I probably couldn’t dream up this scene, but this is actually what I witnessed at Wharariki. It was just after sunset, so the light was pretty much ideal for landscape photos. I had just taken a panorama of the archway islands just off shore as the sun set over to the West. I really didn’t expect to come across this scene. Choosing the correct camera settings here was a challenge. I didn’t want to shoot with too high an ISO setting as I wanted a high quality panorama, but the seal pups were so fast it was hard to find a compromise with the aperture and ISO to get fast enough shutter speeds to not have the seals in too much motion blur… and I had very little time to think about it too as the light was fading fast and if I didn’t find something that worked quickly then I would lose my chance.
These are New Zealand fur seals which are also known as Kekeno in New Zealand. The pups are left alone by their mothers while they go to sea to find food.