MEXICO Trip Images – II
/Continuing on with some additional images from yesterday….
The photography from the boat was really challenging this trip due to the wind and wave actions. Most of the time it seemed like the wind was blowing one way, the waves another and then there was the rocking of the boat. One of the more interesting sessions was the frustration I had in trying to photograph the manta rays as they would jump out of the water. With no indication of where they would leap from the water, all hands were on deck as spotters. It became hilarious was everyone was pointing and saying ‘there’s one over here’. A few quick lessons on using the directions of a clock and I soon had everyone saying, 1′o clock. With reference to the position of the boat being 12 o’clock, I now had a reference point to aim to. This was pretty much a point and shoot and hope you got something due to the speed in which they are leaping out of the water. Needless to say, I missed a great many shots. The one keeper is still pretty poor for my standards, but here it is:
Flying Manta Rays
Rounding the corner and heading toward the Pelican fishing area, came this rock full of sea lions of all sizes and shapes. I thought the layering of the rocks with the seal lions made for an interesting shot.
Standing Proud
With my recent frustration in photographing the manta rays, I programmed my Nikon D3s so I could invoke AF 3D tracking with the flip of a switch. Now all I had to do was mash the focus button while centered on the eye of the pelican and let the camera do the thinking. Ok, it was not quite that simple however, having the 3D tracking allowed me to bring home many more keepers than not normally possible. By they way, these guys are really fast when they are going for fish. Be sure to click the lower images to see the sharpness that the 3D Tracking Auto Focus allowed me to capture.
On Approach
Low Flight
More to follow with our visit to the local fabric and blanket factory.
Cheers and happy photo’ing.