Leucistic Antarctic fur seal, Stromness, South Georgia.

On my last voyage to Antarctica, I made a mental note to photograph the seals a little more. For some reason, they had fallen off my radar.

During the mating season in October and November, walking around on South Georgia can be invigorating as anxious male seals growl and charge, worried you might steal their patch of dirt and, more importantly, the loves of their life.

By the time we visited in March, the males had generally vacated their premises and you mostly see young seals and their mums - who are much smaller, but no less timid when it comes to growling and charging!

White or blond seals are called leucistic, a name I still struggle to remember. And while they are relatively rare, there are simply so many seals on South Georgia you're very likely to see one. In fact, with a population estimated to be over 6 million, there were three we could see from the beach at Stromness where this photo was taken.

Seals have incredibly flexible necks and so positions like this are not uncommon, but they still make a great subject. And while I'm sure some readers might wonder why I have placed the seal's head so close to the right edge - and left sooo much space on the left of the frame - may I refer you to the portraiture of Irving Penn. No, he didn't photograph seals (that I know of), but he was the master of framing his subject in ways that create a little tension. I'm not suggesting I have his innate sense of placement, but I do like this framing!

My next voyage to Antarctica with Tony Hewitt won't visit the Falklands as we are leaving from New Zealand and ending up in Ushuaia! Called Crossing the 7th Continent, it's an epic 34-day voyage in January 2027. For more information, visit https://www.betterphotography.com/photo-tours/workshops/antarctic2027-detail