A Whales Tail...

The Humpback whale is one of the most studied marine mammal and yet, we still know very little. One important trait of the Humpback whale is that each individual has a unique color pattern on the underside of its tail (more properly called a fluke), and which displays designs in varying tones of white, grey and black. This particular characteristic makes it possible for us to identify each different individual by simply taking a clear photo of the underside of its fluke. This way, we can, over many years’ time, know who is where and doing what with whom. This also permits us to count and estimate the number of individuals of a certain population. A little nosy aren’t we? Well, let us be nosy because the more we know and understand about these magnificent creatures, the more apt we are at protecting them and assuring their survival as a species.
Nikon D60 ~ 55-200 Mexico 2009 ~ Jan. Late afternoon…
A Whales Tail... belongs to the following groups:
The Woman Photographer **7 Submissions a week only please** Available for sale asGreeting Cards, Matted Prints, Laminated Prints, Mounted Prints, Canvas Prints and Framed Prints

StacyLee
Fantastic capture! What a beautiful sight to see :)
LjMaxx replied
Hey Stacy.. Thanks so much..:)
LjMaxx
Thanks for ck-ing out my 2nd of several Whale images…
Jeff Palm Phot...
Gorgeous work Lj ….looks so refreshing!!!!!! Love the clouds on the horizon….nice!
A favor to ask can you submit this to All Water in Motion I would love to have it in my group! Thanks!
Jeff
LjMaxx replied
Thanks Jeff. So many groups here I dont even know of. Jeeeezeee.. Will do. Thanks for the invite too.. :)
Shannon Donovan
Congratulations!
LjMaxx replied
WoW! Now that was fun,,, Hahaha,. Thanks Shannon.. So pleased you liked this to feature it.. Makes my day even more terrific! :)
CanDuCreations
Amazing and awesome work
LjMaxx replied
Hi Thea. Thanks dear girl.. :)
Scott Bricker
up 5 mins and a feture! cool!
LjMaxx replied
No kidding huh. That raely happens to me.. Hahhaha. Thanks Scott! :)
Anne Hale
Such a great capture. Great job!
LjMaxx replied
Hi Anne.. I appreciate your commenting here. T.Y. :)
eaglewatcher
Fantastic capture!!! Congrats on feature!!
LjMaxx replied
Thanks Michael.. A huge surprise for me.. It’s a great group that really gives all a chance in it.. I am Thankful too..:)
Claire Farley
Great shot! and congrats on the feature!
LjMaxx replied
Thanks Claire.. I so appreciate your commenting here…:)
Kate Adams
Amazing pic Lj!!!! love it!! Congrats also on the feature… I am not surprised..just stunning!!!!!
LjMaxx replied
Thanks Kate.. Was to me.. But.. thrilled for it. Have a great weekend..:)
Jeff Palm Phot...
You bet and already accepted!!! Thanks for joining!!!!!
LjMaxx replied
Thanks again for the heads up and the invite. Looks like a terrific group. :)
Shannon Donovan
You are so welcome! Have a great weekend!
Joseph Rieg
What a whale of a tale…..excellent shot. LJ
LjMaxx replied
Thanks Joseph! It was too.. Such an exp for me.. Have a good weekend.. :)
DiEtte Henderson
WOW! Shot of a lifetime! Wonderful image!
LjMaxx replied
I thought so too Di. Thanks for commenting here. What an exp 4 me this day was ..:)
joan warburton
What a wonderful shot! Looks like you’re having a great time! When you’re home bmail me and tell me where you stayed and what you did. I would love to vacation in Mexico. Have never been there.
LjMaxx replied
Will do Joan. It will be a long note indeed. lol…........ Thanks .. :)
Cheryl Lunde
What a fantastic shot. A once in a lifetime experience and an almost impossible shot to get!. Well done! A fave!
LjMaxx replied
Hey.. Much like your recent vaca. Neer been but want to.. Thanks so much here.. I had a blast this day…. :)
Agnes McGuinness
An awesome shot, LJ. Brilliantly captured. Agnes xx
LjMaxx replied
Hi Agnes.. Many Thanks to you here..:)
mlgkats
great capture , awesome color and clarity
LjMaxx replied
Hey Mel. Thanks so much.. :)
Cora Wandel
Beautiful work, love the blue!
LjMaxx replied
Thanks Cora.. It was a good day out…:)
Michael Beers
What a great shot well done Lj :)
LjMaxx replied
Good morning Michael… It sure was a good day for watching them.. T.Y. :)
Lynn Bawden
Fantastic shot, LJ…Lynn
LjMaxx replied
Hi Lynn,, Thanks.. Right when I was replying to ya last night… R.B lights went out… Yikes huh.. Have a good day..:)
Mia1
gorgeous capture :o)
LjMaxx replied
Thanks Mia… A great vaca.. in many ways.. :)
EnlightenedOne
Reminds this man of a cozy little bar down Hampton Beach I used to frequent on the weekends.
You guessed it my dear “The Whale’s Tail.”
Great shot Lj.
LjMaxx replied
Been there. Quite some time ago now.. Usta camp out (excuse for party time) not to far from there… Thanks for the walk down memory lane.. :)..
jadeast
extraordinarious!
LjMaxx replied
Thanks Jade.. Love that word. :)
lorilee
A fabulous capture – amazing!!!!!!
LjMaxx replied
Had a great vaca there Lori.. I appreciate the commment here.>:)
Susan Bergstrom
Absolute perfection Lj…wonderful stop action!
LjMaxx replied
Good morning Susan.. T.Y. so very much .. Had a blast.. saw some great wildlife and the weather was perfection every single day… :)
MaeBelle
Awesome shot LJ!so crisp and clear,lovely! God Bless,Mae
LjMaxx replied
Thanks Mae.. Really appreciate it.. :)
sss526
How amazing to have been there to see that . You make that whale’s tale famous .
Look forward to seeing more. :)
LjMaxx replied
It was amazing.. Wanna do it again. lol. Thanks S.S.S. :)
Al Bourassa
Phenomenal capture LJ! I always hope to get a shot like that. I didn’t have a very good camera when I had great opportunities with 3 pods of Orcas.
LjMaxx replied
It was finally my turn Al… I have been in those waters many times.. 1st time one ever jumped out so close to me for this long too..Thanks.. :) ox
bill oneil
great shot Lj, and congratulations on your feature with it too.
LjMaxx replied
Thanks so much Bill.. Appreciate it..:)
melant1017
Perfect shot LJ…I see a feature in your future :)
~A
LjMaxx replied
Wa-hooo your are correct again.. (above) How do you do it…. lol… Thanks A.. :)
Keith Reesor
Fantastic capture Lj!! Right place right time!! :)
LjMaxx replied
No kidding huh Keith.. Love going there.. Ready to go back right now.. Wanna come? lol. Thanks K.. :)
Wendi Donaldson
WOW!! how lucky you were to get this shot….they’re rare and very tricky to get!! Congratulations Lj!
LjMaxx replied
Thanks Wendi! It was my turn for some luck at this.. Finally… lol… Really appreciate your commenting here too..
Anthony Hedger
Lj, you tell a tall tail, LOL
How splended you were there to witness this and even capture it with your camera. Well done it is a cool shot.
LjMaxx replied
Did my best as fast as I could A.. Surprised me with delight he did.. ...
I know I need to write you too.. Been thinking & busy working. Darn that work thing too.. Hahhaa. Soon. :) ox.
MichaelTravis
I LOVE THESE SHOTS.DID THEY COME FROM THE SEA OF CORTEZ.I KNOW YOU
WERE IN MEXICO LATELY AND THAT THE WHALES OFTEN USE THESE WATERS
IS THE REASON I ASK.GREAT MY FRIEND.MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMWA!
LjMaxx
Good morning Michael.. This day I was in the region of “Banderas Bay” ~ Pacific… Perfect weather and great locals to hang with.. Ready to go back.. now… You too? Cool… Thank you here… :)
EnlightenedOne
Hmmmm! Well, there’s no way this man ever ran into that girl because she’d be forever etched on his manhood! LOL
EnlightenedOne
Geez that didn’t sound right when I re-read it. You know I was referring to me memory I hope.
LjMaxx replied
lol.. yes.. made perfect sense.. It was a time back too. Then.. work and responsibilites got in the way of my fun…. I remeber walkng over to a board walk, festive kinda place at night.. Dont even know if its all still there or not..
cdudak
LJ what a wonderful shot of this whale, this is something Lynn and I always wanted to do.
LjMaxx replied
I sure hope you get to it & do it then.. Dec thru March on the N.W. coast of Mex is height for Humpback siteings.. Beluga’s starting in the mix there around early March.. It’s awesome I think.. Been 3 seasons now.. Cant wait to do it again too.. T.Y. here.. :)
PPPhotoArt
wow oh wow
superb shot LJ
lucky girl to see these guys
they are amazing
LjMaxx replied
Hey PPP. ManyThanks to you for commenting here.. Was a great vaca indeed.. :)
Lynn Bawden
Thanks, LJ…You have a pleasant evening…Lynn
Kasey Cline
WOW Lj, this is just amazing! What a sit this must have been!!! I hope one day I can see something like this!!! Stunning my friend!!
LjMaxx replied
Thanks Kasey.. Mabie next year you will be the one who gets this… Its a great trip… Olah!
mlgkats
hey , you are so very welcome :)
Shaun Whiteman
Another stunner, fantastic!
LjMaxx replied
Thanks Shaun.. Many more too. Spreading them out some not to bore people here..:) Pleased you like them..:)
chijude
What an amazing shot. Reminds me of a magnificent sculpture that is at Victor Harbour on the foreshore in South Aus. You would think your whale was the model!!
LjMaxx replied
He was a private one for my eyes this day.. Finally!!! lol. Thanks Chijude… I was very fortunate to have seen his for thi long this day..:)
maxy
That’s one big tail!!! What a spectacular display of power this print has!
LjMaxx replied
Sorry so late to reply. I just saw this here. Thank you for commenting here Maxy~ :)
HenkStolk
classic
LjMaxx replied
Sorry so late to reply. I just saw this here. Thank you for commenting here Henk~ :)
Louise Robinson
Great capture!
LjMaxx replied
Thanks so much for commenting here Louise~ :)
lefotodelmaui
you really catch the moment! one shot one kill, wow!
LjMaxx replied
Good morning.. Thanks for stopping by and cking out my tail.. Much appreciation to you~ :)
robpixaday
Oh, my goodness!!
spectucalar!!!!!
LjMaxx replied
Yes.. it was.. Thanks so much R~ :)
robpixaday
Haaaaa…sorry about that typo—I think that ocean spray got in my eyes!
SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!!!
LjMaxx replied
Hahahaha.. I did too.. Wow huh.. Fun!
Carol Barona
Excellent capture!
LjMaxx replied
Good morning Carol.. Thanks so much here! :)
paulscar
wow! amazing beautiful shot!!!
LjMaxx replied
Good morning Paul.. Thanks so much for commenting here. Really appreciate it~ :)
Ginny York
Fantastic shot LJ! I agree with your comments. Amazing stop in action.
LjMaxx replied
What an absolute blast I had Ginny.. Seeing this Humpback so playful and close was a highlight of my life.. Thanks for the comment dear girl.. :)
Ginny York
Love it!
LjMaxx replied
almost.. do it again… yes..
Ginny York
Ginny York
Woo Hoo! There she is!!!
LjMaxx replied
Oh Yeah!!!! Rockin Ginny.. Thanks so much.. Can i see it in the larger view too>?? hahahaha.. Please…
Ginny York
There ya go!!!

LjMaxx replied
Now thats a cool viewing.. He was so powerful & splashing me a few times.. :) Thanks Ginny.. Alls that left is cards, poster and those forms to master.. Moving on~ :)
Michelle Barlo...
BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO
LjMaxx replied
T.Y… T.Y…. T.Y…. :)
Wilparina
Great shot . I work with Humpbacks in Australia and I know how hard it is to get good photo’s of them, especially of a breach. I see you have managed to capture a couple. I have a few whale shots myself that you may like.
LjMaxx replied
Thanks so much W.. My apologies for this being so late. I missed this.. I am thrilled for your comment. I was lucky here when he played before me for 20 min or so.. It was a day I will never forget. Yes.. I wil come by & see yours too. I just love them.. Thank you~
Colleen Battis...
love the tail, great shot :)
LjMaxx replied
Thanks very much Colleen.. Sorry so late.. I just saw this.. My apologies.. :)
Heloisa Castro
fantastic capture
LjMaxx replied
Really appeciate your time to comment tonight H. Thank you~ :)
Tim Sanders
Now this is Fantastic….Awesome shot….
Tim
LjMaxx replied
Thank you so much Tim Sanders! :)
whalegeek
Great work on the humpie tail, LjMaxx. Hey, where do you base yourself when looking for the whales off NW Mexico? This whale “geek’ would love to hear about your tips for looking for these Mexican humpbacks. Thanks!
LYN EVANS
Wow, what an awesome shot.
LjMaxx replied
Hi Lyn.. Thanks so much dear girl. It was a great day of shooting even if I was in a small & rocking panga boat in a huge sea of very lage fish.. ..lol.. ~:)
Teresa Zieba
Holeee, this is awesome. I tried to get a capture like this while on Maui and failed so I know how hard it is. Fabulous!!!
LjMaxx replied
Thanks T.. It was very shaky in the small boat I was in and this guy was jumping. slapping finns all around me for his mate.. I will never forget this day and the joy seeing this great Whale gave me.. I really appreciate your taking the time to comment here.. ~:)))
Larry Trupp
Wonderful capture, must have been a real thrill indeed….Commendable work
LjMaxx replied
Thanks so much Larry. Really a great day in my life seeing.. capturing this Whale.. ~:))) Lj
pauline tims
Beautiful capture
LjMaxx replied
Hi Pauline.. Many Thanks to you here~ :)
ronaldok555
Great shot, nice timing!