Nature clicks #186 - Minke Whale

 

One of the most emotional moments during our travels along the coast of Maine was my first encounter of a whale. Joan, Cooper, and I went on a whale watching tour (yes, the dog wanted to go too...;-) ). We were more than twenty miles out in the Atlantic Ocean when we saw the first Minke Whale. We saw it several times and even the crew wasn't sure if we saw always the same whale or maybe a second one. Everybody on the boat was very excited and I was very happy that I was able to make a few clicks. I thought shooting out of a kayak was already difficult but catching the brief moments when the Minke whale appeared (and you never know where it will come to the surface the next time...) was even a bigger challenge. As you can see the whale is not tack sharp but hey, it was a first sighting for us... ;-)

Lovely coast of Maine

 

The first three days at the coast of Maine were really lovely. The days started out very foggy but became warm and clear during the late morning. We explored the area around Freeport with its bays and little wharfs. Everything is colorful and it is not difficult to find interesting things to put the lens on. Most things here have to do with catching lobsters. Every restaurant has lobster on the menu in different variations and many people here try to make a living from this industry. I love to watch the lobster boats, even if they are just moored in a harbor. None of them look alike and even in the fog they make for a nice photography subject.

Fine Art Gallery - "When the night comes"

 

This evening a few things came together down at the Mississippi River for a good photo opportunity and finally for my second post in the new segment "Fine Art Gallery". First, a wonderful sailboat was tied to the dock at the boat landing. Second, there was almost no wind blowing, making for a smooth surface on the river and in the marina. And third, big dark clouds moved in front of the sun and made for an early blue hour. It all came together the moment I arrived at Mud Lake Park. All what I had to do was to look for the right composition and make it work for my image. I had the Polarizer attached to the Nikkor 24-120/f4. It helped to get rid of some of the glare on the water. I shot wide open with f/4 in order to separate the boat from the background and dialed in -1EV exposure compensation for darker and more saturated colors. This is just my personal style but it works for this kind of photo very well. Could I get a look like this in post process? Maybe, but my goal is to get it right in camera. I hope you enjoy.