Marty’s photo of the day #5168: Of all the many highlights of Deb’s and my Vancouver Island visit, the moments around the time I shot this photo were my favorite. We had pitched our tent at a remote campsite on the Johnstone Strait, and, like the two previous mornings, I got up before sunrise hoping to photograph whales. On this final morning, I could hear orca whales breathing on the opposite side of the strait but couldn’t spot them. A half-hour later, the whales swam into view. They were heading for my side of the strait!
I was kneeling at the edge of a spit of rocky beach that the incoming tide was about to submerge. While orcas grabbing seals off Vancouver Island’s shores are extremely rare, when an orca headed directly toward me, I instinctively moved several steps back. That also helped my aim, as I was using an 800mm telephoto lens (which unlike a zoom lens, has a fixed focal length), and the whales were often too close to get into frame.
Because of the orca’s closeness, their brief time on the surface, and my telephoto lens, none of my really close shots turned out. Those views will remain in my head as wonderful memories. Today’s photo is one of my favorites, taken after I moved back from the edge of the water.