Powerful Mother Whale
She shot out so quickly and there was a lot of water so it isn't as clear as her calf. It was also her direction but still cool to witness. Off Molokai HI...
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She shot out so quickly and there was a lot of water so it isn't as clear as her calf. It was also her direction but still cool to witness. Off Molokai HI
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Feb, 2023Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
In the Kalohi Channel off Molokai, HI in March of 2023Time
We typically go out for two and a half hours every morning we can since the water can be rough. So this was around 9:30am. The lighting isn't as good that time of day but you never know what you are going to see.Lighting
The lighting can either be too sunny or very flat. I wasn't using a polarizer that day. I typically don't because it slows the lens down and I am not shooting with a particularly fast lens as it is since I hand hold. The clouds were in and out that day as I recall. I use exposure compensation at times but I usually correct any uneven light in post processing.Equipment
I used a Sony A1 with a 2-600mm 5.6-6.3 Sony lens since I can handhold it in a moving boat.Inspiration
I find whale photography challenging because there are so many factors in play like boat movement, waves, and whale behavior. You will never get a first breach because they always surprise you. You have to hope for a 'serial breacher' who will launch several times. But sometimes it's one and done or they wait 5 minutes and do it again in a different place. My husband and I are really fortunate to spend about 5 weeks on the island of Molokai every winter. We go out on a boat that only takes 6 and it's a custom built catamaran. Very stable. We go out every day, yes every day to try to get some good whale photos. Out of 30 whale watches we typically get two or three really great encounters like this. Igot a great shot of this momma's calf who showed me his belly but she did a backward launch and created a lot of water.Editing
I use Lightroom basic and then masking to bring out the subject. I sometimes use Photoshop if I need to take some bits out or to crop since you don't lose as much file size cropping in Photoshop.In my camera bag
0-200It depends upon the purpose of the shoot. Am I going to do any macro work, landscape, night sky or wildlife? As with most wildlife I use my 2-600mm lens but occasionally my 70-200mm. I use filters occasionally. It depends on what I am trying to capture and the time of day.Feedback
The wind off Molokai is amazing. It causes 2-3foot swells on a normal day and it is hard to spot whales if it they are about 3 foot. Patience is key as is keeping the camera steady. I switched out all my other Sony Cameras for the A1 when I saw how fast the processor was and how quickly it locks on a subject. The auto eye focus is terrific but it takes some practice. So if you have a camera that has eye focus don't wait until you want to photograph something fast to learn how to use it. I also brace my elbows against my sides so my body acts like a tripod. Unless we hit a bump, it usually works well.
