williambuchheit

Going Down Biting

Great White takes seal in False Bay, South Africa

Great White takes seal in False Bay, South Africa
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Canon EOS 7D

settings

Aperture f/5.6 ISO 800 Shutter 1/2500

upload_date

Sep, 2012

Views

3035

Likes

+76

Awards

Chatter Award

Member Selection Award

Staff Winter Selection 2015

Thumbs Up

Featured

Jaw Dropping

+29

Absolute Masterpiece

+25

Outstanding Creativity

Superb Composition

Top Choice

Magnificent Capture

All Star

Superior Skill

Peer Award

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank week 1

Categories

Nature

Very nice!

This is one of the best captures I've seen of a great white out of the water. The action of the fighitng seal and the background makes it a magnificent shot. Are you posting any other ones soon?

incredible shot

Holy cow - awesome shot! Poor seal but that's nature...

Wow, spectacular shot!! What a lovely timing!

Great shot

Wow, what a catch. Must have been incredible to see this william!

Amazing capture!!!

Platinum

Very very nice photo best of luck.

PRO+

WOW!!!!!!!!!!! AWARD!

amazing capture!

Not that I'm a fan of this, but it's a great shot, nature is what it is. This capture needs to be awarded by ViewBug. Keep your amazing photography going, want to see more!

Wow this is a winner ! Captured wildlife perfectly ! I love sharks and seals :( like the others said its nature !
Great capture for you and the shark :)

Wow...poor little seal but fantastic shot!

Outstanding Capture,well done! Awarded for Jaw Dropping and favorite!

If you like photographing cars, trucks or motorcycles, you are invited to join the
"Motor Heads" group...http://www.viewbug.com/photo-communities/motor-heads

If you like photographing boats, boating or beaches, you are invited to join the "Boats and Beaches" group....
http://www.viewbug.com/project/boats-and-beaches.

Click on "community" tab, "projects " tab, and paste the group name in the search box.

I would be honored if you would visit my View Bug gallery and my personal website at www.photo-pixart.com

If you like photographing cars, trucks or motorcycles, you are invited to join the
"Motor Heads" group...http://www.viewbug.com/photo-communities/motor-heads

If you like photographing boats, boating or beaches, you are invited to join the "Boats and Beaches" group....
http://www.viewbug.com/project/boats-and-beaches.

Click on "community" tab, "projects " tab, and paste the group name in the search box.

I would be honored if you would visit my View Bug gallery and my personal website at www.photo-pixart.com

Nice Shot!

Platinum

Great capture - voted!

Platinum

What an amazing capture!

Incredible!!!!

Poor seal! But, amazing shot! Voted!

Fantastic, voted!

congrats

awesome shot

woo hoo ' magnificent action shot, congrats

Quite literally... Jaw Dropping!

Wow! This is a frightening capture! Congrats on feature!

Good Shot!

Oouch !

PRO

Capture of a lifetime, raw power and such good composition, congratulations on our feature

Unbelievable capture! I hate to see this, but it is amazing. That's life... Congrats!

Ultimate

congrats on the feature. some of us feel you should have won the contest!

Amazing shot, nature at its best/worst ;) such detail and action. Amazing!

PRO

Great one...can almost feel the seal's panic.

Great timing! Congrats!

PRO+

wonderful capture.

Congrats!

Platinum

Amazing capture, congrats on feature!!!

Great Capture, excellent POV. Congrats!!

Platinum

excellent meal.

Nice , congrats

Truly a once in a lifetime capture. Well done.

PRO

Congrats on your FEATURE. Superb capture & timing

PRO+

congrats on feature!! amazing.. makes many think on this... can't stop the food chain... :-) congrats! peer award also.. wow.. you have more peer awards on this one photo.. I'm happy for you.. blessings..

AWESOME SHOT!!! This didn't make runners up or honorable mention in the Wildlife Contest and shots that were obviously animals in the zoo did ???!!!! You were robbed!!!

One of the best shots I've seen in a long time. Awesome capture!

Congrats on feature, poor seal! Would love to have one of those teeth!! Awesome shot!

Wow! What a rare capture! Congrats!

Magnificent - congrats on the well-deserved award!

What a timming!!!! Incredible shot!!!!Congrats on your feature!!!

much faster than clubbing them!!! Excellent job, what a terrific memory that was made im sure!!! CONGRATS!

Brilliant! This is the best great white shark picture ever! I love it!!!!! I can't stop looking at those massive jaw muscles! Absolutely WONDERFUL!

Made favorite!

terrific, congrats

right place, right time!

congrats!

great capture,,,congrats

WoW awesome capture

Amazing capture!

Unbelievable shot! Congratulations!!

awwww poor little creature!

WOW!!!! Amazing capture of nature!!! Great work!!! Congrats on a well-deserved feature and award!!!

Incredible capture! Congratulations on your feature

Awesome shot. Doesn't get much better than that!

Congratulations on your feature :)

Platinum

What an amazing capture!!! Clarity and composition are excellent. Great Shot!! Congratulations on your Feature!

Platinum

CONGRATS ON FEATURE!! ANY CHANCE THE SEAL GOT AWAY?..... :)

PRO+

Absolutely fantastic capture ***** Congratulations on your feature ...:~)

PRO+

brilliant capture

WOW!!! What incredible timing to be able to capture this!

Awesome timing!!!!!!

this shot is amazing!!! kinda sucks for the seal but, Sharks gotta eat too haha

Wow, such an amazing capture! Very nice job (: And congratulations

Congrats on your feature this is simply an amazing capture.

nice shot ,Congrats

Congrats on your featured hall of fame.

Ultimate

Amazing shot.....wow

Great Shot!!!

The decisive moment indeed!

Great capture! Congrats on the feature!

PRO+

nice shot.

Fantastic Shot!!

PRO+

Remarkable! Congratulations!

Wow, this is an incredible shot. Great action all around. I bet this was something to see in person.

Fantastic!

PRO+

Great shot........lucky you!

Great Shot

Great shot, slightly terrifying!

Awesome Capture, Congrats

nice shot

Great shot

Wow!!

This shot is superb. I know how hard it is to get a shot like this. A winner.

The best photo.GREAT

WOW! Great Capture!

I'm so impressed with this shot...and envious...South Africa is on my bucket list..so see the sharks breaching of course! This is beyond amazing. :)

Crazy Shot!! very nice!

Ultimate

great shot

Wow

PRO+

Wow, excellent..Congrats!

WOW!! Excellent Capture

WOW but sad :) poor seal.

Oh my goodness... What a capture... Right time right place... Awesome

Amazing! Great Job!

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Behind The Lens

Location

I got this shot while on a shark expedition near Seal Island in False Bay, South Africa. We were on a boat a few miles from shore when we saw this shark lunge for a seal about 180 feet from the vessel. It missed the first time but not the second, bursting like a space shuttle through the spray with the panicked seal in its mouth. Following the entire event through my lens, I clicked off six shots when the shark came up. The first three were blurry as the camera autofocused, but the last three were money shots. This photo was the second of those three.

Time

Around 8:00 am.

Lighting

We had bluebird skies that morning, and our captain was Chris Fallows, probably the most renowned great white photographer in the world. Having shot the sharks for nearly two decades, Fallows is a master of positioning the boat so that the guests on his boat can get the best-lit viewpoint. I therefore have both him and God to thank for the perfect natural light of that moment.

Equipment

I used a Canon 7D with shutter speed of 1/2500 and an F stop of 5.6. My lens was a Canon 70-200 zoomed to 165 mm. My ISO was 800.

Inspiration

I've been obsessed with great whites since childhood. I've dedicated much time, money and energy over the years photographing them from boats and cages. There's nothing like being near them in the wild.

Editing

The RAW photo was a little bright, so I darkened it and then decreased the highlights so that you could better see the contours of the shark's belly. I also lightened and sharpened the seal for maximum emotional impact. I did all of this in Adobe Photoshop CS5.

In my camera bag

Nowadays I keep a Canon 5d Mark 3, Canon EF series 70-200mm F4 Zoom Lens, Canon 24-70mm 2.8 EF Lens, Speedlight 580X, polarizing filters for both lenses and a lightweight Manfroto tripod.

Feedback

Photographing from a small boat on rocky waters in the African winter is not easy, and you have to protect your equipment when you are heading towards a hunting event at nearly 45 mph. This was the third day of photographing hunting sharks, and the only predatory event close enough to us to really capture on camera. In short, this shot required lots of patience, focus, preparation and luck.

See more amazing photos, follow williambuchheit

williambuchheit

williambuchheit

Going Down Biting

Great White takes seal in False Bay, South Africa

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow williambuchheit

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