The Bottlenose Dolphin is, for
most people, the archetypal dolphin. This is the species that has been
in so many movies and television shows. It is also the animal that is
often kept in captivity at oceanariums and theme parks worldwide. There
are many “swim with dolphin” programs around the world, usually
featuring this very animal. A twist on this theme are the captive
animals who are trained to follow boats from the area of their captivity
out to open areas in order to swim with paying customers. Of course
having trained dolphins in a “natural” setting can make for great photo
opportunities. Many images that I see published of Bottlenose Dolphins
are taken exactly in this manner. To make matters worse, these images
are often passed off on an unsuspecting public as an image of wild
animals. After being with these magnificent dolphins in the wild, I
cannot condone the “rent a dolphin” practice. I do not photograph any
dolphins in captivity, nor do I photograph trained animals anywhere. The
above images were taken of wild animals in Mexico, Hawaii, the Bahamas,
and California. It seems that I am one of only a handful of Marine
Mammals photographers who feel this way and even though I have lost many
sales to images taken of captive animals, I will never support
photographing captive animals to pass off as wild dolphins.
I have particularly come to
enjoy the Bottlenose Dolphins I find throughout the Gulf of California.
The offshore versions of this animal are very large and robust, often
reaching 12 feet in length. I find them in the deep waters of the Gulf,
often in the company of Sperm Whales. They often gather in herds that
number into the hundreds here. I believe there are many great images to
be had in this region of the world, and I will continue to seek them
out.
TIPS FOR WILD BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN PHOTOGRAPHS: One of the most gregarious
and acrobatic of dolphins, the Bottlenose makes for a great subject. As
with most dolphins, anticipate a leap based on where the last one ended.
Bottlenose love to bow ride as well as swim in the wake of moving boats.
The image of a bow riding Bottlenose (left) was taken from a moving
sailboat. I was lowered in a harness from the bow pulpit to be out in
front of the dolphin and sailboat. For this shot I used a wide-angle
lens, but usually a medium range zoom (70mm-200mm),is my choice lens.
You will still need relatively fast shutter speeds to freeze the action
of a leaping dolphin, try for at least 1/500th of a second. Above all
else, enjoy these animals in their natural surroundings!
