A Humpback Whale off the coast of Vancouver Island is “Jumping for Joy” by breaching out of the water.

Capturing a Humpback Whale breaching is very tricky, not only do you need a high shutter speed (they actually breach surprisingly quick), but you also need to be able to react quickly. Unlike bears which are always above water (well at least some part of them), the Humpback Whales go under the water for sometimes up to 15 minutes, and you have to be able to respond very quickly when they come out. One way to do this can be to use a shorter focal length, and/or a zoom lens, it also helps if you can aim your camera without looking through the viewfinder.

I got lucky with this whale because it was coming up pretty predictably, and therefore I was able to use a 500mm with 1.4x Extender (so shooting 700mm) and be able to capture the entire whale.

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Taken: August 16, 2016
Location: Johnstone Strait, British Columbia

Camera: Canon EOS-1D X
Lens: Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4x III Extender
Focal Length: 700mm
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 6400
Exposure: 1/1000