Having a shower in the North Sea

[Andreas Liedmann]

Hi folks another seal image, this time a Harbour seal.
They do live on Helgoland , too. They are more skittish than the grey ones and do not live in that big numbers as the them.
I would have liked to go lower for a lower POV , but was not possible due to location .so i had to shoot from the slightly elevated beach bank. There was an incoming tide going but it was too early to get the water closer to the bank.

Moving with the seals that close was also no option , they would have quickly disappeared .

Canon EOS 1Dx
EF 500 IS L
Tripod

F 8 / Iso 1600 / 1/1000 sec ; man exposure / +1,3 EV compensation

Processed in PhotoNinja and PS CC ; slight crop from all sides for comp , apart from RHS .

Hope you like it; C&C welcome

Cheers Andreas

[Morkel Erasmus]

This is really cool, Andreas!
Love the splash coming over its head and the expectant pose. DOF is nice and the water looks crisp. What is the blurry foggy patch in front - sand bank somewhere between you and the seal?

[Loi Nguyen]

Andreas, well chosen SS to have the water movement effect. i wish the seal opened their eyes though, although i imagine he got his eyes closed due to the water. Loi

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Andreas - Dynamic image. I too really like the wave crashing over the seal. Nice timing and colors and tones look good. I just wish for a bit more separation between the oof area at the bottom and the seal.

TFS,
Rachel

[Gabriela Plesea]

Hello Andreas,

Very unusual shot and I am so taken with the wave, great timing indeed!

Love the closed eyes, they convey the impact of the wave crash. The sand bank - although somewhat peculiar looking - does not bother me; on the contrary, it highlights that crystalline water washing over the seal. I feel like looking at this over and over again...well done Andreas, this is something special and I congratulate you for this capture!

Kind regards,

[edwardselfe]

A great fun image - it made me smile and chuckle when I saw it. Wouldn't change anything with your work on it.
Ed

[Andreas Liedmann]

Thanks folks for watching and leaving your thoughts.
Yes sand bank in front of me , Morkel , no chance to avoid it . Unless i went higher , which i did not wanted.

Cheers Andreas

[Steve Kaluski]

An interesting image Andreas, I'm not sure if the water highlights need a hint of toning down or not, but just watch when you sharpen as it can look over sharp quite easily? Also at that SS you have almost frozen a ring of water creating an interesting effect around the seals head s it emerges from the sea. The FG mush sand bank, personally I'm 50/50, as perhaps it because there is a lot going on within the image, juxtapose to the mush, but just my take.

TFS
Steve

[Andreas Liedmann]

Thanks Steve for your thoughts . I am also 50/50 on the FG but have to take it as is , but it was all about the situation the water swell flowing over the seal .And i could not change my position otherwise i would have chased way the seal, they are even more sensitive for any disturbance .
Re sharpening i was struggling to find a sweet spot when it looks just right , for my eyes , so i have chosen this way . But thanks for your view.

Cheers Andreas

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Andreas, it's oh so easy to say with hindsight thoughts & suggestions, sitting in a nice big comfy chair, but out in the field is a different matter and often there are a some governing factors that effect how we shoot, but then remembering some thoughts and comment for the next time can also make a difference.

I fully appreciate your thoughts.

[Andreas Liedmann]

Yep Steve i fully agree with you , easy from a comfy chair ………. . Every time i come from a shooting and watching my images ,i think oh man you should have done it different ,even if conditions has been quite good. I feel there is almost always room for improvement .
I hope i learned this time that i have too shoot wider and crop later , i have so many nice images with good behavior of the seals (at least for me) , but cut off flippers or other stupid things i have done in capture . On the other hand my tight shots are not as interesting , because the position of the heads has not been as good as with the wider ones…….. But hey , just need to go back to Helgoland, not that far and out of reach , like South Georgia .

Cheers Andreas