Sea Otters - it's all about the water

[NorthernFocus]

Over the weekend I spent about an hour each of two mornings shooting a few sea otters. They were there in abundance and winds were calm. And IMO effective sea otter shots require smooth, colorful water. About one out of five animals are patient enough with the boat to allow us to get close enough to shoot. I can tell almost immediately when I see them. If they lift their heads up above the surface to look at you, you might as well forget about it. If they lay there ignoring you or just roll their heads in your direction, you've got a winner. So what's needed are:

1. a patient critter
2. glassy smooth water
3. something in the BG to give the water color(via reflection) or glacial "bloom" in the water which turns it turquoise blue.
4. diffused light works best

These first three shot with D7100, 500mm VR, handheld. All uploaded at 1200px so viewing in the lightbox is best.

1. This was shot fairly close to a hillside covered with evergreens thus the deep green water color.


2. Same critter a little ways away and lots closer. Hillside is farther away so the green is not as deep. My closest ever FF shot of one other than around a marina.


3. Mom and baby in same area. The small babies like this one rarely lift their heads nor even open there eyes. They sleep away on mom's chest, totally reliant on her to protect them.


The second morning it was MUCH earlier/darker so these were shot with the D800E, 500mm VR, Bushhawk.

4. The water color was due to seaweed covered rocks in the BG. The skinned nose identifies this one as a female. During mating the male otter bites the female on the nose to hold on to her. They're such animals!


5. The same critter a few yards away with a distant BG so the natural color of the water as lit by the grey, overcast sky.


Sea otters rarely haul out of the water and then only on ice or rocks isolated from the shore. We were lucky enough to find a few of them hauled out on the rocks at low tide. These are the type of rocks that provided the BG color for shot no.4 above. They are extremely cautious out of the water and won't let the boat get anywhere near them. So the following shot is substantially cropped. It does give a good look at how big the hind foot/flipper is.

6.

[Mike Buckley]

All of them are terrific, Dan, proving that knowing your subject and using careful planning and execution makes for great photography.

[Shadowman]

Nicely done, I like how they seem to be keeping an eye on you.

[Donald]

All of them are terrific, Dan, proving that knowing your subject and using careful planning and execution makes for great photography.

Couldn't agree more. Pictures of this quality don't come by chance.

[Brownbear]

Beautiful images, beautifully photographed. Those sea otters are surely adorable.

Thank you for taking the time to share some pointers on water. Oftentimes I find it challenging to manage beautiful water and all of your pointers are very helpful.

[Otavio]

Hi Dan, all of them are very beautiful images. If I had to pick a favourite, I would say #2. Well done!

[redrew]

Very good wildlife photography of an animal that is not easily captured. Well done Dan.

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks, folks, glad you enjoyed the post. I have spent quite a bit of time studying both their behavior and previously shot images in order to increase the odds of successful outings. The coolest thing about photographing these guys is that I get watch their antics through some great optics. I could spend all day looking at them without ever shooting a frame and I'd call it a good day. But bringing them home in the form of digital images is even better

[terrib]

These are wonderful Dan. I hadn't ever seen a pic of a baby laying on its mother. What a sight to see the interesting animals. Thanks for sharing!

[Suzan J]

Hi Dan: I really like this otter series, particularly the rich green backgrounds. I know what you mean about being able to simply enjoy observing animal behaviour. Of course, as you pointed out, getting some winning shots is a real bonus. Today I watched a bald eagle sitting about 20 feet up in a scraggy poplar tree. The tree was at the edge of my driveway and it was just remarkable that he was so close to my house. I was in the yard doing some gardening and literally crept back into the house to grab my camera. Regrettably, there were just too many scraggly branches to get a good shot. I was still rewarded with a good show as I then noticed a rather large squirrel sitting in a crook of branches not more than 5 feet below the eagle's talons. He seemed oblivious to the danger looming just over his head. I was sure I was going to witness one of nature's dramatic moments, but after several minutes the big bird just flew away. Sadly, no decent photos, but a great afternoon none the less.

[Scouse]

What a great series John. Fantastic critters aren't they?

Excellent , spot on captures.

[Cantab]

This is a really great set of images. I saw sea otters off the west coast of Vancouver Island a few years ago, but no good photos. Otters were eradicated here many decades ago but the reintroduced ones seem to be doing okay.

[FrankMi]

A lovely series Dan!

[jamn4ex]

Just awesome Dan!

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for the comments, guys. Glad you enjoyed the photos.

...I hadn't ever seen a pic of a baby laying on its mother...

Terri, I think the most interesting thing about the otters is the way the mothers take care of the little ones. When there's danger the mom will clutch the baby to her chest and dive with it.

...Today I watched a bald eagle sitting about 20 feet up in a scraggy poplar tree. The tree was at the edge of my driveway....

Suzan, isn't it great to live someplace where you can experience that? Eagles are another thing I never get tired of seeing.

...Otters were eradicated here many decades ago but the reintroduced ones seem to be doing okay.

They were nearly hunted to extinction in Alaska as well. There was one small, remote bay on an island in Prince William Sound where a viable population survived. Now they are widespread in coastal Alaska and the gene pool can all be traced back to that one small group of survivors.

[purplehaze]

I almost missed this, Dan; so glad I didn't. Wonderful images, and I really appreciate your providing all the context you did.

[Stagecoach]

Interesting series Dan, it's good to see them in the wild like this and the coloured water really sets them off well.

[bnnrcn]

Beautiful shots Dan, thanks for sharing

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks, guys. Glad you enjoyed the images. I love to share images of Alaska and the critters here. It is not an easy place to live well worth the trouble.

[bedantabd]

Excellent job done Dan..............