Emergence

Gallery: WildlifePosted February 16, 2011700 views19 comments

The highlight of my 2009 trip to the Great Bear Rainforest surprisingly was not the bears. It was a chance encounter with a couple of breaching humpbacks in the midst of a late afternoon drizzle. We first saw the splashes from a distance, and the playful behemoths continued long enough for us to get closer. Truly a powerful experience (and tough to photograph!).

Canon 40D
Canon 500mm f/4 IS
ISO 800
1/400th
f/4

Max

Comments

19 comments

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on February 16, 2011 at 2:28 AM

A spectacular frame, very well captured !
I do want to see the larger size.
Jagdeep Rajput

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

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on February 16, 2011 at 11:38 AM

An amazing experience for sure - I've never been close to a wild whale like this... the whites are a little hot on the right side but that's not too big a detraction.

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

Comment posted by Fabio Giarrizzo on February 16, 2011 at 2:37 PM

Excellent capture- perfect exposure and details- I really hope to see it one day,Fabio

Registered on December 3, 2010, 90 Posts, 1614 Comments

Comment posted by Walt Sterneman on February 16, 2011 at 2:48 PM

That is a nice capture Max. I was in AK in June and went on a whale watching tour to try to get something like this. Saw the whales, but no luck with this. I am not good enough with a long lens to find the bugger in the view finder in time! Great job!

Registered on March 24, 2010, 73 Posts, 1268 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Imprevento on February 16, 2011 at 3:37 PM

Amazing capture Max...I would have been too caught up in the moment to get anything else in the frame except my finger, some spray and part of a tree. The water dancing off of him is great...Any chance of posting a larger image? How many shots were you able to get?

Registered on September 11, 2010, 29 Posts, 78 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on February 16, 2011 at 3:43 PM

What a sight that must of been, great job in getting these difficult shots.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on February 16, 2011 at 3:58 PM

Thanks, guys. I think what I like about this one is how the mist off the backside balances things out with the splash off the belly.

Jerry, I typically don't post large sizes here, mainly due to "security" concerns. Just my personal preference... sorry. In reality, the larger image would probably appear grainier, partly due to the higher ISO on the 40D, but also due to the fine rain that was coming down.

It was a difficult sequence to photograph. As Brad has mentioned in the past, trying to guess where these giants will surface is one of the tougher things about shooting them. I came away with maybe two shots at the height of a breach (the other I've posted in the past and can be viewed here: http://www.maxwaugh.com/greatbear09/whale10.php).

I'd certainly love to get a chance at this again, preferably in brighter conditions so I could freeze the action a little better!

Max

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

Comment posted by Daniel & Loana on February 16, 2011 at 4:54 PM

Wonderful shot!

Congrats

D&L

Registered on October 7, 2008, 166 Posts, 3044 Comments

Comment posted by Lorna Taylor on February 16, 2011 at 5:41 PM

What a great shot Max, wonderful timing!

Registered on November 12, 2010, 254 Posts, 3083 Comments

Comment posted by Vincent Grafhorst on February 16, 2011 at 11:15 PM

Awesome action shot Max! I totally agree with you that the mist on the left plays a strong role in the composition of this image. I do find it a bit tight overall, is this a FF image? I think a vertical framing would work well here too including more room on top (but without losing any on the sides). Shooting this in vertical format would, however, increase the challenge of photographing these whales even more probably. The whites do look a bit hot and could be toned down just a tad IMO.

Registered on February 24, 2006, 504 Posts, 7203 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on February 17, 2011 at 2:11 AM

Whoa

Awesome photo Max!!!

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on February 17, 2011 at 4:30 PM

Congrats on this one, Max!

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

Comment posted by mark cillo on February 21, 2011 at 9:36 AM

What an amazing experience! I would love to see a larger version of this one! Awesome shot!

Registered on July 27, 2008, 143 Posts, 1483 Comments

Comment posted by Lorna Taylor on February 23, 2011 at 3:01 PM

Congratulations Max on you WP ,and I'll say again wonderful timing!

Registered on November 12, 2010, 254 Posts, 3083 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on February 23, 2011 at 3:41 PM

The hot whites on the right might be brought down a bit, but stunning shot!
Congrats on the EP!
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on February 24, 2011 at 12:44 AM

Whoa! Max! A photo of a lifetime. Congratulations on that as well as the WP!

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on February 24, 2011 at 9:22 PM

Congratulations on the WP for this stunning photo. Having been on a couple of whale watches with my camera, I know how delicate the timing is.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Andrei Malashenko on March 19, 2011 at 1:41 PM

What a fantastic photo! I have never had the opportunity to photograph humpbacks but I imagine the timing is very difficult. Not only did you nail the timing, but the quality of the photo is also great . Congratulations! Best Regards, Andrei

Registered on March 18, 2011, 13 Posts, 68 Comments

Comment posted by Marlise Launstein on September 3, 2011 at 4:46 PM

WOW!!!

! This is an amazing picture! The water falling from him looks so cool. It's very sharp, too.

Registered on August 31, 2011, 28 Posts, 175 Comments