seal in the water by dock
ok, so this is one of the hardest photos to get. It was by the dock in a tourist marina.There were people 3 deep on either side, the houseboats reflections were...
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ok, so this is one of the hardest photos to get. It was by the dock in a tourist marina.There were people 3 deep on either side, the houseboats reflections were in the water as well as a miniscule amt of oil. I had to stand on my toes and twist around the camera so that I didn't impede any body elses view. The photo turned out a bit wild by I love it. LOL
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Aug, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
We were visiting the "fisherman's wharf" in Victoria, B.C.It is a popular tourist attraction. There are all types of floating houseboat businesses moored there. They range from handmade crafts to little restaurants. As we walked along the wharf we saw a crowd of people looking down at the water at a T intersection of section of the wharf. So of course we had to find out what was going on.As we glanced over the heads of people, we saw in the water 2 harbour seals. Tourists were feeding them small fish which were purchased from the little restaurant that was moored at that section of the wharf. Clearly, the harbour seals were regulars to this wharf, enjoying the free meals. To add to the fun, there were also seagulls trying to steal the tasty fish before it landed in the seals mouth. The seals were in the tight T intersection which did not allow one to get close enough to get a close up of the seals.Lots of people were leaned over to get a better view. I tried getting a shot from different sections of the wharf, but was very disappointed with the shots I got. I realized that I was going to have to get creative to get this shot. I set the camera on automatic, leaned sideways as far as I could at a 45 degree angle over the dock. Then I tilted the camera sideways and angled down and did a zoom angled profile shot of the seal facing the wharf. I shot 45 photos of the scene with variations on the tilt of the camera.Time
It was in the late morning on a summer's day.Lighting
The lighting was horrible. The area was quite shaded due to the angle of the T intersection of the wharf and was compounded by the shadows of all the people leaning over. I knew that I was going to have to get as close as I could to get a good photo. Also, I had to take into account that there were little oil slicks on the surface of the water.Equipment
I used my HDC -TM90 HIGH DEF video camera. Although primarily a HD video camera, it also has regular camera functions. I use a non traditional camera because I also like videotaping wild animal behaviour in the urban setting and this HD videocamera gives my high quality videos. A picture is worth a thousand words, but a video shows how it happened and what led up to it. Just a personal preference. Once you learn the limitations of your camera, you are able to compensate for it .Inspiration
It was so wonderful seeing the harbour seals. OF course these seals were used to people , so it wasn't hard to get a decent photo as opposed to the wilds where they are not used to people. I also love the big eyes that seals have. It gives them an aspect of innocence. I don't normally get the chance to photograph these wonderful animals. I also loved the interaction between the gulls and the seals.Editing
Because of the semi poor lighting, I ended up increasing the shadows exposure which brought out more of the colors and made the reflection n the seal's eye slightly more visible.In my camera bag
HDC-TM90 videocamera, extra SD card, extra charged battery, lens cleaning solution and cloth.Feedback
Don't be afraid to try improvised angles for taking shots. Most important, take lots of shots. For me, taking lots of shots usually ends up with at least one being decent, especially since I am just learning how to use this non traditional camera. Taking lots of shots allows you to see what does and doesn't work. It is all a learning curve
