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FeatherstonePhotography

Dusky Dolphin Flip

We saw a wonderfully playful pod of Dusky Dolphins on our whale watch cruise in Kaikoura, New Zealand. Captured this one in mid-air!...
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We saw a wonderfully playful pod of Dusky Dolphins on our whale watch cruise in Kaikoura, New Zealand. Captured this one in mid-air!
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Canon EOS REBEL T3i

upload_date

Jan, 2016

Views

2674

Likes

+239

Awards

Member Selection Award

Winner in Dolphins Photo Challenge

Spring Selection Award

Peer Award

+51

Magnificent Capture

+35

Top Choice

+22

Superb Composition

+17

Absolute Masterpiece

+13

Superior Skill

Outstanding Creativity

All Star

Love it

Emotions

Impressed

Happy

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

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

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Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Behind The Lens

Location

Kaikoura, New Zealand

Time

Probably early afternoon on a very cloudy and cool day. We were out on a whale watching expedition and had already seen a humpback after waiting a long time, which was really exciting. On the way back to the marina we were suddenly surrounded by a pod of dusky dolphins that put on a delightful and joyful display of leaping and diving much to everyone's delight. I went to sports mode and just kept taking lot of photographs and this one came out the best.Fast shutter speed, Canon Rebel xt3i with telephoto lens and no tripod.

Lighting

Actually, I really love cloudy days for this kind of shooting as it is easier to get definition, saturation, and no harsh shadows.I prefer shooting in natural light. Sometimes I use a polarizer on very bright days - but here just the protective UV filter.

Equipment

Canon Rebel Xt3i, telephoto lens, no tripod and no flash. Sports mode.

Inspiration

Excitement and joy and a deep love of nature - especially dolphins in their natural habitat.

Editing

I use LightRoom for processing. I cropped this image and used a little sharpening and color enhancement - I use the minimum processing if possible and I do not have Photoshop. Except in certain circumstances or wanting to change an image drastically, I try to keep my images as natural as possible.

In my camera bag

2 Canon bodies - 7D (mostly I use this for still life) and Rebel xt5i (lighter and good for sports etc.), 18-135mm, 10-18mm, 75-300mm, extra batteries, extra sd cards, lens hoods, filters (uv, polarizer), cleaning kit, tripod, battery chargers.

Feedback

Plan ahead - weather changes quite a lot in New Zealand so be prepared for sun, rain or clouds. Obviously when trying to capture rapidly moving objects (like the dolphin) use a fast shutter speed and take lots of images if you want them sharp. I delete a large portion of my images, which is the beauty of digital, and only keep the very best...so have spare cards so you do not run out of space and miss that special moment!

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FeatherstonePhotography

FeatherstonePhotography

Dusky Dolphin Flip

We saw a wonderfully playful pod of Dusky Dolphins on our whale watch cruise in Kaikoura, New Zealand. Captured this one in mid-air!... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow FeatherstonePhotography

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We saw a wonderfully playful pod of Dusky Dolphins on our whale watch cruise in Kaikoura, New Zealand. Captured this one in mid-air!...
Read more

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Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.