Thresher Shark breach

Since I am going to try catch some bronze whalers breaching in 2 weeks, I thought I'd share a bad pic of a thresher breaching. I didn't have my telephoto lensed 1DII handy so I had to work with a D70 with the kit 18-70. And this shark breached 5 times in succession. But with a crappy AF at that distance and way too short on reach, this was the best I got. I spent another 3 days trying to catch them breaching. 8 breaches later, I never got another shot at it since either a boat was in my way, I was pointed the wrong way when one breached 10 m from the boat or it was enroute to the mooring point when the SOBs popped up for a cleaning. Still just goes to show that you should always have your cameras on the ready!

One of the adverts in the cinema before star wars in the UK is photographer Steve Bloom (who is probably my favourite wildlife photographer) shooting great whites breaching for an advert for the EOS 350D. The advert doesn't actually show him using the camera - and I suspect he was using a 1Ds 2. Afterall he had gone to the expense of hiring his own boat for days - seems a pity to skimp on the camera. But the thing that really persuaded me he was using a 1Ds is that he was moaning about his arms aching from having to lift up his camera all the time! Ho ho!

That's an amazing sight Mr Scubadrew - by the way. Far more original than the great white shots - that are everywhere these days. I does seem to me that wildlife photography is a bit like stamp collecting - with many people zapping round the world filling out their albums "I'll swap you a polar bear on the ice for a breaching great white"... "I haven't got a polar bear, but I do have an extra cheetah with cubs...".

Alex

Better than I've got! Malapascua?

What other sharks are you going to see breaching in two weeks? Whites in S Africa? Don't hold us in suspense....

Just a note...stradling the ol Canon/Nikon fence with the two cameras eh? Smart man...

Alex:

Thanks. Great white breach shooting is about the most boring, seasick inducing and unnatural thing a photographer can do. Did it once and will NEVER do it again... and I was shooting with video! Much rather have natural predation, and the only guy to catch that on video is a very lucky frenchy named Noirot. Btw I personally think it's more fun to get a spontaneous and serendipitious catch of a shark breaching than using a decoy seal. It just ain't the same thing!

I'm not sure about that whole album thing. I know that many of the guys go around shooting to SELL pics. In fact a certain broker told me to get the thresher breaching because it meant big $$. You think I like getting sunbaked for 6 hrs a day for a lousy hobby? LOL.

Mike:

Nope, Malapascua's breaching is definitely more karma than naturally (and regularly) occurring phenomena.

The D70 was a borrowed camera when my 1DII was in the shop for focus problems. Then I scratched it and bought it from said lender. I was going to get another DII body but the look of the pics from the Nikon was good enough that I kept it. It's not a wildlife shooter though. Good for indoor, portraits and holiday pics.

I'm not sure about that whole album thing. I know that many of the guys go around shooting to SELL pics. In fact a certain broker told me to get the thresher breaching because it meant big $$.

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I know a few photographers that are in the same agency as I who are "stamp collectors". They all want the same stamps/pictures too. These are mainly nature/landscape photographers that follow a well trodden path around our country. I had to point out that on our online archive there were over 400 pictures of a certain mountaintop, and 600+ blue and white anemone flower pictures....perhaps they needn't spend more time filing those same pictures over and over again.

It seems you get better advice from your broker, identifying what would make big$$. Happy hunting!

Afterall he had gone to the expense of hiring his own boat for days - seems a pity to skimp on the camera. But the thing that really persuaded me he was using a 1Ds is that he was moaning about his arms aching from having to lift up his camera all the time! Ho ho!

 

Alex

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Although it may depend on the lens he was using. I know the 100-400IS I have can get heavy. Although I still tend to agree with you and think maybe he shot a couple with a 350 and the rest with the big boy camera.

Almost every one uses primes for the breach shots since the decoy is at a fixed distance and you figure on the shark being no larger than 5m. I've seen guys shoot with 300 to 500 primes.

I also wonder why he didn't use a monopod or a wimberley.