Orca Rainbow, Juneau, Alaska – Image 2982

This is a special image. In my 35 years of photographing whales in Southeast Alaska, this is the first and only time I encountered a full “rainbow blow”. During the orca’s exhale, its entire blow turned into a rainbow. Humpback whales have much taller blows, and I have seen partial blows turn into rainbows but never an entire blow. It is a remarkable moment of light and timing and I feel very fortunate to have witnessed it. This image illustrates the month of November in my 2017 Juneau Calendar. Enjoy the photo. Thank you for visiting – Camera: Nikon D800, Lens: Nikkor 70-200mm F/2.8, ISO 200, f/5.6, hand held, digital capture ©Mark Kelley