I'm a Coming!

Gallery: WildlifePosted November 21, 2013395 views12 comments

I'm a Coming!

One more "not-a-bear" image from my recent Great Bear Rainforest photo tour. This time the "not-a-bear" is a pair of killer whales...

This image captures a young Orca (or Killer Whale) calf as it swims alongside - and slightly behind - its mother. We watched this pair of Orcas, along with 3 others that were accompanying them, for a good half hour while they were continuously moving down a long channel. Although the small pod was moving very rapidly and although junior always seemed to be a little behind his mom and seemed to be struggling to keep up, it never really fell far behind.

What's with the orange patches on the calf? When Orcas are very young their cheek and lower jaw/throat patches are yellow-orange, rather than the bold and contrasting white patches found on adults. This little tyke is also "wearing" a bit of history - just below its dorsal fin one can clearly see white scratches which look suspiciously like the teeth marks from another Orca. It makes one wish the little guy could talk (or "talk in a language we can understand") and tell us its version of how it got the scratch marks!

Subject: Ma and calf Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) surfacing in calm waters
Location: Inlet in Great Bear Rainforest, BC, Canada
Camera: Nikon D4
Lens: Nikkor 400mm f2.8 VR lens - handheld from sailboat. VR on and in "Normal" mode.
Exposure: 1/1000s at f5. ISO 360. -1.0 stop compensation from matrix metered exposure.
Crop: This is about 90% of full frame horizontally, with a little more cropped off the top.

As almost always, more info about this shot on my website...

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

Comments and feedback greatly appreciated...probably better to view larger version prior to doing so...

Cheers...

Brad

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on November 21, 2013 at 12:53 PM

This one is really special Brad. I love the fact that you can see the baby's face. The spray adds to the image also. Great capture.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Morkel Erasmus on November 21, 2013 at 4:59 PM

I like the dark feel of these, almost low key because of the light, dark water and dark skins of the orcas. I never knew youngsters had orange on their faces!

Registered on March 22, 2011, 385 Posts, 2068 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on November 21, 2013 at 7:35 PM

Incredible image - I love the copper color on the youngster and the diminutive fin it has... the colors and rich darkness of the image give a real feel for the cool northwest

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

Comment posted by Jack Bell on November 21, 2013 at 9:00 PM

Excellent image. The colors of the young Orca standout against the dark background.

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

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on November 22, 2013 at 7:19 AM

Terrific frame! Love the dark feel of the frame and the spray adds to the image !
But the real icing on the cake is young one, which steals the show!
Jagdeep Rajput

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

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on November 22, 2013 at 10:49 AM

I love the view of this young orca and was immediately intrigued by the orange coloration. Thanks for the explanation!
I find not nits, other than I am puzzled by the vertical line on the right side of the image where water reflectivity almost disappears.

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

Comment posted by Brad Hill on November 22, 2013 at 11:55 AM

Hey all,

Thanks for the feedback on this one - much appreciated.

Lon: You say "I am puzzled by the vertical line on the right side of the image where water reflectivity almost disappears."

It's totally natural - the abruptness of the line is caused by the steepness and clearly defined end of the standing wave of whitewater in front of the female - the general darkness on the right side of that line is the natural darkness of the water (the water to the LEFT of this line is slightly lighter due to diffuse reflections of the water sprayed up by the orcas - there's NO spray to the right of them). Hope that makes sense...

Cheers...

Brad

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

Comment posted by Mario Moreno on November 22, 2013 at 2:38 PM

This is one fine image Brad. Do like the Low Key feel

Registered on January 24, 2012, 163 Posts, 369 Comments

Comment posted by Basri Akcasoy on November 22, 2013 at 3:58 PM

Wow, wow, wow.

Registered on February 16, 2012, 118 Posts, 767 Comments

Comment posted by William Bickle on November 23, 2013 at 8:55 AM

hello brad

gotta love those sweet kids!! always stealing the show!

a sweet image !!

Bill

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Watkins on November 23, 2013 at 9:56 AM

Brad,
TOO GOOD FOR WORDS

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

Comment posted by Matthew Studebaker on February 10, 2014 at 10:05 PM

wonderful image.

Registered on December 21, 2013, 11 Posts, 82 Comments