Interested company – the nature of Sweden

In Sweden, gray seals are threatened by overfishing and poaching, but in the British Faroe Islands, they are known as seal pups and welcome nature-loving divers.

As a nature photographer, above all else I want everyone who is interested in nature to experience – diving with gray seals. Encountering wild animals on their own terms is always memorable, and animals are rarely in charge when walking beneath the ocean’s surface.

Gray seals often encounter shy but curious individuals who don’t hesitate to come forward and examine me and the camera, grab my fins with their lips, or show me a slice of hidden life doing their thing.
The location is the Farne Islands in Great Britain, home to one of the largest gray seal colonies in the world. The seals here are affectionately known as sea puppies
puppies). Appropriate nickname.

Unlike Sweden, there is not much hunting here. There is heavy investment in nature tourism, where seals attract domestic and foreign visitors to many parts of the country. Sweden today feels remote with overfishing and emaciated seals, but I hope something similar develops in the Baltic Sea in my lifetime.

Imagine taking a boat to the Stockholm archipelago and snorkeling or diving with the “sea puppies”. I think it will open more eyes to a species that is hidden from many.

Among seals and wolves

Encountering gray seals in the Faroe Islands is one of the best things nature photographer Isabella Saura has experienced. Hard to get that close in Swedish waters.

— It is probable that they are not hunted in England, and therefore not shy. The colony is very large, with many fearless individuals.

He was always interested in nature and photography, but growing up in central Stockholm was tough on subjects and environments. While studying engineering

One took her to Samoa, loosening it with the help of a diving certificate and underwater equipment.

Back home, she started hiking and found new ways to photograph her native land.

– By being alone in nature I became more secure and developed knowledge about finding animals.

For example, she looked for a tjäderspel outside of Stockholm, where she could take the SL bus. One image won silver in the 2022 Bird Photographer of the Year. The year before, he was inducted into the Naturfotograferna Society.

Going forward, Nordic wants to photograph mammals in nature. An experience last summer left a bloody tooth.

– I filmed seven wolves in Sjundareviret. Not the best pictures, but watching them together is absolutely awesome.

Equipment: Canon Eos R6 Mark II with lenses like EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM II and EF 100mm f/2.8 USM. Canon EOS 7D Mark II Underwater with Tokina 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 Fisheye Zoom.

Interview by Mats Hellmark