This past week I took a couple of friends out on Prince William Sound. We visited a glacier where I knew the harbor seals hang out on the ice. I hadn't been there since 2014. The currents were opening channels in the ice field more than during previous visits so we were able to safely approach the glacier much closer than I've done before. Photographically it was a very humbling experience.
I had no idea what to do with the glacier to even remotely give it a sense of scale/grandeur. I suppose taking the kayak and shooting from one end or the other might have been ideal but as the boat operator I didn't have that option. That's my excuse anyway...
Nikon D810/24-120mm f4
1) Overall view shot from a distance at 24mm, stitched from two frames. Overcast skies really enhance the blues when viewed in person so I did not "correct" for neutral WB. My intent is to re-create what I saw at the time as accurately as I remember.
2) A closer view. Note all of the seals hauled out on ice at bottom of frame. There must have been at least two hundred of them.
As with attempting landscape on the glacier, I was at a loss as to how to go about capturing the sense of so many seals in one place. Plus my options were limited by the practical constraints of shooting from the boat. All I could really do was resort to what I know with a long lens while capturing the context of location.
All following shot with the D500/200-500mm f5.6
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