This webpage is written
in a
personal style, although it is
part of the Baja Jones Website.
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The photo above was taken on an overcast and cool morning. The whale is backlit by the sun that is just beginning to burn through the morning mist. I used a Nikon D70 with a 35 to 200mm zoom lens. As with most of my whale photos this was handheld. Breaching whales require quick attention to detail because we cannot see them beneath the water before they come soaring out into the open air. With luck they have already jumped once or twice and I can then guestimate when the breach will occur.. . . .
These are two of my favorite Gray Whale breaching photos. They may not be the very best images I have of a whale jumping, but they each bring me some special memories.
If you look closely at the full size version of the photo on the right, you will see that his eye is clearly visible in the upper left corner. More impressive to me is the fact that his eye is WIDE OPEN. Whales find air uncomfortable and they usually close their eyelids as soon as their eye leaves the water. But this guy, who breached within 10 yards of our boat, knew exactly where we were and was out to impress us. This was the fifth and final jump in a series of breaches that brought him 1,000 meters or more from the far side of the lagoon. Notice his pectoral fins, tucked tightly against his body to reduce resistance. You can see the droplets of water streaming from him.
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By 2004 I had grown jaded and bored with taking the same whale photos that I had taken every season for 10 migrations. I was not bored with learning about whales! I decided to challenge my creativity and ability as a photographer. I began to carry only a 200 mm fixed focal length telephoto macro lens when I went out on the boat to guide my tour groups each day. This photo is one of several that illustrates what I was hoping to achieve by doing something so limiting.
Everyone wonders why whales jump. The most obvious answer is probably not the correct answer. Many people think that whales jump to dislodge parasites such as barnacles and lice. Watch thousands of whale breaches as I have and you soon see that the whale almost never crashes the biggest clumps of barnacles against the surface of the water. Even when barnacles are on the bottom at impact, the barnacles don't fall off.
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Here are a few tips for photographers who want to take a great whale breaching photo.
Set your camera to the fastest shutter speed for the light conditions. Probably 250 or 500.
Whether or not you are using autofocus you should pre-focus at the location you think the whale will breach.
Bring your camera to the ready position and hold it there ready to snap the photo. Don't look through your viewfinder while waiting for the breach, because frequently the whale bursts out of the water in an unexpected location that might be beyond the range of your camera's viewfinder.
Practice holding the camera level, even though the boat is rocking. A level horizon or shore line in the background helps to make your breaching whale photo a success. Horizons slanting on a 30 degree angle detract from the photo.
Click here to view the article that is intended to accompany this web page. Information about why and how Gray Whales breach.
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keith@greywhale.com or rowman1998@yahoo.com