“Tall Tails”
“There are in life a few moments so beautiful,that even words are a sort of profanity.”
― Diana Palmer
I made this image last week, while out whale watching off the Pacific coast of Baja. I’ve seen many images of Humpback Whales but never thought I’d witness these majestic animals in the wild.
The day started out with sightings of several Grey Whales, which surfaced around us, blowing spouts of air as they surfaced to breathe, offering a tail flip on occasion. We were aware that Humpbacks also inhabit these waters and are known to ‘breach’, whereby the leap from the waters, and asked the on board biologist about them.
Shortly thereafter, we spotted a cow and calf at the surface, splashing and flapping their tails, as the calf learned from the cow. What I was not prepared for was the true size of the whales. Photos rarely provide points of reference for us to assess the size of the whales.
As this cow submerged, the other boat from our group was directly behind her, and her massive tail offers a sense of scale in the photo above. This particular whale was somewhere around fifteen meters long and would weight around thirty thousand kilograms. Seeing them right next to the boats was one of the most awe inspiring experiences I have had.
More photos to follow, with their own stories, over the next few days.
Nikon D800
Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD @ 240 mm
1/200 sec, f/7.1, ISO 200
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Ed Lehming Photography 
Great photo and I can relate to your thoughts. When I finally saw whales in nature, close-up, it was just the most impressive, humbling experience
Extraordinary!!!
Thanks
Whoa!! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks, more to come:)
That is amazing!
Thanks Vanessa
Terrific shot!
Thank you
Fantastic shot! I love the juxtaposition of the huge whale’s tale with the tiny people in the boat.
Thank you. The real challenge was focusing in rolling seas. Never considered that.
That is cool.
Amazing.
Thank you
Pardon my French but.. Bloody hell!!! Wonderful!!!
Wow…this is amazing capture. Great image. (Suzanne)
Merci
Awesome post, Ed!
Thank you, more to follow.
🙂
Simply stunning. An experience that can’t be bought, or scheduled, or even truly appreciated in fullness without being right there in the moment. However, this photo and your description of the moment sure does make my stomach tumble.
Thank you so much for sharing this Ed! Looks like Baja needs to go on my Bucket List.
Absolutely. I had never in my wildest dreams imagined this experience. I so pleased to have been able to capture it to inspire others.