Humpback whales

[Jean]

These photos were taken on Aug. 12 when I went on a whale watch with my mother. We took a boat out of Provincetown, MA. It was a very overcast day. We saw several whales and one decided it was curious about the boat so it spent quite a bit of time going under the boat and coming up on each side. I had my Canon 70-300 IS lens on the camera but I got frustrated since he was so close. I also totally forgot to put my polarizing filter on the lens. Once things started happening I just took the shots. I finally got out my Canon G7 and used that a for a few shots.

Whale's eye taken with G7


This is the top of his jaw, taken with the 70-300 at 70mm. He was right next to the boat and came up enough so that what I was seeing was too much for that lens.



He went down and turned around to show us the bottom of his jaw


He's leaving, taken with the G7.


His flukes


Whale Flukes



None of these photos are cropped. The whales are simply right there.

[Maureen]

Wow. Jean, that must have been great. These are really nice shots.

[Jean]

Thanks Maureen, I have lots of shots from Aug. 10th when we went on the first whale watch, that day was sunny. Just have to sort through them and get some posted. Both days were really great.

[Linda]

Wow, that must have been exciting to be so close to the whales. I enjoyed your photos.

[Jean]

Thanks, Linda. Both days on the water were really great.

[dcunningham]

What a treat for you to be so close to such a creature. You made some beautiful photos as well. What kind of boat were you in? How close were you able to go?

[Jean]

We were in a commercial party boat that makes the whale watch trips regulary ever day. The first day we were on a large boat, maybe holding 200, it was full and crowded. The second day the boat was smaller and much less crowded because it was overcast and cooler. The captains do not make any effort to chase the whales, the whales come up close of their own accord. They are not afraid of the boats, see quite used to them. It is certainly a trip I would do again and encourage everyone who can to do it at some point.

[dorothy]

What a treat to be so close to such a beautiful creature. Great photography by the way!

[Jean]

Thanks for the kind words, Dorothy. We enjoyed both boat trips, each was unique and the whales provided plenty of opportunities for photos. I was amazed at how few people had cameras with them, to be honest.

[dorothy]

Really! Oh my, thank goodness you had your camera...What a treat for you! Wow!