Wildlife

Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale Breaching Near San Diego

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are found throughout the worlds oceans, but seeing them near San Diego is somewhat unusual. Conventional wisdom has it that humpback whales in California are most often seen in the Channel Islands near Santa Barbara, as well as the central coast near Monterey Bay. However, if…

adminAugust 7, 2012

Environmental Problems Sea Lion Underwater Life Underwater Photography

Wildlife Entanglement: Sea Lion and Monofilament, Pelican and Shopping Bag

Photos of Wildlife Entanglement in Plastic Unfortunately, I have had a number of opportunities to photograph wildlife entangled in plastic debris. Plastic Debris. We make it, we use it and then we leave it behind. This stuff is killing animals and causing problems everywhere. I find it dismaying every time…

adminMarch 22, 2012

Marine Life Mexico Sea of Cortez Underwater Life Underwater Photography

Panamic Green Moray Eel

Photo of Panamic Green Moray Eel, Gymnothorax castaneus While I was in Mexico's beautiful Sea of Cortez doing some diving last November, I spent time photographing the Panamic Green Moray eels (Gymnothorax castaneus). These eels are quite common, often found underneath large boulders and overhangs. They are typically content to…

adminFebruary 15, 2012

Sea Lion Sea of Cortez Underwater Life Underwater Photography

Los Islotes, Espiritu Santo Biosphere Reserve, Baja California, Mexico

Los Islotes is a small island at the northern end of Isla Espiritu Santo, near La Paz in the Sea of Cortez. Espiritu Santo Island and Partida Island are two beautiful desert islands, scalloped with gorgeous white sand beaches. Bird nest on their rugged slopes, and cardon cacti grow in…

adminFebruary 10, 2012

Pelicans of La Jolla Seabird Wisdom

Distance, Perspective and the Out-Of-Focus Background

I went down to La Jolla this morning to photograph brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) with my friend Garry McCarthy. My plan was to test the sharpness of my 500 with a 2x teleconverter** so I had a pretty long setup. In the course of reviewing the morning's catch, I realized…

adminJanuary 18, 2012

Harbor Seal La Jolla

Nature’s Best Windland Smith Rice Contest: Pacific Harbor Seal, La Jolla, California

Cute Harbor Seal Photo, La Jolla, California. This is the third of three images I had that were Highly Commended in this year's Windland Smith Rice photography competition.* This is one of the famous or, depending on your political position, notorious Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi) the reside at…

adminDecember 16, 2011

Galleries Sharks Underwater Life Underwater Photography

Stock Photo Gallery: Blue Shark Underwater Photographs

Underwater stock photos of Blue Sharks (Prionace glauca) I've updated my collection of blue shark underwater photos. Most of these blue shark photographs were taking freediving (breathhold diving) with a few friends in the open ocean near San Diego or just below the border in Mexico. In days gone by,…

adminNovember 18, 2011

Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale Fluke ID Identification Photos

It has been 10+ years since I last worked at making fluke ID photos, but it's just like riding a bike and one never forgets and I had some success at it yesterday. What is a "fluke ID photo" you ask? The underside (ventral surface) of the fluke (tail) of…

adminAugust 14, 2011

Antarctica Falklands Galleries Penguin South Georgia Island Southern Ocean

Stock Photo Gallery: Penguins!

Stock photography of Penguins I'm gradually revisiting my website galleries and improving them, removing images of lesser quality (unfortunately a lot of those!) and updating existing galleries with new material. If you enjoy penguins please take a look at my collection of Penguin Photos. With one exception**, all of these…

adminJuly 14, 2011

California Dolphin Underwater Life Underwater Photography

Pacific White-Sided Dolphin Photos

Pacific White-Sided Dolphin Photos The first dolphins I ever photographed were Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens). This extremely fast moving species of dolphin often appears around San Diego in winter, but is normally found much further north ranging as far as Alaska and around to Japan. We would freedive in…

adminMay 3, 2011

Falklands Penguin Southern Ocean

Surfing Penguins

Last year I got to cross off one of my bucket list items: surfing penguins. I was fortunate to see surfing gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) on New Island in the Falkland Islands. After hiking around some of New Island for most of the afternoon, visiting a couple of penguin and…

adminApril 27, 2011

Antarctica Penguin Southern Ocean

Standing Around Looking Cool

These Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) in Antarctica seem unable to make up their minds which way to go. In fact, they are on a mission, walking from their nests on Paulet Island to the edge of the water, to swim out to sea and forage. I had earlier laid my…

adminApril 13, 2011

Guadalupe Island Sea Lion

California Sea Lion at Guadalupe Island, Mexico

I've been photographing California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) for about 20 years and still do not have the perfect image of one. They are a lot of fun to dive with, but are notoriously fickle about staying put and posing for the camera. In addition, the fur of a seal…

adminApril 12, 2011

Canada Salmon

Adams River Sockeye Salmon Swimming Upstream

Sockeye Salmon swims upstream in the Adams River. This is another sockeye salmon photograph (Oncorhynchus nerka) that took a while to grow on me, but which is now one of my favorites. Usually underwater photographers spend much of their time trying to eliminate backscatter and bubbles from their compositions, hoping…

adminMarch 21, 2011

Canada Salmon

Sockeye Salmon Migrating Up The Adams River

A group of sockeye salmon school tightly as they migrate upstream in the Adams River. In reviewing some images I shot last year I realized I almost trashed this one during the initial edit. I'm glad I saved it, because in the months since I shot it last October it…

adminMarch 20, 2011

Birds Bosque del Apache New Mexico

Sandhill Cranes at Sunset, Bosque Del Apache NWR

Sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) arrive at the "crane pools" at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge each evening. Having spent the day feeding in nearby corn fields, they will overnight standing on their long legs in the shallow pools, presumably so that they can rest in the dark with minimal…

adminMarch 19, 2011

Environmental Problems Pelicans of La Jolla Seabird

Seabird Entanglement in Plastic

This week I licensed a photo of this unfortunate brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) entangled in what appears to be a grocery bag to an environmental education initiative, to illustrate the tangible effects of trash and debris on the marine environment. I originally posted about this bird in 2009. I believe…

adminJanuary 29, 2011

California Harbor Seal Wildlife

Cute Harbor Seal

This harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) was quite animated. Most of the harbor seals lie on the sand throughout the day, resting between foraging sessions in the ocean, while younger/smaller seals seem to exhibit most of the activity. It is nearly February and just about time for newborn harbor seal pups…

adminJanuary 27, 2011

Fur Seal South Georgia Island Southern Ocean

Antarctic Fur Seal Photos, Arctocephalus gazella

Antarctic Fur Seal Photos, Arctocephalus gazella I love photographing fur seals. (I love diving among them even more, but that is not always possible.) Fur seals are one of the "eared seals", similar to the gregarious sea lions familiar to my friends on the West Coast. In my opinion, however,…

adminJanuary 14, 2011

California La Jolla Pelicans of La Jolla Seabird

La Jolla Pelicans

I was recently contacted by a fellow from outside the country who would like to visit La Jolla to photograph, among other things, California brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus), but was concerned about access to the bluff where these birds are best photographed. Since I had not been down to…

adminDecember 24, 2010

Antarctica Humpback Whale Southern Ocean

Humpback Whales in the Gerlache Strait, Antarctica

As we sailed north from Neko Harbor to the South Shetland Islands, we came upon a large assemblage of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) feeding in the Gerlache Strait. They were on krill, as evidenced by the color of their waste, but the water was too rough to make out patches…

adminDecember 21, 2010

Antarctica Humpback Whale Southern Ocean

Neko Harbor, Antarctica

Photos of Neko Harbor, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica I awoke this morning to find us in the calm anchorage of Paradise Bay. The water was glass, and bergs were slowly drifting by the boat, riding tidal currents. I set up a time lapse sequence on the stern of the boat and…

adminDecember 20, 2010

Birds Bosque del Apache New Mexico

Bosque Del Apache NWR, New Mexico, 2010

Skip and I made a short trip to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, in New Mexico, to photograph snow geese (Chen caerulescens) and sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis). This is strictly bird photography and has essentially nothing to do with the marine subjects that I really prefer. But its cheap,…

adminDecember 13, 2010

Aerial Photography Blue Whale California GeoBlog

Blue Whale Aerial Photos

Blue whale aerial photos This blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) was photographed from the air as it surfaced off the coast of Redondo Beach (near Los Angeles, California) to exhale and take a new breath, before diving underwater to feed on krill. Blue whale, exhaling as it surfaces from a dive,…

adminOctober 21, 2010

Antarctica Penguin Southern Ocean

Cuverville Island, Antarctica

Photos of Gentoo Penguins on Cuverville Island, Antarctica Gentoo penguin tending to its two chicks. The nest is made of small stones.Image ID: 25551Species: Gentoo penguin, Pygoscelis papuaLocation: Cuverville Island, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica We are gradually working our way south along the western flanks of the Antarctica Peninsula. This afternoon…

adminSeptember 22, 2010

Antarctica Humpback Whale Southern Ocean

Cierva Cove, Antarctica

Photos of Cierva Cove, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica We begin our morning today in Cierva Cove, directly south from yesterday’s landing at Bailey Head on Deception Island. Cierva Cove is said to be a good location to see marine mammals. However, this morning the skies are dark and the air is…

adminSeptember 20, 2010

Elk Redwood

Roosevelt Elk, Cervus canadensis roosevelti

Photos of Roosevelt Elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) in Redwood National Park The Roosevelt Elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) is the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk in North America. Roosevelt elk are found in temperate rainforests and meadows of the Pacific Northwest, including Olympic and Redwood National Park. Only…

adminSeptember 15, 2010

Elk National Parks Redwood Video

Redwood National Park Video

Redwood National Park Video We spent a few days relaxing in Orick, California, in the heart of Redwood National Park. We enjoyed some great hikes among the towering coastal redwood trees, a little horseback riding, some uncrowded and beautiful beaches, and lots of Roosevelt elk that reside in the meadows…

adminAugust 16, 2010

Antarctica Penguin Southern Ocean

Bailey Head, Deception Island, Antarctica

Bailey Head, Deception Island, Antarctic Peninsula Chinstrap penguins at Bailey Head, Deception Island. Chinstrap penguins enter and exit the surf on the black sand beach at Bailey Head on Deception Island. Bailey Head is home to one of the largest colonies of chinstrap penguins in the world.Image ID: 25455Species: Chinstrap…

adminAugust 8, 2010

Antarctica Penguin Southern Ocean

Brown Bluff, Antarctica

Photos of Brown Bluff, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica Our approach to Brown Bluff took us across a broad sound complete with blue sky and many scenic bergs, then into a thick fog bank as we left the sound and entered a narrower passage with clouds and cold air pouring down to…

adminJuly 23, 2010

Antarctica Penguin Southern Ocean Time Lapse

Devil Island, Antarctica

Photos of Devil Island, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica Arriving at Devil Island, the morning presented the most spectacular blue-sky weather we experienced during our entire voyage. Devil Island rose above us after we anchored, twin peaks about 800’ high framing a saddle about half that. On the slope of the island…

adminJuly 20, 2010

Antarctica Penguin Southern Ocean

Zodiac Cruising in Antarctica

Photos of Zodiac Cruising in Antartica I was able to spend quite a bit of time sightseeing and photographing from a Zodiac (inflatable) while in Antarctica. These hours were some of the most special of the trip. In some ways, one has more freedom of movement while in a zodiac…

adminJuly 16, 2010

Antarctica Penguin Southern Ocean Time Lapse Video

Paulet Island, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

Photos of Paulet Island, Antarctic Peninsula, and photos of Adelie penguins We arrive early in the morning at Paulet Island, our first taste of the Antarctic Peninsula. As we navigate our approach through ice-filled channels around the island, large groups of Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) are seen swimming in the…

adminJuly 11, 2010

Antarctica Penguin Southern Ocean

Nature’s Best Photography Cover Shot

The cover image of the current issue of Nature's Best Photography is my photograph of an Adelie penguin taken earlier this year in Antarctica: The photo also appears in the interior of the issue, since it was fortunate to be given an honorable mention in this years Ocean Views photography…

adminJune 16, 2010

Marine Life San Clemente Island Sharks

Leopard Shark Photos, Triakis semifasciata

Stock photographs of leopard sharks, Triakis semifasciata. I've been diving in the kelp forest for about 20 years, yet have never been able to get a decent photo of a leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) in the wild. I've seen them many times, but never had a good opportunity for a…

adminJune 3, 2010

Elephant Seal Penguin South Orkney Islands Southern Ocean

Shingle Cove, Coronation Island, South Orkneys

Photos of Shingle Cove, Coronation Island, South Orkney Islands Midway through our crossing from South Georgia Island to Antarctica we pass the South Orkney Islands, a small group of islands that lie almost exactly between South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula, making them a natural place to pause during our…

adminMay 11, 2010

Penguin South Georgia Island Southern Ocean

Cooper Bay, South Georgia Island

Photos of Cooper Bay and Macaroni Penguins, South Georgia Island This morning we are again presented with difficult weather. Our plans had originally been to visit Gold Harbor or St. Andrews Bay, two of the most notable and popular locations on South Georgia Island, but these locations are exposed to…

adminMay 4, 2010

Sharks

Hammerhead Shark Cover Photo, Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

The latest issue of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology uses a hammerhead shark photo of mine on the cover to accompany the article Temporal Resolution and Spectral Sensitivity of the Visual System of Three Coastal Shark Species from Different Light Environments (McComb, Frank, Hueter and Kajiura). This is at least the…

adminMay 3, 2010

Penguin South Georgia Island Southern Ocean

Godthul, South Georgia Island

Photos of Godthul and Gentoo Penguins, South Georgia Island Our plans to visit St. Andrews Bay this morning are scuttled. There is a strong SE wind that is sending big waves onto the beach at St. Andrews making a landing ill-advised. We move north a short ways to Godthul and…

adminApril 22, 2010

Albatross South Georgia Island Southern Ocean

Prion Island, South Georgia Island

Photos of Nesting Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans) on Prion Island, South Georgia Island We wait out the bad weather that arrived while we were on Salisbury Plain on the icebreaker M/V Polar Star, which is anchored in the lee of a nearby small island. Although the weather is cold, dark…

adminApril 20, 2010

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