Snorkelling with diving gannets

An awe-inspiring collection

The Snorkelling with Diving Gannet Collection is an awe-inspiring series of bird photography prints. Meticulously crafted to celebrate the beauty and power of these remarkable seabirds.

Each print is produced in the UK at a pioneering carbon-negative lab, ensuring both exceptional quality and environmental responsibility.

The thrill of witnessing these creatures in their element, their unrelenting focus and seamless synchronicity, was a humbling reminder of the wild edges where life’s most extraordinary stories unfold.

Fine art print photography collection by Rebecca Douglas, female photographer stood on boat in the middle of the ocean smiling and holding a camera

This collection of bird photography prints is a tribute to breathtaking liminality. Captured in the alchemy of the moment, honouring the essence of nature’s untamed spirit.

An adventure to the wildest of edges off the Shetland Islands.

journey to the wildest of edges….

To a remote island in middle of the North Sea….

The journey to be in this moment took 43 hours of travel from my base in Ramsgate. An overnight pitstop in Gretna Green and onwards to Aberdeen where I boarded a ferry that took 16 hours to reach the Shetland Islands! After three days of waiting for a weather window, with fog that was clinging to the surface of the sea, it lifted and we took to the sea.

Capturing this collection of bird photography prints fully embraced the essence of what wild edges mean to me. It was an exhilarating experience and one that will be etched on my heart forever.

beneath the surface


The seascape was transformed by the gannets entering the water with such fierce precision and grace. They are utterly magnificent birds.

Attached to the boat and battling an increasing swell south of Noss Island, Shetland, I was transfixed by the chaos. The sound of gannets pierced the water like bullets boomed. Their streamlined bodies slicing through the sea with remarkable speed and accuracy.

Each dive of a gannet saw power meet elegance. A reminder of nature’s unyielding beauty and raw energy.

Did you know these gannets migrate past the Isle of Thanet?

Northern Gannets are only temporary visitors around the UK shores. Arriving around February and leaving around September to make the long journey back to Western Africa. The colonies of Shetland Islands, Bass Rock and Bempton Cliffs all commute right by us and since they live to 35 years, the birds here have likely passed us many times before!

Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Print Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, lots of gannets perched on a large rocky mountain in the Shetland Islands, bird photography prints

Ready to dive into the collection?

Snorkelling with diving gannets

a curated collection of bird photography prints


Images are proudly printed to order on sustainable Hahnemühle bamboo paper at the UK’s first fine art and photographic printing service that is 100% end-to-end carbon neutral.

10% of profits are donated to Whale Wise.

Order online here and prints are delivered to your door within 5-7 working days.

Price includes printing and delivery. You may incur customs charges if you order outside the UK.

Explore the full collection of bird photography prints below.

Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Print Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, a mock up of one of the prints from the collection framed and hung on a white wall in front of a chair and lamp, bird photography prints
Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Print Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, a close up shot of three gannets submerged in water, surrounded by blue ocean and lots of little bubbles caused by their movements and diving just below the surface of the water, bird photography prints

Prize winner in the deep

Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Print Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, a close up image of a gannet staring and swimming directly toward the camera, slightly behind the gannet you can see another gannet that has just dived below the surface of the water, both gannets are surrounded by lots of little bubbles caused by their movements, bird photography prints

FULL SPEED AHEAD

Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Print Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, a lone gannet in a diving movement from just diving below the surface of the water, surrounded by beautiful blue ocean and lots of little bubbles of water caused by its movement, bird photography prints,

THE ELEGANT SEARCH

Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Print Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, five gannets entering the frame from the left hand side and swimming towards the right in unison, submerged in beautiful blue ocean water and surrounded by lots of little air bubbles of water, bird photography prints

RACING DIVERS

Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Print Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, a close up image of a gannet looking directly at the camera, the gannet is underwater surrounded by beautiful blue ocean and lots of little bubbles caused by it's movements, bird photography prints

THE FIZZ OF IT ALL

Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Print Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, a close up shot of a gannet swimming in a beautiful blue ocean, you can see it's white and yellow feathers, beak and eye, its wings are stretched and surrounded by lots of little air bubbles in the water caused by its movement, bird photography prints

the CLATTERING

Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Print Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, a lone gannet captured in the process of diving beneath the surface of the ocean, you can see a trail of air bubbles in the water from it entering the water, the gannet is beak down swimming toward the bottom of the frame, bird photography prints

into the depths

Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Print Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, a plunge of 12 gannets diving and swimming beneath the surface of the ocean all swimming in different directions and caught in different positions, surrounded by beautiful blue water and lots of little air bubbles caused by their frantic movements, bird photography prints

plunge of gannets

Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Print Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, a close up shot of a gannet gliding by the camera lens, you can see its head, beak and eye in close up detail and its wings are stretched out in a swimming motion. Surrounded by beautiful blue ocean water and lots of little air bubbles caused by its movements, bird photography prints

gliding by

Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Print Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, close up shot of 3 gannets and 2 in the background, gliding and diving beneath the surface of the ocean in all different directions, submerged in beautiful blue water and lots of little air bubbles caused by their movements, bird photography prints

searching

Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Print Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, close up shot of a gannet that has just dived into the ocean to catch its prey, the image shows the gannet feeding with a mackerel fish between its beak. The gannet is surrounded by beautiful blue ocean and lots of little bubbles of air from its dive into the water, bird photography prints

mackerel for supper

Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Prints Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, a close up shot of a gannet with its beak open swimming directly into the camera lens. In the background are two other gannets following in pursuit. At the top of the image you can see the surface of the water and the gannets are submerged in beautiful blue ocean water and surrounded by lots of little air bubbles caused by their movements, bird photography prints

precision

Snorkelling with diving gannets collection as part of the ISLANDNESS exhibition by Rebecca Douglas in partnership with National Trust at Scotney Castle, fine art bird photography prints, two gannets diving beneath the surface of the ocean, one has a fish in its mouth, bird photography prints

shapeshifter

Snorkelling with diving gannets collection as part of the ISLANDNESS exhibition by Rebecca Douglas in partnership with National Trust at Scotney Castle, fine art bird photography prints, gannet swimming beneath the surface of the ocean with a fish in its mouth, bird photography prints

toiling for triumph

Snorkelling with diving gannets collection as part of the ISLANDNESS exhibition by Rebecca Douglas in partnership with National Trust at Scotney Castle, fine art bird photography prints, close up shot of a gannet diving, bird photography prints

breaking surface tension

Diving Descent by Rebecca Douglas Photography, Islandness exhibition in partnership with National trust at Scotney Castle, fine art bird photography prints, solo gannet diving and swimming towards the bottom of the ocean, bird photography prints

diving descent

Snorkelling with diving gannets collection as part of the ISLANDNESS exhibition by Rebecca Douglas in partnership with National Trust at Scotney Castle, fine art bird photography prints, four gannets swimming in different directions beneath the surface of the ocean, bird photography prints

sea searchers

Snorkelling with diving gannets collection as part of the ISLANDNESS exhibition by Rebecca Douglas in partnership with National Trust at Scotney Castle, a solo gannet swimming beneath the surface of the ocean, bird photography prints

solo strategy

Snorkelling with diving gannets collection as part of the ISLANDNESS exhibition by Rebecca Douglas in partnership with National Trust at Scotney Castle, two gannets eating a fish just beneath the surface of the ocean, bird photography prints

gannet by name

Snorkelling with diving gannets collection as part of the ISLANDNESS exhibition by Rebecca Douglas in partnership with National Trust at Scotney Castle, fine art bird photography prints, group of gannets swimming beneath the surface of the ocean, bird photography prints

Underwater flight formation

Snorkelling with diving gannets collection as part of the ISLANDNESS exhibition by Rebecca Douglas in partnership with National Trust at Scotney Castle, fine art bird photography prints, a group of gannets plunging into the ocean, bird photography prints

competition in the wings

Snorkelling with diving gannets collection as part of the ISLANDNESS exhibition by Rebecca Douglas in partnership with National Trust at Scotney Castle, fine art bird photography prints, a gannet diving into the ocean, bird photography prints

a silent vow

!! Warning !!
Distressing content

A story about a gannets life on the wild edge

Reflecting on the most haunting scenes of entanglement whilst out in nature capturing this collection of images

This moment is seared in my mind and I want to make this magnificent birds life count for something.

Coming across a gannet entangled in ghost fishing nets is something I have seen before sadly. Nothing prepares you for the overwhelming sense of powerlessness that you can’t do anything to help this bird in this moment. What I witnessed at Noss Island was a devastating sight. A stark reminder of the grave threats posed by plastic pollution to marine wildlife. These nets, lost or discarded by fishing vessels, drift through the ocean or lie abandoned on shorelines, becoming deadly traps for countless sea creatures. Gannets, in particular, are vulnerable because they often use material found in and around their habitats to build their nests. Unknowingly selecting these ghost nets to build with. This practice turns their nests into potential death traps, endangering not just the adults but also their chicks.

the polarity of emotions that gripped me in a split second…

…with my excitement and anticipation of the snorkel, being replaced with gut wrenching pain, is something I will never forget. I can’t overstate enough how much this moment moved something inside of me. I felt a physical pain above my heart. A rupturing, ‘what have we done’ I muttered under my breath. The swell was up and the boat was rolling, making it hard to capture this distressing scene. The gannet was spiralling around and swaying on the rope and I knew I needed to capture its profile to really narrate this horror. The boat started to move away and I whispered to the gannet ‘I’m so sorry we did this, I’m going to make your life count dear one, you didn’t die in vain.’

Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Prints Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography this is a distressing image that shows in the centre of the frame the skeletal remains of a gannet that is hanging by its neck from some fishing net off the edge of a rocky cliff/mountain by the side of the ocean

The impact of plastic pollution is in utterly devastating plain view. It not only threatens the immediate health and survival of these majestic birds but also jeopardises their breeding success and the overall vitality of their populations. Witnessing this gannet, part skeletal, part feathered, suspended from the material that it had used for its nesting saw so many emotions rising in me. Anger, grief, a powerlessness at the scale of the problem.

“In 2019, the scientists in the British Ornithologists’ Union studied 7280 gannet nests across 29 colonies, and found 46% contained plastic. A gannet colony on the island of Alderney was found by the Wildlife Trust to contain plastic in almost every single nest. Most of this is in the form of fishing gear lost or abandoned at sea.” Source – British Library.

It is all too clear to see how vast the problem is, even in this small section of humungous cliffs, their nests look almost entirely formed of plastic. Not only do they suffer from the impact of entanglement but they also end up ingesting the plastic, which can impact on the birds overall health, life expectancy and reproduction, filling their stomachs with plastic, releasing toxins and taking up space that should be filled with nutritious food.

As a visual storyteller, I believe stories have the power to change the world

They tap into the deepest part of our humanity, unravel what we know and challenge us. The story of this gannet is a call to action. It demands greater awareness and robust measures and legislation to clean our global seas and shores. It’s a poignant example of how human activities impact on the natural world, often with dire consequences for its inhabitants. We must advocate for and implement solutions that protect these incredible birds, ensuring their skies and seas are safe and free from the scourge of plastic pollution.

Behind the scenes – the making of this collection

Gannets are the most incredible seabirds and here is 9 reasons to be enchanted by them!

Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Prints Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, a coastal shot at the Shetland Islands capturing the tall clifftops and the ocean below, the bright sky takes up most of the frame and has a beautiful ring of light reflecting from the sun, in the sky there are several gannets flying in the air

1. Spectacular divers

Gannets are known for their dramatic plunge dives from heights of up to 30 meters (98 feet), hitting the water at speeds up to 60 miles per hour to catch fish.

2. Impressive wing span

With a wingspan of up to 2 meters (6.5 feet), gannets are powerful fliers capable of long-distance travel across oceans

3. Elegant plumage

Their striking white plumage, contrasted with black wingtips and a golden-yellow head, makes them incredibly photogenic and visually stunning.

4. Aerodynamic bodies

Gannets have streamlined bodies perfectly adapted for diving, allowing them to pierce the water with minimal resistance.

5. Colonial nesters

They breed in large colonies on cliffs and islands, creating a dramatic and bustling spectacle during nesting season.

6. Remarkable vision

Gannets have excellent eyesight, which enables them to spot fish from great heights and adjust their dive trajectory with precision.

Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Prints Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, two ganents on land perched on the side. ofsome dark brown cliffs by the ocean, the birds wings are stretched out and their beaks are crossed
Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Prints Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, 3 gannets swimming on the surface of the ocean, one is facing toward the camera and the other two have their backs toward the camera swimming in the other direction. There are splashes of water in the background

7. Social birds

They are highly social and often seen flying in formation or diving en masse, displaying fascinating group dynamics.

8. Vocal communication

Gannets use a variety of calls and signals to communicate, especially during the breeding season, adding to their enchanting presence.

9. Long lifespan

Gannets can live up to 35 years in the wild, giving them ample time to hone their diving and flying skills.

I hope you’ve found a deeper affection for gannets….

I am utterly fascinated by gannets. Their grace and mastery of both sky and sea encapsulate the wild beauty of nature in its purest form.

These birds, with their striking plumage and piercing eyes, embody the spirit of the sea’s wild edge and in doing so are untamed and formidable. What truly captivates me is their diving precision. A breathtaking plunge from the heights, streamlined and unstoppable, demonstrating a perfect synergy of instinct, skill, and agility.

Observing their social dynamics within bustling colonies and witnessing their tender moments during nesting adds even more depth to my admiration. Each interaction with these birds, each photograph captured, deepens my respect and awe for their resilience and the seamless way they navigate the complexities of their environment.

Gannets symbolise the raw, unbridled forces of nature, and watching them is like watching the sea come alive. A reminder of how time in nature totally rewilds our souls.

Snorkelling with Diving Gannets Fine Art Prints Collection By Rebecca Douglas Photography, a close up shot of a gannet caught in a diving motion having just submerged itself beneath the surface of the ocean. Its wings are spread out and its surrounded by lots of little bubbles of air

If you ever visit the Shetland Islands, I totally recommend adventuring with Shetland Seabird Tours. Along with Richard Shucksmith, who expertly navigated us out to Noss Island to capture the gannets in the most unique way. I will be forever grateful for these incredible moments and am full of gratitude for all that they do.

Add some wonder to your walls with my curated fine art bird photography prints collection.

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visual storyteller rebecca douglas brand photography on a beach in Kent UK

I SEE YOU THERE MY LOVE…

If you’re thinking of how we can work together, I’d love to get to know you and hear all about your ideas and how you’d like our time together to unfold, so let’s get a time in to chat.

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