Humpback Whale Flukes, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2976

Humpback whales spend, I imagine, over 90% of their lifetime under water. The time spent above water is mostly dedicated to breathing and diving. The thrilling behaviors, or what I call the X-games of whale behavior, are really very, very rare. With extreme luck does one get to see behaviors like breaching, tail slapping, or bubble-net feeding. To put this in perspective, I have been seriously photographing whales in Southeast Alaska for 37 years. I publish a book on the local humpback whales and killer whales and I have about 35 whale photos in this book. Most of these photos I consider my best; this means that on average I shoot less than one good whale photo per year. Photographing whales is a really long, slow process, but hey, I am whale watching…and life is really not so bad. This image illustrates the month of February in my 2017 Juneau Calendar. Enjoy the photo. Thanks for visiting. Camera: Nikon D800,  Lens: Nikkor 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6, ISO 1200, f/8, hand held, digital capture ©Mark Kelley