Killer Whales Surfacing
Pod of six Killer Whales approached our boat in Alaska. They took one last breath before going under us. Killer Whales should never be kept in captivity - RIP...
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Pod of six Killer Whales approached our boat in Alaska. They took one last breath before going under us. Killer Whales should never be kept in captivity - RIP Tilikum!
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Jan, 2017Views
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Awards
Top Shot Award 22
Featured
Winner in The Aquatic Life Photo Challenge
Winner in Wild Killer Whales Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken in the beautiful Aialik Bay, part of the Kenai Fjords in Alaska. We were onboard the Aialik Voyager for a day cruise out of Seward to see the glaciers and watch for birds, whales, otters, seals and orcas. It was a spectacular day with a light breeze that would come and go.Time
It was taken just before noon time on July 1.Lighting
The sun was directly overhead which helped to illuminate their bodies underwater.Equipment
This was photographed with the original Canon 5D (Mark I) and 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens. The orcas approached slowly so I was able to shot at 1/250 of a second with ISO set to 100, the aperture was f/8.0 and it was handheld.Inspiration
My passion is photographing wildlife in their natural habitat. The captain had cut the engines earlier so we could watch the pod or orcas hunt for fish in the tranquil bay. When they approached, I was on the leeward side of the boat which had glassy clear water. This photo was taken just before they submerged under our boat.Editing
The only post-processing was removing some sensor spots and a slight crop to remove a bright reflection along the top edge. I used Photoshop CS3 for this photo but now use Lightroom CC most of the time.In my camera bag
I usually travel with two camera bodies, currently a Canon 5D4 mounted with 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II sometimes with a 1.4X III teleconverter and a 5DsR with a 24-70mm f/2.8L II, several CP and ND filters, two spare batteries, memory cards, RC-6 remote, brushes, cloths, tripod plates, extra camera/lens caps, knee pads, flashlight, and raincover all packed into a medium size Tamrac backpack. Most of my work is handheld but sometimes I'll bring along a tripod for longer exposures. For longer trips I'll take along a laptop, two external backup drives and chargers.Feedback
Photographing wildlife can be a challenge. Try to learn as much as you can about the animals you might encounter and observe their behavior. Always give them plenty of room and never make them feel uneasy with your presence. Once they become comfortable with you being there they may approach closer, making for a better photo. In most cases I try to get as low as possible to my subject (hence the knee pads) however this photo was taken from a higher angle so I could capture their submerged bodies. When taking photos from a moving platform, like a boat, handhold your camera so it will not pick up the vibrations of the motor(s). Last thing is practice and get to know your camera settings. Happy shooting and thanks for viewing.
