Peek-a-Boo with an Orca

Gallery: WildlifePosted November 19, 2015141 views7 comments

First I would like to say thank you so much to everyone for the warm welcome to the community! I am very excited to share work here and see the work of others!
This is a large male Icelandic orca I photographed in February 2014 near the small village of Grundarfjödur. I took this image while standing on top of bridge and peering down at the whales from a height of about 15 feet. It was so amazing to view them from ABOVE which is rarely an angle we get to see whales and other marine mammals. We were very lucky in the fact that we were able to have many wonderful encounters from this bridge over the space of several days (the orcas were feeding on herring in the fjord in which the bridge crossed). This male seemed somewhat curious about his onlookers and briefly raised his head above the surface. Unlike us, orcas can see just as well out of the water as they can underwater and their eyesight is very good. I can't help but wonder what they think...
~Camera Settings~
Body: Pentax K5iis
Lens: Pentax DA 55-300mm
Focal point: 55mm
ISO 800, f/4.0, 1/1250 sec.

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Cay-Uwe Kulzer on November 20, 2015 at 2:09 AM

Katie,

as you say the position view i very different. I like the colors of the water, since it looks cold, and also the pose of the orca. Technically it looks fine as well. I may have gone for a vertical orientation to emphasize the movement direction.

Registered on January 27, 2004, 494 Posts, 4021 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Sandor on November 20, 2015 at 10:25 AM

Katie: what a great shot. It's extremely unusual to see a head on photo of an Orca. The water splash and splayed pectoral fins serve to show the motion. Richard

Registered on January 12, 2014, 453 Posts, 1625 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on November 20, 2015 at 1:21 PM

Awesome action by this curious creature. I love the deep icy blue waters and the spray from the Orca. Nice framing and exposure

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on November 20, 2015 at 3:05 PM

Unique perspective here. I'm glad you went horizontal to include more of the surrounding blue water. It's a lovely setting.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on November 20, 2015 at 8:05 PM

Great setting n awesome pose,water looks icy cold !
Jagdeep Rajput devil

Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on November 21, 2015 at 11:03 AM

Very nice. Your processing brings out the subtle water colors in a particularly pleasing way. Great angle and pose!

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on November 21, 2015 at 1:34 PM

Pretty cool shot Katie devil

. The texture of the water on the whale's back is very nice. Tack sharp from corner to corner.....................Jim

Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments