Seal on a Stick

Gallery: WildlifePosted December 15, 20151,283 views7 comments

Seal on a Stick

Another "Hey, it's NOT a bear shot" from the Great Bear Rainforest!

I'm presenting this shot for a couple of reasons. First, I want to prove to the folks who shoot mostly birds that they don't have exclusivity to the "...on a stick" theme. enlightened

Even though I'm a huge fan of Harbor Seals (in their own right, and as photographic subjects - I love their big eyes, whiskers, and almost human-like face), in this particular case I think I like the texture and colours of the "perch" this seal is on almost as much as I like the seal itself! Nice stick, eh?

The second reason I posted this image here (and on my website) is that it's a good shot to use in a discussion of subject isolation. I've been spending a lot of time lately field-testing a bunch of competing lenses (notably the new Nikkor 200-500mm, the Sigma Sport 150-600mm, and the Nikkor AF-S 80-400mm, with my own primary goal to really get a feel for the strengths and weaknesses of each lens in a field setting. I've been getting a lot of questions about the lenses via email, but probably the most-commonly asked question has been this:

"With having a maximum aperture of only f6.3 at the longer focal lengths, can you effectively isolate the subject from the background with the Sigma Sport 150-600?"

The short answer to the question is this: Yes, but only once you realize that subject isolation is MORE a matter of camera and background position (relative to the subject) than it is to having a lens with a large aperture and shooting "wide open".

I explain this issue more fully in the commentary associated with the image on my own website - so those who are curious can follow the link below for more info.

Subject: Dry Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) on a big stick
Location: Great Bear Rainforest (central BC coast), BC, Canada
Camera: Nikon D750
Lens: Nikkor 400mm f2.8E VR - hand-held from floating Zodiac.
Exposure: 1/400s @ f3.2; ISO 320. -0.67 stop compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.
Crop: Limited - this is about 85% of full frame...

A lot more info about this shot - including the full discussion on subject isolation and a 2400 pixel version of the shot - can be found here on my website:

http://www.naturalart.ca/galleries/latest/.

Comments and critiques welcomed - probably best to view the larger version prior to doing so!

Cheers...

Brad

PS: Like all wildlife images on my website and that I post on NPN, the subject is fully wild and completely unconstrained. Besides the potential impact of my presence, nothing has been done to intentionally alter or affect the ongoing behavior of the subject and, of course, there has been no use of any form of bait or other form of wildlife attractants (including vocalizations)

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Richard Sandor on December 15, 2015 at 10:33 AM

Brad: this is best viewed large (and even larger on your web site). I really like the rounded shape of the seal including its facial features, in comparison to the sharp angles and lines of its perch. The tones in the water and the oof background really emphasize the subject, and there's a sense of solitude and serenity in the scene that you've captured. Richard

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

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on December 15, 2015 at 9:48 PM

Brad, I am not usually a big fan of birds on a stick, but harbor seals on a log are a-okay! The calm water and relaxed look from the seal make this feel pretty peaceful. (However, there is probably a big shark lurking below). I agree this is a good example of isolation. What you said above is absolutely the key to isolating any subject. I also get asked (mostly with my bird photography) how did you shoot this at f/9 and still end up with a creamy BG. It is sometimes hard to explain how important camera to subject/subject to BG are in determining how to isolate your subject, so having a good example really helps.

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Cay-Uwe Kulzer on December 16, 2015 at 2:18 AM

Brad,

nice to see an mammal on a perch sad

and I agree with you with the eyes, because that has been on of the things that I realized first when I opened the large version, but also the smaller, the eyes really stand out. I also like how you handled the relatively darck over all setup, one finds everywhere good detail. I am also happy to read that the image is used by you for photgraphic education.

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

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on December 18, 2015 at 10:04 AM

Very nice perch here Brad, the seals face seems very expressive here and makes the image for me. devil

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on December 18, 2015 at 10:40 PM

Nice discussion on subject isolation!

I like this for its rich and deep color tones...which leads me to ask about you preferences for slightly darker color renditions. I have always found there is real difference in final product depending on if the end result is on a screen, with illumination coming through the image, or whether the image is printed and the illumination is all reflected light. For me, if it looked fine on screen, it would often not translate as well printed on paper unless I processed it differently to compensate. So my question is for print viewing, do you have to make a different file? I am betting others will find your expert experience helpful in this matter, as well.

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

Comment posted by Katie Jones on December 19, 2015 at 10:35 AM

Brad,
Nice composition. I really love the point of view as well. There something about being down on eye-level with the animals that allows for a more intimate feeling. Great textures and love the deep colors. I'm not sure I would change anything about this. Well done! :)

Registered on November 17, 2015, 17 Posts, 91 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on December 19, 2015 at 5:24 PM

Certainly a wonderful "perch" for this seal, Brad. I like the exposure-too often I see people increasing it to make every scene look brightly lit. By the way, from a primarily bird photographer's point of view, the f6.3 minimum at 600mm on the new zooms is not an issue. I've been using the Sigma Contemporary for several months now and haven't had that factor affect my shooting at all.

devil

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments