Species: Royal Penguin | Location: Macquarie Island, Australia
This shot was taken on a trip to the New Zealand sub-Antarctic Islands plus Macquarie Island. We spent two days at Macquarie and the weather was great (which is unusual)! We were allowed to just hang out on the island, near the Royal Penguin colony.
Macquarie Island is the only place in the world where Royal Penguins are found. I have tried numerous times to get pictures of penguins in the air while porpoising, but had never been successful. I was determined to get one this time. I tired using my longer lens, but I just couldn't get focused fast enough. I then switched to the shorter lens and was able to track the penguins better. The trick is to try to anticipate where they'll come out of the water (not an easy task as they change direction under water. There were many penguins coming and going, so there were lots of opportunities. After many shots of just water, I finally got some pictures with the penguins in the air and in focus. This is one of the best.
About The Photographer
I'm an avid traveler who is trying to see as many areas of the world as possible. My goal is to see these environments before they are significantly impacted by climate change. I was shooting Nikon, but switched to Canon in 2014. Macros of flowers and plants were my first SLR subjects, but once I purchased longer lenses I've added birds, mammals and pretty much anything that moves. After each trip I make presentations in the local community, to try to build awareness of these areas and the issues that they face. Hopefully this will encourage more people to contribute to the support of these fragile environments.
Check out Marian's photogarphy website for more beautiful wildlife photos.
