Any Tips for Photographing Whales?

[CabinForFour]

We'll be going whale watching with Captain Larry in May, and I'm so excited about seeing these incredible creatures. I've been researching tips online for photographing whales, but I was also hoping from tips from those of you who have done it. I have a Canon S2 (which I love) and have experience adjusting the manual settings to adjust the shutter speed, exposure, etc. But any practical advice, do's and don'ts, most effective shutter speeds, exposure controls with the water, etc. would be greatly appreciated!

 

BTW, I *do* know that I should expect only blows and tails, so no need to warn me that I'm not likely to get one of those great cruise-brochure photos of a whale breeching. However, I'd be THRILLED, just to get a glimpse/photo of a tail! :)

[SEPyle]

OK, here's my suggestion. Even if you don't see a whale and people are saying they see one. Point your camara in that direction and shoot anyway...we were surprised when we got home and found we had more pics than we thought we had. Oh yes, we also had pics of water/no whales too!

 

How do you like that for a non-technical answer????

[saltysam]

In order to get the whales to smile, say krill instead of cheese. :)

 

 

Another non-technical answer.

[mwoodrowe]

LOL....i had a camera that you could set to take continuous shots and that worked well for me. i am going to have to get started researching photo tips for alaska too. look for articles about shooting snow.

[frchteaze]

Continuous shots is the right idea. Last summer I went on a 4 hour (or about, I forget exactly how long we were out there) whale watching trip just north of Seattle. I snapped pictures like a photographer on crack and ended up with about 6 great shots out of 3 rolls of film (no breeching on this trip though). Also keep an eye out for other marine life. Some of the people on our trip got so caught up on the whales, they missed some of the gorgeous birds and the sea lions.

 

Just take as many pictures as you can, and hope for the best. A really nice zoom lens wouldn't hurt either. :D

[Suntan Sailer]

One suggestion would be to look at buying a polarizing filter for your camera.

 

Do some research to see if this sounds interesting to you, but a polarizer is very effective at cutting the harsh glare reflecting off of water, It also gives you those deep blue skys in pictures.

 

I do not know if the S2 needs a circular polarizer or if a linear one will work, but you can get an adapter like this that will accept 52mm filtes.

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=410637&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

 

-Suntan

[SNOWEY]

You might want to bring a video camera (and several batteries). We got one of those great breaching phots by taking a video, then making a photo from it.

 

Claudia

[ltdedorc]

Here's a link:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=16755913

 

to a posting I started seeking tips and contibuted to by posting some commentary results / pics I took in February 2006. If you look at the sequence of five pics from P1040684 thru P1040688 and the times shown, all the action took place in about a second to a second plus, not enuff time for me anyway to zoom in for a close up & focus.

 

I hope your camera has a burst mode and will allow you to cover a fair amount of water at a reasonable level of zoom. Altho i had a linear polarizer and had adusted it initially, the boat is contantly changing course and the spottings were at different locations of the boat so I can't tell for sure when the polarizer worked.

 

Hope this helps and good luck in capturing some pics...Harvey

 

A Humpback & calf surfacing nr Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

 

[joeandmaria]

Here is our pic from a recent cruise to Cabo in March. It was a whale watching tour on a zodiac boat. You can really get the perspective of the humback next to the fishing boat. One suggestion is be careful of digital cameras that are slow to actually focus and snap the picture. I wish I had my digital SLR that shoots 3 fps, but I worried about it getting wet.

[ERVAJV]

A polarizing filter is good advice, keep zoomed out, when you see something press the shutter, hold down and get 3 or more frames fast. I have a lot of good shots from Hawaii, including a breach from start to finish. Luck is the best thing you can have.

[CabinForFour]

Thanks, everyone! I've enjoyed your comments and photos. I took some practice photos of raindrops outside our windows today to play with the camera settings. :) The focus and continuous shooting features on the S2 are really good, so hopefully that will help with this little adventure. Would still love to hear from anyone else who might have other tips to add...

[Jenifire]

have at least one back up battery, charged and ready. (take it with you)

 

have plenty of storage. buy 2x as much as you think you'll need. (and

keep spare cards handy)

 

shoot highest quality possible.

 

if your camera auto turns off or sleeps to save battery...turn that

feature off. you never know when you're going to get a once in a

lifetime oppurtunity.

 

if you're going with a paid guide or captain who knows his stuff

he'll have his own camera. watch where he's planning to take his shot.

 

plan on fast shooting modes, set your camera so it can take several

shots in a series and if you can set the iso rating to a higher speed

(say 400) do it

[Budget Queen]

I also have a Canon S2, very good camera with no delay. :) BUT also consider just enjoying the views with a good pair of wide angle binoculars. I see, too often, people so focused on photographing that they miss plenty of great whale views since the field of view is so small through a camera. :)

[wolfnature]

The best answer to this really depends on what camera you have. Ideally you would want something that can zoom in and out quickly and with continuous shots. The Canon S2 is a good camera that should allow you the opportunity to get some pictures. The biggest thing to remember is to try and stay calm. A number of people get excited at seeing something and just swing the camera up and start shooting. Make sure your camera is ready to go and just keep an eye out. When a whale does appear there will be plenty of commotion and pointing so you will know where to aim your camera. Just remember to stay relaxed when you take the pictures.

[KFH]

I had an S1 last year on my trip. I had it zoomed out as much as posibble. You can tell when the whales are about to dive because the backs start to curl. I took pictures on burst mode and got pictures all through the dive. I also had it on the best picture quality setting. I got less pictures on my card, but I could zoom more once I loaded on my lap top.

[peachquilter]

Are you able to give me Captain Larry's web site and/or phone number?

 

Marilyn

[Budget Queen]

http://www.orcaenterprises.com