If you plan on going whale watching yourself, here a few photo tips you might try.

#1 Back Button Focus-

Most DSLRs can be switched to back-button focus, which disentangles autofocus from the shutter button, allowing the camera to lock onto the whale and stay focused for an entire sequence.  Check your manual for exact instructions and operations to try this customization.

#2 Fast Shutter-

Just like with most wildlife photography, I like to keep my shutter as fast as possible.  These whales are fast and can pop anywhere.  If your shutter isn’t fast you will have no chance for a sharp shot.  Most of the photos included here are at least 1/3200 of a second.

I put together a few feeding sequences below to give an example of how fast the action is.  All of these occur in less than 1 second.

After about an hour with NY 0109, Captain Frank decided to give the whale a break and look around for his friends.  We didn’t find any more whales but still enjoyed the rest of the afternoon on the water and ran into a few Bottlenose Dolphins just before arriving back in Port.

American Princess Cruises will be running whale watching cruises through the Fall, visit their website for the current schedule!