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A playful humpback whale calf comes up to inspect the camera
Since becoming a Sony Digital Imaging Advocate, I have been excluded from entering the Sony Alpha Awards due to our close relationship and sponsorship. This year, the team at Sony Australia decided to create a few special categories just for Partners and Affiliates to enter.
I was super surprised to take the win in the Nature and Wildlife category with an image I call “Mother’s Love”. I captured the image while leading a group for “Swimming with Gentle Giants” in Tonga. Even with leading a small group, it is always my priority to ensure that the guests have the best experiences and get out of the water with images they will be happy with.
Normally, my go-to lens for working with whales would be a fisheye—especially now that I have a converted 13mm Nikonos lens for E-mount—but when leading trips, I find that a lens like the 16–35mm allows me a bit more range to work with while minimizing the impact to other guest. That is what I opted for on this trip.
The humpback calf strikes a perfect pose just beneath the surface of Tonga
Tonga is world famous for its humpback encounters, with healthy numbers of whales in the area and beautiful, tropical blue water. On this day, both the whales and water clarity aligned perfectly. Now I am like most photographers and love when you get a whale come up close to the lens and fill the frame with the animal. However, I really think what works with “Mother’s Love” is that there is plenty of negative space. Don’t be disappointed when you don’t have a “crazy” whale right up in your face! Look for these sorts of special moments between a mother and calf. While this photo works in color, I think the contrast of the black and white really makes it pop and gives it a bit of uniqueness. My biggest tip for shooting whales is always be aware of the direction of sunlight, and unless you are trying something creative, you will always capture the best images with the sunlight behind you.
A tender moment between a mother and calf humpback. This is the image titled “Mother’s Love” that won the Nature category of the 2024 Sony Alpha Awards
To see more of Brett’s award-winning work, please give him a follow on Instagram and visit his website, www.brettlobwein.com.