Alaska Whale Hunt

Badrad · August 23, 2011

I'll be visiting Alaska in a few days, and seeking any input on whales from Seward south via cruise ship. I've made several trips B4, with a few saleable whale pix, but clearly recognize the limitations of tourist logistics, distances, motion, etc. Your thoughts on guides or whale watching excursions, equipment, techniques, locations, etc. Much appreciated. My gut says, "Hire a boat and camp there a month." Next time.

Harryb · August 23, 2011

Try to get on a larger boat to minimize the motion of the boat. Figure on low light shooting conditions. Take the fastest glass you got and use the camera with the best high ISO performance. A monopod, IMHO, would be the best support to use under those conditions. Where to go would depend on the time of year that you are visitng.

NorthernFocus · August 23, 2011

I live in Alaska and have my own boat. My advice is to go on one of the tour boats that advertise specifically as whale watching trips. We can't legally get close enough for anything but an ultra long lens and then a small boat is moving so much it's hard to keep the darn things in the frame even briefly. Plus I've watched those guys follow whales and am convinced they use side-scanning sonar to do so. They are way too good for guesswork at predicting where the whale is going to surface after a 10 or 15 minute dive. When they find whales they are able to stay on them for quite a while.

Alaska Whale Hunt

Comments