Limited Edition Archival Print. Gold Tokyo TIFA award. Archival Cotton Rag

As part of my 50th spin around the sun I wanted to celebrate my birthday by visiting the most famous spot for photographing Northern Gannets in Europe, Heligoland an island off Germany. They nest on the spectacular red sandstone cliffs of the island's Lummenfelsen nature reserve.

Gannets mate for life, and this particular colony had survived the first wave of Bird Flu, and were busy repopulating. This pair struck me as they had already raised a baby and spent a lot of time preening and leaning into each other. Survivors and at ease with each other. To create this photo I wanted to photograph low and as the sun rose, to create a soft light on the birds, and an increased intimacy from the low angle. It became my first photo to achieve a gold award and has remained a favourite in my collection.

Technical Information: Nikon D850, 500mm, F6.3