How to photograph orcas and other marine mammals*

People think that photographing orcas is easy. It is not. It takes a lot of patience and a lot of practice. But the joy you have when you get that shot is unsurpassed! 

The first time I went whale watching in 2002, I was on vacation in Washington. I had a Canon Z135 point and shoot film camera which boasted a “3.6x 38-135mm power zoom lens”.  I took a lot of photos on the whale watch boat that day and thought I’d have great orca shots once they were developed. Oh, was I disappointed.

The following year I moved to Washington and embarked on my own goal of learning to take orca photographs. I had since upgraded my camera to a Nikon film camera, and while the results were better than with the small Canon, they were still not what I was looking for.

Digital is a whale photographer's best friend!

Enter the digital age! I bought a Nikon D50 and went out a few times with it and did much better! I had the 70-300mm ED lens, and I was much happier with the results I was getting.  

When I am out on a whale watch boat, I am often asked for tips on how to photograph our orcas.  

Here are a few:

1. You need a camera with a long telephoto lens.
    
2. Watch the orcas for activities – when they breach, they tend to do it 2 or 3 times. So if you see a breach, aim your camera in that general direction and you will be sure to capture the next one.
    
3. Watch an orca and count from the second it goes under to when it surfaces. If you learn to count the length of their breaths, you will be much more successful at photographing them. 
    
4. If you have a camera that you can set to continuous shoot, watch the surface of the water carefully. As soon as the orca breaks the surface of the water hit the shutter button and let it go. You will undoubtedly end up with a few photos you may or may not want to keep, but you will get that one that you want. And since shooting digital is not like shooting film, you don’t have to worry about the cost.

A final word of advice – practice, practice, practice!  Keep shooting and you will get that shot you want! Trust me!

*This software does not allow high res photos. For examples of photos that demonstrate different cameras and their results, please visit here.

© 2009 Carole May Photo - Whales And Sails, Etc.

 
Once you have your photographs, try to ID them: How are Orcas identified? Who is Who?