The Original Water Bed!

Gallery: WildlifePosted November 18, 2013240 views12 comments

The ORIGINAL Water Bed!

A "not-a-bear" from my recent trip into the Great Bear Rainforest of BC. In this case, it's the harbor seal variety of "not-a-bear"!

When I saw this harbor seal chilling out in an estuary in the Great Bear Rainforest my very first thought was "...so that's where the idea of a water bed came from!" While it appears like this seal is somehow floating on water (with an almost unbelievable amount of its body above water), it's actually being supported by a submerged log that just got covered by the rising tide. Objects for seals to rest on aren't always in ready supply, and once a seal finds one, they are often very reluctant to give them up - just like this guy is showing here...

Subject: Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) just chilling on the water...
Location: Great Bear Rainforest, BC, Canada
Camera: Nikon D4
Lens: Nikkor 400mm f2.8 VR - hand-held from floating Zodiac. VR on and in "Normal" mode.
Exposure: 1/400s @ f3.5; ISO 250. -1.0 stop compensation compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.
Crop: Moderate- this is about 80% of full frame

As usual, more contextual info about this image - including processing details - available on my website, right here:

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

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

Cheers...

Brad

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by Mike Ramy on November 18, 2013 at 3:13 PM

Hey Brad,
Great title on this one and, as usual, all the techs and composition aspects of this image couldn't be better.
I really like the feel of this portrait and how it moves the viewer to appreciate the natural beauty and playfulness of the Harbor Seal.

Registered on June 16, 2012, 567 Posts, 2809 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on November 18, 2013 at 4:46 PM

I am very appreciative of the detail on the seal, especially eyes, face and flippers!

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

Comment posted by Max Waugh on November 18, 2013 at 5:07 PM

Love this, Brad. I find them to be very difficult subjects to approach. Coincidentally (or perhaps not!), on my recent trip up there the seals were much more tolerant at the end of the day after they settled in on the submerged sandbar in one of the inlets.

Max

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

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on November 18, 2013 at 7:16 PM

A truly excellent image - I really like the low angle and balance of colors. I have a similar shot of a "banana" seal on a rock which is submerged in the water to give the appearance of the animal floating along the surface. Well executed

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

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on November 19, 2013 at 12:36 AM

Brad,

Great image with a "funny" pose, great to be different

Registered on December 15, 2010, 1537 Posts, 4877 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on November 19, 2013 at 8:08 AM

Cool

Make ya smile!
Like the 'original title as well

Nice

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by David Bogener on November 19, 2013 at 6:57 PM

The low angle, soft lighting and direct eye contact make this image for me. I shoot harbor seals from time to time and have never produced an image that I like as well as this one. Dave

Registered on October 30, 2013, 417 Posts, 1255 Comments

Comment posted by Randy Runtsch on November 19, 2013 at 8:29 PM

Brad, this is a really nice image of a playful-looking seal. There is not much to be add to the comments of others, except that the light spots in the background and on the water add a nice touch. Well done.

Registered on October 30, 2013, 50 Posts, 445 Comments

Comment posted by Stephen Kaluski on November 20, 2013 at 2:14 AM

Hi Brad, the muddy,murky water makes for an excellent colour/backdrop to separate the subject. Like the side profile (almost banana-esque) & eye contact with the viewer. How do you feel about the highlight on the tip of the tail?

TFS
Steve

Registered on March 25, 2007, 189 Posts, 1064 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on November 20, 2013 at 8:44 AM

Hey all,

Thanks for the feedback on this one - much appreciated!

Steve: You ask: "How do you feel about the highlight on the tip of the tail?"

My honest answer? Fine. I saw it during image processing, but more-or-less forgot about it after that. I doubt many would view it as a distraction or something that grabs one's eye - it's pretty faint. Sure, in a perfect world it would be nice if it wasn't there, but I think removing it could be described as "excessive and unnecessary sanitization of nature" - and I wouldn't do it. I'm guessing that the only time it would be noticed is in a critiquing gallery (and not by the general public) - but that's the idea of posting images here and definitely makes it fair game to comment on!

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Stephen Kaluski on November 20, 2013 at 9:18 AM

Cheers Brad, certainly not a deal breaker, just interested in your POV, thanks.

Steve

Registered on March 25, 2007, 189 Posts, 1064 Comments

Comment posted by Jack Bell on November 21, 2013 at 10:01 PM

Nice shot. Very sharp. Nice detail.

Registered on April 24, 2007, 55 Posts, 71 Comments