Apart from shooting more in black and white, I also forced myself to use my big lenses less and use less mm’s as I would usually do. This was very easy to do, as I could just leave my big lenses on the ship when I went ashore (also means I have to carry a lot less weight). In this case, I did doubt whether to bring my 70-200mm with 2x converter, as the zodiac cruise near Monacobreen often has Bearded Seals on small icebergs, but I decided against it. Now the only lens I had with me was the 24-105mm. And yes, we did find Bearded Seals. We managed to get nice and close with the zodiacs, as usual with these animals and were slowly drifting at a short distance.
This would be the moment where I usually would get out my telelens and start taking portrait pictures of these animals. Now I only had max. 105mm to play with, so suddenly I had to pay attention to backgrounds and composition. I wished I could have gotten closer, which probably would have been possible if I would have been the only zodiac nearby, but several of my colleagues were also nearby. If I had been closer, I could have zoomed out even further, but that might be for another time. I’m already pleased with this image, hope to think about this option more often now.
I think that photos of wild animals in their natural environment have a lot going for them. Often pays to take in the whole view instead of trying to fill the frame with the animal. (Just my thoughts anyway)
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Completely agree, Michael. I always like pictures like this a lot better as just close-ups. They tell much more of a story about the animal (and its environment). But somehow, I always first grab my big lens to go for those close-up shots anyhow. That’s why I tried to force myself not to do so by leaving my telelens on the ship this time.
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