 15000 grey seals.

      Thank you
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  28. I think the impetus for me is to enjoy anew God’s creativity. It is fresh every day. There is a vista I adore near Ghost Ranch in New Mexico which was owned by artist Georgia O’Keeffe. Every time I drive past it, I find it is a little different–the lighting, the colors.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  30. My dear friends, The Fab Four of Cley, you always give me something to think about. The idea of better has always intrigued me simply because it is such a nebulous concept. What is better? Who determines the definition of better, and if we get “better” has any progress been made? Our value systems are often established through cultural norms and societal influences, which dictate what is considered better or best. I believe that this framework can lead to a flawed reward system that prioritizes certain achievements or characteristics over others, potentially stifling diversity and innovation. The question arises whether we should reassess these standards and consider alternative measurement systems that embrace a broader spectrum of values and accomplishments. By doing so, we may uncover new pathways to improvement and a more inclusive understanding of success that reflects a wider array of human experiences.

    Thank you so much for this discussion – exciting ideas. And Dina’s photography is superb. Sending much love and hugs to our dear friends, The Fab Four of Cley.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Good afternoon, our dear friend Rebecca

      Better – the problem is, it relates to something, it’s based on a value system, as you write. And this value system depends on many factors. May be the basic question is do we need norms. But, well, communication needs norms. We actually try a little bit to get better but we don’t take that too seriously.

      Dina loves to photograph grey seals on Blakeney Point, that opens her heart.

      Lots of love to the all Budds in Vancouver
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  31. Vielleicht geht es gar nicht um das “Besserwerden” sondern um das Tun an sich? Der Moment des Fotografierens ist ein so inniger und wenn dann ein Motiv so vielfältig ist, möchte man den Augenblick einfach spüren. Natürlich ist es auch ein innerer Gewinn, wenn die Bilder glücken oder es weitere Motive gab, die man nicht erwartet hat.

    Es ist wie ein kleiner Hunger, den man stillt…. Ich verstehe Dina so und kann es sehr gut nachvollziehen. Für mich war es letztens mit einem schönen Foto so: https://webloggia.wordpress.com/2024/09/16/ein-kleines-gelingen/

    Liebe Grüße,

    Syntaxia

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear Syntaxia

      Tun an sich, Fotografie um der Fotografie Willen. Das gute Bild schafft dem Fotografen Befriedigung. Das ist sicherlich ein Motiv, das wir alle nachempfinden können, die Freude am kleinen Gelingen.

      Liebe Grüße vom Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  32. For me if something is really amazing, I do take pictures of the same thing over and over again. I do love the seals and Hanne’s pictures they are beautiful and they can be looked at over and over again. Thank you. Let’s get together and feel alright. 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  33. Dina’s objection to criticism of getting always better silences us: “You say, I’m getting better and better at cooking and you’re happy about it!” This FFS meanings I like more and more. Thanks for shearing the great poem.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

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    • Dear Stella

      we are happy that our post was bringing you in the right mood.

      These seals have their individual characters. Dina tries to photograph them as she would a take a portrait of a person.

      Thanks for commenting
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  37. One world, one tide,
    Let’s come together and drift side by side.
    Seals calling, their voices strong,
    Singing to the waves where we belong.

    Lying together, who could ask for more?
    Waves roll gently, our spirits free,
    Together we’ll thrive by the endless sea( wonderful poetry 🌺)

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Dear Anna

      thank you very, very much 🙏 🙏 We love it! We hadn’t heard and seen this version before. Great 👍👍 this is our favourite version now.

      Wishing you all the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  44. But learning is fun, especially when undertaken for its own sake. Then, there’s no pressure involved. Even when there’s a specific reason to improve skills, as in my occupation, it’s great fun and satisfying to realize I’m developing better techniques: likewise for photography and writing.

    I enjoyed your reference to Lanier; I read that book and enjoyed it. The reference also reminded me of a very old article by Jonah Lehrer in The New Yorker called “The Eureka Hunt.” In it, Lehrer asked, “Why do big ideas come to us when they do and why at such strange moments?” His conclusion? Our minds – despite popular beliefs about the need for exacting focus and careful attention – actually require relaxation, space and distraction to think outside the box and arrive at big ideas. In short, we sometimes ‘think’ better when relaxed, or having fun. Clearly, Lehrer would approve of the approach to life taken by Dina’s wonderful seals.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    • Dear Linda

      thank you very much for your comment.

      We agree that fun is important for creativity. There is no doubt that learning can be fun. But learning has a tendency to take on a life of its own, you become almost addicted to getting better, because that also means enhancing your ego. And then fun and creativity come to an end. I lived in the academic world for many years, where I often observed, including in myself, how becoming better became an oppressive concept.

      I agree with Lehrer that relaxing is the way to creativity. C.G. Jung said that it is good that many great ideas are not recognisable by the place where they were conceived, namely on the toilet and in bed during sex.

      All the very best to you
      Klausbernd
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

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  46. Wonderful images.

    I agree with Dina. You never know what you will see when on a nature walk.

    (note: I’ve had trouble commenting for months, but I think I’m found a way around it, so hopefully I’ll be able to comment from now on)

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Dear Vicki

      Dina is always curious what she will see on her nature outings.

      Your comment arrived here without problems. Thank you very much for commenting 🙏 🙏

      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you very much for commenting.

      There’s something paradoxical about the fact that photography with its images is freezing the development.

      Wishing you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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  50. You had fun with this, didn’t you? The last line, about Dina photographing the Grey seals who show her how to live, made me laugh out loud. I like Kb’s grumble about capitalism, too, and the note about software leading us away from our individuality. And Dina’s brilliant retort about better cooking.

    I get what you’re talking about with the endless quest for better photos and the waste of long-distance travel just to acquire something. I often ponder why I take my camera along. I ask myself why not just watch the elephant seal, the sunset, the flower, etc. But I’m content with knowing that it’s something I really enjoy. It makes me happy. And sometimes, through sharing the results, relationships form. Sometimes people are nourished just by looking. I know I’m nourished by looking at Dina’s photographs. Have a great weekend, whatever you choose to do!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Lynn

      indeed, we had fun writing this blogpost because we see photography quite different. But that makes it interesting. As our clever Siri believes, both, Kb and Dina, are right. These are the interesting topics, questions without an easy answer.

      Kb and Siri hardly ever touch a camera. Even when they have been in the High Arctic they only had a little pocket camera they rarely used. When meeting polar bears or narwhales people were so busy with their cameras that they coluldn’t see these animals in a relaxed way. They were greedy getting the ‘right’ pictures. With all these birdwatcher in our area it’s not that different.

      Siri and Kb think to photograph something like you see it is quite boring. Photography is there miles away from art which left the path of representation of what we are seeing a long time ago. Well, it’s documentation. But if a rare bird is around here masses of birdwatcher rush to photograph it. Do we need that much documentation of the same?

      Well, you mention the fun aspect. We can well understand this but rushing from one sighting of a rare animal to the next can’t be fun.

      Anyway, thank you very much for your inspiring comment
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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  52. I do understand what you’re saying about the hoards of photographers chasing rarities – that happens here, too. There was a Red-footed Booby in this area for weeks and you can imagine the excitement. I’m glad it was on the other side of the sound. What drives me crazy sometimes is the emphasis on gear – who has the biggest lens, etc. Imagine carrying those big lenses and tripods! No thank you! It’s not a competition! For myself, some photography is documentary and some is artistic. At times, the line between the two is fuzzy. I’m interested in the plants that grow here so I photograph them a lot to document what I saw. Then I keyword the photos so I can look back to when some thing was in bloom, etc. But I also really enjoy making purely abstract photos, to work with color, light, and form. I catch myself sometimes getting too serious about what I’m doing…the Grey seals are good role models. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Lynn

      it is amazing how a lot of photographers are obsessed with their gear and gadgets. One wouldn’t believe it but they really think with better gear they produce better pictures. In our nature reserve they are running around with backpacks full of gear, tripots and scopes, and they take themselves ridiculously serious.

      We like your pictures very much, both kinds of your pictures, the documentary of your plants and the abstract ones. Especially Siri and Kb are fans of your abstract pictures.

      With love 💜💙 from our coast
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Lynn

      We are inundated with images online that photograph something as we see it. It was the same in painting for a long time. For me, the artistic aspect of painting and photography is when we abstract. It is the alienation that makes a picture interesting, i.e. that challenges the viewer to pause and engage with it. Therefore we like your abstracts very much.

      Wishing you an happy weekend
      Klausbernd 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  53. Hello Fab Four! I enjoyed this post with amazing photos, beautiful poetry, and interesting dialogue. My husband and I never get tired of hiking or backpacking, and even though we visit the same place often, there is always something new to see that delivers fresh inspiration for writing. I love taking photos, but they’re simple from my cell phone, yet good enough to share. I’m not a pro, but I love capturing and documenting the beauty around us. I love Dina’s reply: “Because I enjoy it. And I never know what I’ll meet out there.” I agree. Thanks for sharing, and I’m following you now. 😁

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Good morning, dear Lauren

      thank you very much for your kind words.

      Dina and our dear Selma are very happy that you like the fun-argument. We all four agree that to enjoy is important.
      We don’t think that the camera is important you use it’s the photographer who makes the picture.

      Wishing you a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

  57. Pingback: Lessons from Grey Seals – Video Editor & Graphic designer

  61. Incredible photos, yet again, Dina. The last one captures my mood for today perfectly. The question from Siri opens up one of the more beautiful things about human nature and nature. There is serenity in having the freedom to explore nature again and again in the same area, each time finding something different and magical. The ever-changing landscape is witnessed by eyes who have seen it in all its various moods and forms, such as Dina has with the grey seals. She continually brings something unique to us with her photography: unleashing the soul of nature and sharing it with the world while also sharing her soul.

    I love Klausbernd’s line: “… photography is the greedy capitalistic gesture that one wants to have and hold everything, even the fleeting moment.” Each photo of Dina’s gives me a feeling of gratitude that when we do step back and see all the beauty in front of us (whether out on an excursion or reviewing beautiful photographs of past excursions), we really do “have and hold everything” and there is not a better feeling in the world 😊.

    One world, one tide,
    Let’s come together and drift side by side.
    Seals calling, their voices strong,
    Singing to the waves where we belong.

    Lying together, who could ask for more?
    Waves roll gently, our spirits free,
    Together we’ll thrive by the endless sea.

    Along with the beautiful photos, I could say it better than the Fab Four already has 👩🏻‍🦳👨‍🦳🧚‍♀️🧚… Cheers to a wonderful autumn!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Thank you very much, dear Randall

      every object of our perception has both sides, the emotional side and the reflective side.

      You can really well describe how Dina would argue. And I understand that pretty well. My reflecting her doing should’n disturb her but help to see many dimensions in her doing. I hope that critique enhances creativity.

      We hope you are well. We just struggle with books we got donated for our book corner.

      Happy autumn
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  62. Fab Four of Cley,

    What a phenomenal post! The photos are a work of art, with a song to accompany them and an explanation of your passion for both photography, seals and Nature.

    You have received so many complimentary comments (which you deserve), that I know I can not add a new perspective. I can simply say – BRAVO!

    Hope you are all well and enjoying your hobbies as much as Dina.

    GP

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    • Dear GP

      You are so kind. Thank you very much for your words that make us smile 🙂

      In Dina’s photography documentation merges with art. This is what we like about it. And, of course, you can see and feel Dina’s love for the seals at the Blakeney Point. In about three weeks the grey seal season is beginning again. Dina is already excited.

      We are all well, thank you, and we love autumn and winter. These are times when we travel, when Dina and Kb have their birthdays.

      We noticed on the weather map that, fortunately, hurricane Milton did not impact your area. We were worried. So we hope you and your family are well and, of course, stay well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Yes, we had some wind, but otherwise, nothing much. Thank you so much for your concern. 💨
      I like winter myself. I miss snow. But it sure does get crowded down here with “snowbirds”, some have already arrived.
      Have a terrific weekend, glad you are all well to enjoy it!
      😀
      GP

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear GP

      A lot of birds from Iceland and Greenland have arrived here to stay over winter. We especially like these flogs of thousands of geese flying over our house with their typical call.

      We wish you a happy weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  63. Such an immense treat to see Dina’s incredible grey seal photographs. I hope she never stops trekking to the beach to record the ever-changing miracles that continue to grace this beach. Thanks to all the Fab Four.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thank you very much, dear Jet.

      Dina is already very excited as the seal season will start in about a fortnight. She had a look at the first arrivals last week.

      Wishing you and Athena a great autumn
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  65. Thank you for sharing your wonderful seal images. Just as Dina never grows tired of photographing them, I never grow tired of looking at them. I think it’s a human trait to keep trying to improve whatever it is we do.

    And thank you for giving me an earworm with your re-written Bob Marley song. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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