Massive - Solo
Sep, 2017Views
2523
Likes
Awards
Winner in Your Best Whale and Dolphin Photos Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Our Amazing Planet Photo Contest xpozer
Contest Finalist in Wildlife And Water Photo Contest
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
All Star
Superior Skill
Outstanding Creativity
Virtuoso
Genius
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Top 10 rank
Top 10 rank
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This shot was taken on a commercial whale watch tour that left port in Rye, New Hampshire. Although not a very large boat, it handled the water pretty well. But if you've ever tried to make photographs while on the water, you know it takes a little bit of thought, as the movement is constant. If the boat is moving you're cutting through the waves, and if it's idle, as when you're (hopefully) close to your subject, you're wallowing in and out of the troughs.Time
Although we took the earlier of the tours, it was about 10:00 a.m. by the time we reached the Stellwagen Bank, which is a spot off the coast of New England that rises up closer to the surface of the water. That means that more sunlight reaches farther down into the water, and that more things grow there, drawing more marine life to the area.Lighting
There's not too much to say about lighting. It was a bright day, and it seemed best to keep the exposure metered to the entire area, as I never knew which direction I'd need to focus on at any point in time.Equipment
This was taken with a Nikon D7200, using an 18-200 lens, with a polarizing filter.Inspiration
Well, the whole point of the trip, for me, was to try to get a couple of interesting whale photos! It was a great day for seeing wildlife, as we spied over a dozen whales, including this Humpback, and several Minkes. We also saw a large school of Atlantic Dolphins, and a huge Sunfish. The dolphins were very difficult to predict, however, and the Sunfish, although interesting to see, was pretty uninspiring to photograph, as it just lay there spread out at the surface.Editing
Aside from some tweaking of levels, there was one relatively easy fix to this photo. In the original, there is a second whale off to the right of this massive tale. Although it was nice, and interesting, to see more than one animal, it was distracting in the photo, so I removed it.In my camera bag
I tend to lean on a single camera, with a zoom lens. At the time it was the D7200 and 12-200 combo. I've since gone to full frame, and am using a D750. I'm not a huge fan of filters and effects, but a UV filter for protection is always on the lens, and a polarizing filter is essential at times.Feedback
My best advice for making photographs, always, is don't be afraid to fire the shutter. It's digital, and almost free to fire the shutter. When you get to processing them later, you save what you like, and delete the rest!
