\n The photograph offers a remarkable glimpse of the marine mammals in their natural environment.\n<\/p>\n
\n Martin Shaw, who posted the image in the Daily Echo’s Camera Club group on Facebook, noticed the seals all laying out together on the shore on Wednesday evening, September 9.\n<\/p>\n
\n He said: “There were three harbour seals and a larger grey seal sharing a quiet haul-out at the water’s edge. All looking very chilled and making me feel like I interrupted nap time.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Martin Shaw (Image: Martin Shaw)\n<\/p>\n
\n “They all looked up at me and I managed to get the photograph, they stayed up out of water for ten to 15 minutes.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I have never seem them that close before and it is very unusual seeing all the seals together.”\n<\/p>\n
\n The 46 year-old noticed them just before sunset and said: “The weather was working against me a bit, it had been quite a sunny evening but just before I saw the seals it clouded over.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It was getting quite dark which made it difficult to get the photos but luckily they stayed quite still for me.\n<\/p>\n
\n Although he works in IT by day, Martin discovered a love for photography during the Covid lockdowns.\n<\/p>\n
\n Puffling spotted in Dorset for the first time in 30 years (Image: Martin Shaw)\n<\/p>\n
\n His focus is now largely on wildlife, capturing nature across Dorset.\n<\/p>\n
\n He said: “I’m still very amateur. I mainly do wildlife photography, I just like getting outdoors.”\n<\/p>\n
\n “My proudest moment was photographing a puffling, in July, that was spotted in Dorset for the first time in 30 years.”\n<\/p>\n
\n The Dorset Camera Club invites photographers of all abilities to share their photos of wildlife and landscapes across the county and the New Forest.\n<\/p>\n
\n The group, which is run by the Daily Echo and its sister paper the Dorset Echo in Weymouth, formed in February 2017 and has amassed more than 7,500 members.\n<\/p>\n
\n Since then, thousands of photos have been submitted to the group, capturing Dorset and the New Forest across all seasons.\n<\/p>\n