Posted by Sean Watson on October 1, 2007 at 8:22 AM
This too seems to have an eye, a nose, and a mouth . Oh, and an ear, maybe some whiskers, and horrible fish breath.
(Sorry about the title... I was just amused at Simon's creative side try to satisfy his need to see some wildlife on the forum.)
This is a Stellar's Sea Lion swimming just south of Glacier Bay NP in Alaska (roughly where Icy Strait meets the Pacific). It was taken handholding a D2x, a 200-400, with a 1.4x TC from an zodiac bucking on the tidal current while a huge colony of these guys were popping their heads up (and then right back down) as they chased salmon and otherwise played in the current. I can't believe I got anything halfway sharp. (Ok, I can't believe I was able to keep the camera on board the boat.) It was simultaneously amazingly frustrating and amazingly fun.
D2x, 200-400 + 1.4TC, 450mm, 1/400s, F/5.6, ISO 100.
Sean
Posted by Mark Hudon on October 1, 2007 at 10:55 AM
This ain't too bad!
So there you are in a rubber boat with a five thousand dollar camera and a five thousand dollar lens leaning over the side taking photos of seal, eh?
Posted by John Williams on October 1, 2007 at 11:58 PM
Neat shot! Sounds like a lot of fun (easier to say since the camera stayed on board).
Yeah, what a challenge! And what a shot. That's really, really cool. Love the color of the water, but that a very nice "incidental" compared to the look in the eye, the bubbles around the chin, that wet nose... Oh, heck! I love the whole thing. Very high cuteness factor.
Yeah, what a challenge! And what a shot. That's really, really cool. Love the color of the water, but that a very nice "incidental" compared to the look in the eye, the bubbles around the chin, that wet nose... Oh, heck! I love the whole thing. Very high cuteness factor.
Posted by Tom Kloster on October 2, 2007 at 4:26 PM
I think I know that spot, Sean - is that the island in the middle of the straight with the population of sea lions lounging about? Stinks to high heaven..? We saw a humpback breach right in front of us while we were moored there taking sea lion shots a couple of years ago. Just an amazing amount of wildlife in those waters!
Tom
Posted by Sean Watson on October 3, 2007 at 4:40 AM
Mark - Yep. Well, except for the sea lion/seal distinction. I find if I think too much about the price tag for my equipment, I'd never use it. If it makes you feel any better, I was careful to keep the neck strap on all the time and the center of gravity for the camera inside the boat. (Just doing so took more concentration than I expected.)
John - it was a blast.
Catherine - Glad you like it. This was much more luck than skill. He happened to poke his head up close enough for me to frame him and click the shutter before he dove back down. I'd be up for another chance to work on getting more consistent with this sort of thing though.
Tom - Could be. Other than the occasional sea lion taking a deep breath, I don't remember anything stinking. I can imagine that the time of year and the tide could make a big difference. If you were near humpbacks spouting, that could've caused a distinct aroma. The ship anchored at Inian Cove (north side of the larger of the Inian Islands) and I'm pretty sure the zodiac headed north and west from there. Here's a link to a areial photo and topo map.
Discussion
6 replies(Sorry about the title... I was just amused at Simon's creative side try to satisfy his need to see some wildlife on the forum.)
This is a Stellar's Sea Lion swimming just south of Glacier Bay NP in Alaska (roughly where Icy Strait meets the Pacific). It was taken handholding a D2x, a 200-400, with a 1.4x TC from an zodiac bucking on the tidal current while a huge colony of these guys were popping their heads up (and then right back down) as they chased salmon and otherwise played in the current. I can't believe I got anything halfway sharp. (Ok, I can't believe I was able to keep the camera on board the boat.) It was simultaneously amazingly frustrating and amazingly fun.
D2x, 200-400 + 1.4TC, 450mm, 1/400s, F/5.6, ISO 100.
Sean
So there you are in a rubber boat with a five thousand dollar camera and a five thousand dollar lens leaning over the side taking photos of seal, eh?
Tom
John - it was a blast.
Catherine - Glad you like it. This was much more luck than skill. He happened to poke his head up close enough for me to frame him and click the shutter before he dove back down. I'd be up for another chance to work on getting more consistent with this sort of thing though.
Tom - Could be. Other than the occasional sea lion taking a deep breath, I don't remember anything stinking. I can imagine that the time of year and the tide could make a big difference. If you were near humpbacks spouting, that could've caused a distinct aroma. The ship anchored at Inian Cove (north side of the larger of the Inian Islands) and I'm pretty sure the zodiac headed north and west from there. Here's a link to a areial photo and topo map.
Thanks all for looking.