The Chase

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Nature Photography Image Critique : One Thread

This female orca was in pursuit of a dall porpoise (which is the splash right in front of her). She caught it a few moments later, but alas, I didn't catch that on film. Frederick Sound, SE Alaska.

-- Steve Kaufman (skphoto@xyz.net), February 05, 1999

Answers

This image is stunning. From the mountainous backround to the diffused black and white reflections off of the water. Great capturing! This photo caught the action when it was at its best! Nice blue tones. What film/equipment did you use? Is the whale completely sharp?

-- Ted Grudin (tgrudin@hotmail.com), February 05, 1999.

Incredible shot. Poster quality.

-- John Sullivan (sullivan@spies.com), February 05, 1999.

Steve,

It is nice to see you posting a few here for us to enjoy. I have admired your work for years. I agree with others on this shot. Timing and exposure were perfect, but for my tastes it is a little to centered. I know that this is in a sound and that the horizon doesn't have to be level, but my eye caught it anyway. As I said on another of your posts, your copyright is also a distraction. Could you make it less so? BTW I'm nitpicking here. This is a critique site. This is a great shot.....

Cheers

-- Bill Wyman (Bill.Wyman@utas.edu.au), February 05, 1999.


Thanks for the kind comments! Equipment used: N90S, 80-200, shot on AF (hence the center positioning, Bill...) exposure determined with an incident meter. Photographed from a moving boat, with 5 photographers (all friends) jammed into the bow, all trying desperately to get the shots but not interfere with each other. This image is slightly cropped from the original (because the horizon was worse, Bill, but I got tired trying to make it perfect in Photoshop). The whale is sharp on the original. As I mentioned when I posted this, a few moments later she caught the porpoise. She jumped from the water (like this shot) with the porpoise cross-wise in her mouth. None of the five of us got the shot, but it's forever etched in my mind. Those special moments are why I do wildlife photography!

-- Steve Kaufman (skphoto@xyz.net), February 05, 1999.

You captured a great image and had fun doing it! Do you make a living at this? If so, do you enjoy photography as much as when you were an amateur?

-- Larry Korhnak (lvk@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu), February 05, 1999.


Great shot! Incredible timing. Nice blue tones in the water, the background ridges and the sky.

-- Garry Schaefer (schaefer@pangea.ca), February 05, 1999.

Larry: yes, I make a living shooting stock photos of natural history. I'm always puzzled a bit when someone asks if I enjoy photography as a pro.....I wouldn't do it if I didn't love it. I'd have to say that I enjoy photography more now than when I was first starting to learn how to use a camera. For me, a camera and a selection of lenses is an extension of my vision and my mind. The mechanical part of shooting a photo is virtually automatic for me now; I don't have to spend much time thinking about composition, metering, or lens selection, so I have more time to spend studying my subjects, and attempting to record what I see on film. I value the time I spend with animals in the wild. I'm fortunate to be able to make a living doing what I most enjoy. And, when the film comes back, I like sharing my experiences with others, either through a slide show, publication, or a bulletin board like this. Thanks again for the kind comments!

-- Steve Kaufman (skphoto@xyz.net), February 06, 1999.

I think you really captured the feel of the speed at which the chase is happening. The orca rocketing out of the water.

-- Micheal F. Kelly (Kellys@alaska.net), February 07, 1999.

Beautiful shot, must have been a wonderful experience. What I don't understand, is if you did not see that copyright on the water when you shot the picture, why would you want it THERE? Why not below, or in the corner. It truly takes away from an otherwise incredible image.

-- Rob Pailes (rpailes@peganet.com), February 09, 1999.

Okay, I usually ignore people who critize me for afixing a copyright symbol to my photos, but both Rob and Larry addressed it this time, so I'll answer. Call me paranoid, but I do worry about people using my photos without my permission. Photography is my business, and my only source of income. Copyright infringement does occur. In the past 5 years, my agents have filed suit on my behalf for serious violations from commercial enterprises who should know better, 3 separate times (we've received payment for two of them, the third is still in litigation).

I like to share my photos with folks, so I choose to put a copyright symbol on any photos I put on the web. Yes, you can remove it fairly easily in Photoshop. You can also defeat Digimarc watermarking quite easily, so I no longer pay to use that service. Simply put, it is my statement that the photographic image belongs to me, and if someone wants to use it, I hope they will be honest enough to contact me for permission.

-- Steve Kaufman (skphoto@xyz.net), February 09, 1999.



Superb shot; what can I say? And I can certainly understand why Steve wants to put a copyright symbol in the image. It doesn't bother me at all.

Thanks again for sharing these excellent images with us.

-- Shun Cheung (shun@worldnet.att.net), February 09, 1999.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ