Sea otters are some of the most appealing animals out there. They are skilled swimmers, fun-loving, curious, and oh so adorable. This mother and baby were interested in us and our boat, and posed nicely, looking in our direction long enough for some great shots.
I'm looking forward to seeing them again in Alaska in August. The attentiveness of the mothers toward their offspring is remarkable. The babies have so much fat than they cannot dive under water in order to feed. So their mothers gently grab them and carry them underwater with them. When the mother lets go, the baby pops back up to the surface.
When shooting from a boat, fast shutter speeds are required. The boat rises and dips, and the animals are moving as well. So a shutter speed of at least 1/500 sec is important, and faster is better if lighting conditions will allow.
On some boats, in calm waters, tripods can be helpful, but in many cases handholding is the best thing to do.
Always carry rain protection for your camera and camera bag, since you never know when a stray wave or a splashing animal will toss water onto the boat.
If you are prone to motion sickness, I have found that the accupressure wrist bands work well. They are available at Walmart and Amazon.
TECHNICAL DATA
Shutter Speed 1/800 sec. Aperture f/10. ISO 400. Lens: Canon 400mm f/5.6L. Camera: Canon 5D Mark III. Handheld.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "We simply need the wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in." -Wallace Stegner
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