| Why You Shouldn’t Bring A Camera On a Whale Watch |
 Alright, admittedly this might sound strange coming from someone that brings two cameras every time he goes whale watching. So take this article with a little grain of salt, but...Cameras get in the way of actually experiencing what’s happening. It’s the curse of the photographer... you’re trying to capture an experience to share with other people, but because you’re trying to capture it, you aren’t truly part of the experience. You are not the one dancing, you are photographing the dancers. In the case of whale photography, this is what I signed up for and I love being behind the camera lens. However, it does have it’s drawbacks. When a Humpback whale breaches (or does something else unbelievable), I’m not content with just seeing this amazing display of power and grace. If I didn’t get framed right, it’s not in focus, it’s a little too far away, etc., etc. I’m unhappy about it! There I am with an incredible spectacle going on in front of me and I’m unhappy. So there’s a lesson here. Sometimes it’s better to just sit back and enjoy the experience. Just be fully present with what’s going on and don’t worry about buttons and settings and all that. Especially if it’s your first or second time whale watching, you really should just take the experience in. The Humpbacks are really incredible, beautiful, graceful, and so many more adjectives. To fully appreciate that, you have to spend some time just hanging out with them. Of course, when a whale breaches and I do get that perfect shot I’m ecstatic. It’s a massive adrenaline rush to get home and post it or print it. So I’m not saying you should NEVER take a camera out, but every now and then it’s worth just sitting back, experience whale watching without the camera, and taking it all in. (but only every now and then ;-) |
