Marty’s photo of the day #5167: The salmon were running in a river near one of Deb’s and my campsites on Vancouver Island. Most of the time I carried two cameras: my Canon R7 with a telephoto lens for distant shots, and my all-in-one Olympus Tough TG-7 for wide-angle and macro shots. I hadn’t planned any underwater photography, but my Olympus also doubles as my underwater camera.
Seeing the salmon, I decided to attempt some underwater shots. The weather outside was in the low 60s, and the river was incredibly cold. I waded in barefoot and promised myself that I wouldn’t wimp out no matter how numb my feet got. The rocks were slippery and sharp, adding to my discomfort. Also, the sun reflecting off the water’s surface made spotting the fish difficult. But hey, the harder the shot the more satisfying it becomes.
As if that wasn’t enough, the salmon judged me as being a white-skinned bear. When their instinct to swim upstream overruled their fear, they rocketed past me faster than my camera could focus. In all, it gave me a whole new respect for the local bears, which had to catch the speedy salmon. This photo was as good as I could do in the forty-five minutes I spent in the river.
Later I will post a much sharper salmon shot, looking down at a large school with my Canon R7.