Rarely do any of us get to see what a whale looks like up close. Their impressive physical presence and remarkable biology is often reserved for study in a museum or in a classroom, and perhaps on a rare occasion on a whale watching trip from a charter boat.
For photographer Bryant Austin, the distance from which we observe whales doesn’t give us a full picture of how magnificent these creatures truly are. Since 2004, Austin has attempted to capture life-size images of whales in order to inspire others to take up the cause in protecting them from very real 21st century threats.
Austin’s trips took him to the South Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, where he honed his technique using a 80mm telephoto lens attached to a massive 50-megapixel Hasselblad camera. He’s since swam with playful humpback calves, curious minkes, and imposing sperm whales, from which he was able to stitch together and create stunning photos like the one below.
Austin joined this year’s EG7 Conference to talk about his photographic techniques and what goes into making a life-size scale image of a whale.
The Awesome Scale of a Lifesize Whale Photograph from EG on FORA.tv
He also joined the stage at the California Academy of Sciences to discuss how his photographs may help conserve species such as sperm whales.
Photographer Bryant Austin Swims Eye-to-Eye with a Whale from California Academy of Sciences on FORA.tv
The post Seeing Eye-to-Eye with Whales Through Life-Size Photographs appeared first on The Conference Channel Blog.
