August 14, 2013
“Look sharp, all of ye! There are whales here-abouts!
If ye see a white one, split your lungs for him!”
Herman Melville (1819 – 1891)
Record Humpback whale numbers are being spotted along the coast of Eastern Australia. These beautiful giants of the deep, almost hunted to extinction, are naturally curious about objects in their environment and love their contact time.
It’s prime whale watching season over the next couple of months especially with more sunny Queensland weather predicated, and isn’t that nice? Being the curious animals that they are if you are heading out on a whale watching trip and the boat cuts the engines don’t be shy start waving your arms around, clapping, yelling out -yes people will look at you. However it works, and the more you can get doing it with you, the more likely the whales will come closer to have a look at you; as you see, they think you look funny too.
We’ll be heading back up into Platypus Bay over the next couple of months as its one of our favourite bays. Mothers come in with their calves to rest in the calm waters and the bulls follow as the next generation is seeded.
A couple of quick tips for those with a camera:
Use a polariser filter if you can
Use auto focus and make sure the focus point has an area of contrast to lock in focus.
If overcast, get up high and try and not include a grey washed out sky unless it’s a great storm cloud you can use a dramatic backdrop
Don’t forget to enjoy the moment!
The top bucket list of images to take home are:
Breaching – there are 2 types
Tail Slapping
Magical Waterfall from Flukes
Pectoral Fin slapping Lesson for Juvenile
And of course a blow
We’ll bring you more whale updates, tips and trivia as these amazing mammals make their way back south to the cold waters of Antarctica.
Whale Watching Sessions Coming Up
Gold Coast Day Cruises
20th August – Wait List
28th August – Places available
For more info visit: Photograhing-humpback-whales
Bluedog Photography – Kingfisher Bay Resort Fraser Island Retreat
12-15th September 2014
This retreat includes a half day whale watching tour into Platypus Bay.
For more information Fraser Island Photography Retreat