So excited to announce I’ve made it into this year’s BBC Countryfile Calendar! It’s been on my bucket list for many years now, and I honestly thought the chance had gone, but this year I decided, pretty much on a whim, to enter, and I’m so glad I did! With over 17,000 entrants, getting through to the final twelve is extremely difficult, so you can imagine my surprise when I received the following email –

“Hello Craig,

I’m reaching out in regards to the Countryfile Photograph competition you entered with your lovely photo Seal Dunes. I wanted to let you know myself or my colleague will be in touch soon to run through a series of questions with you. It should take about 25 minutes. It would be really helpful if you could suggest a time that works for you on Monday or Tuesday next week?”

I tried not to get too carried away, having been shortlisted in other competitions many times, before ultimately ending up being disappointed when I didn’t get through. After my call with the BBC I then didn’t hear anything for a little while. Then on Sunday, whilst cooking the roast(!) I received a message through a friend of my wife, that my photograph had made it into the Calendar!

We then had an agonising wait for the programme to appear on the iPlayer so we could see it for ourselves. It was great to see my photo on the programme alongside all the other successful entries. As an added bonus they also displayed another one of my entries that must’ve reached the latter stages, of the diving Gannets at Bempton Cliffs.

About the shot

I took the shot back in February of last year. I booked a few days off work and headed up to Horsey Gap in Norfolk to visit the Grey Seal colony there. It has to be one of the best places in the UK to see seals. The seals haul themselves up onto the beach, and so you’re able to get really close to them without seemingly bothering them at all (out of the breeding season at least). The first couple of days had gone ok, but nothing spectacular as the light had been fairly flat. On the last morning though, I finally had some great light at sunrise. Shooting into the sun created the backlit effect, and the 400mm lens I was using helped to compress the scene and give the appearance of sand dunes to the seals. There was a little mist in the air from the sea, and this helped to give separation to the background, helping to direct the focus to the foreground. The eye contact was the final piece of the jigsaw, and as soon as I’d taken the shot I knew I’d got something a little special. I didn’t have much time to hang around as unfortunately it was also the day of my Dad’s funeral. Once I was finished on the beach I had to quickly go back to my accommodation, get changed into my suit, checkout, and head off to Milton Keynes for the service. It was a long day, and a little strange, and I was glad to finally get home and sleep for Britain.

Vote now!

To see the successful entries and to place your vote for the overall winner, please visit the Countryfile website here – https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006t0bv. Voting closes on September 8th, any votes gratefully received!