five quick tips for improving your whale and dolphin photography
Wildlife photography is a fun challenge for any nature-lover, but whales and dolphins elevate that challenge to a whole new level! Not only are they spending the majority of their lives beneath the surface, but they can also surprise photographers with sudden, fast behaviors that are difficult to capture on camera. There’s no magic cheat code to suddenly producing perfect images - but I do have a few tips to help get you started.
Good settings are a good start.
I recommend that people use Shutter Priority (commonly labelled as “Tv”, also “sports mode”) when photographing whales and dolphins. A shutter speed between 1/1600 and 1/3200 of a second will allow you to capture sharp, detailed images. The benefit of using shutter priority is that it takes pressure off the photographer to continually modify their settings. On a moving boat following wild animals, lighting conditions are constantly shifting and fussing over your settings will distract you from the encounter.
The best way to hold your camera.
Wildlife photographers spend a significant amount of time with their eyes in their viewfinders lining up a good composition in preparation to take a photo. However, spending a lot of time with your eye fixed to the viewfinder is a bad strategy for photographing whales and dolphins. Because cetaceans spend a lot of time underwater, you will not have constant visibility of your subject. When you look through a viewfinder, your field of view is limited to that of what your zoom lens is seeing. As a result, an animal can pop up just out of frame and you’d not be aware. While waiting for animals to surface, I recommend that you rest your camera on your cheek, with the viewfinder located just below your eye; by doing so, you maintain your full field of view while also being ready to quickly take a photo. This strategy is especially helpful following a longer dive made by a whale or while scanning a pod of dolphins to search for photo opportunities.
“Sea legs” and safely photographing from a boat.
Taking photos of dolphins and whales is not made any easier by the fact that boats are naturally unstable platforms for photography. First and foremost, it’s extremely important that safety be prioritized over photography at all times - jeopardizing yourself or others is unacceptable.
The front of a boat, called the “bow”, is the bumpiest area while the back of a boat, called the “stern”, is generally the calmest and most stable. Chances are very high that you’ll be moving around throughout the trip as the boat continually repositions while watching wildlife. Listen carefully for the captain or crew to announce their intentions about where to look. Generally, boats use a clock-system and refer to locations as “times” as they relate to the bow - considered 12 o’ clock. For example, you would want to look directly off the left side of the boat for a whale at 9 o’ clock and a whale at 2 o’ clock would be ahead of the boat’s position, slightly to the right.
Now that you’re ready to start taking photos, it’s best to brace against some part of the boat to stabilize yourself while your hands are occupied with your camera. On larger boats, this can be done by leaning forward against a handrail or by leaning your back against the “house” of the boat. On smaller boats, you can brace against your seat or sit on the deck directly. Each boat has different rules so it’s best to always divert to what the captain or crew has indicated as acceptable. If you try to take photos without bracing against anything, you will almost assuredly lose your balance. A wide stance with bent knees is always a good way to keep your balance, but three points of contact is the safest and most secure option.
Get ready for the second jump.
Moments ago you were completely caught off guard by a sudden breach from a humpback whale. While you might have missed the shot, you should get ready for a possible follow-up breach. It’s common for both dolphins and whales to jump multiple times in a row - though it doesn’t happen every time. In the first minute, it’s good to keep your camera oriented in the direction of the first breach - perhaps even a bit “ahead” of the splash in the direction the whale breached towards. As more time passes, predicting where the next breach could occur becomes increasingly difficult. Taking photographs of leaping dolphins and whales is incredibly similar to a game of duck hunt: your biggest advantage is a wide field of view and a fast reaction to the action itself. Referring back to previous advice, resting your viewfinder jut below your eye is the best way to prepare for a potential breach.
Make the most of every trip.
Not every whale watching trip is going to provide great photography opportunities. These are wild animals after all and should not be expected to perform. It’s easy to feel discouraged or apathetic on slower trips, but do your best to make lemonade out of lemons!
On trips with less action, take time to carefully observe animal behavior. Watching whales can be just as rewarding as photographing them when you take the time to really absorb what you’re seeing and what it means behaviorally. While most people quickly learn that a tail fluke or arch of the back means a whale is diving, fewer will notice that whales take a deeper breath before diving too: indicated by an exaggerated flaring of their nostrils compared to previous breaths. Dedicating focus and effort to understanding whale and dolphin behavior not only enriches your appreciation for the animals, but it will undoubtedly make you better at photographing them too. The ability to anticipate and prepare for photo opportunities is what separates great whale and dolphin photographers from the rest of the crowd.
If whales and dolphins are sparse on your trip, look for other species to photograph. Seabirds are challenging subjects that offer great practice for improving your ability to capture photos of a moving animal from a boat. In California, it’s also common to encounter sea lions on rocks and buoys near coastal areas. While basking in the sun, sea lions are easy subjects that allow you to experiment with different compositions and focal lengths.
In conclusion…
Remember, it takes a lot of time and practice to hone your skills as a whale and dolphin photographer. Capturing photos of these incredible animals is challenging. It’s important to never set expectations too high - not only regarding the animals, but for yourself too. While my gallery and Instagram are filled with my best captures, they are a highlight reel of my successes and don’t show the full picture: hundreds of thousands of photos that are forgotten or deleted. It may take many attempts before you even get the opportunity to photograph an exciting behavior or a rare species - so enjoy what you do see and make the most of every trip. Whale watching is meant to be fun after all, so make that your top priority!
As you practice, you’ll probably end up with a few photos like the one below. Instead of feeling bad over the missed opportunity, have a little fun and join a Facebook group called “Whaley Bad Photos”. Whale and dolphin photographers from around the world upload their “best fails” to this group to laugh in the company of others who know exactly how they feel! It’s saved me a lot of grief over the years and nowadays, I almost look forward to my next opportunity to post there
