Breaching Humpback Whale Panoramic

Breaching humpback whale, (Megaptera novaeangliae) in front of Ma'alaea Harbor, Maui, HI

 Photography can be a job for some and a way to make memories for others. While it is partly both for me the true draw of it is the challenge. Getting the lighting, focus, and other settings right is a challenge that can always be bettered. Going underwater unleashes all new challenges for a photographer with less light and suspended particles to deal with. But a nature photographer takes all of this to the next level of difficulty. When your subject is a scared fish, or stalking lion, or a lightning fast humming bird all of the other challenges of photography have to be mastered before you can really come home with some good pictures. But even with a great mastery of the basics, getting to know the animal you are photographing is essential if you want to be ready to capture that apex moment.
 Whales are one of my favorite animals to photograph. They are very difficult to capture since they only spend a fraction of their time at the surface. Luckily humpback whales are known for their incredible acrobatics which gives me a fantastic opportunity to capture a moment like this when an 80,000lbs whale seems to glide effortlessly out of the water. This panoramic picture has Ma'alaea harbor making up the backdrop for a breaching humpback whale. Ma'alaea is the harbor I have been running whale watches out of for the past three winters here in Maui. This picture was taken in late April, 2013, when most of the humpbacks had already migrated back to their summer feeding grounds up around Alaska.
 Because it is such a challenge to photograph these unpredictable whales, when I do capture an image like this it is very rewarding.