The Humpback Maui Migration
Each year over 15,000 humpback whales make the long migration from Alaska to Maui to give birth and mate in the warm shallow waters. . Its one of my favorite times of the year. The humpbacks make the long migration down from Alaska to give birth and mate in the warm waters of Maui. For the past 10 years I’ve partnered with a boat here to do whale watch photo tours. Come join me for a whale watch tour on Maui! Aboard the zodiac we will also have a trained naturalist to talk about the whale migration .
Check out this video below to learn more about my astrophotography tours on Maui:
Video of the Maui Whale Migration I shot this year.
Whale behavior is very unpredictable. Some people think that windy days are better for breaching. Some people think sunset time is better. From my experience it’s really just pure luck.
Whaletail is available to purchase this image at my print shop.
Whale Photography Pro Tips:
Shoot with a medium to long range zoom. My favorite lens are the 70-200 and the 400mm for whale photography though sometimes when the whales approach the boat an iPhone can be your best friend.
Whale behavior usually is repeated. So chances are high that if a whale breaches , it will again. Keep shooting!
Look with your eyes and have your camera ready. I usually shoot with my camera ready as soon as I see something going on. A lot of times I get the shot before the camera even reaches my eye. The key is to use your reflex to get the shot.
Starter camera settings: shoot fast shutter speed 1000 plus. Also underexpose a little so you don’t lose the whites of the whale. The water is really dark and it can trick the camera’s meter so I always make sure to underexpose by at least 1 stop.
The most important tip I can give you is take some time to really enjoy this moment. Put down your camera and appreciate the awesome beauty of nature.
Humpback whales- a success story
In 1986 the hunting a humpback whales was officially banned and since that time there has been an amazing recovery of the species with over 80,000 humpback whales on our planet. environment, our safety, our energy consumption and our health.
