On a whale watching excursion out of Boston, we were nearing the end of a successful trip when the captain of our ship spotted a humpback whale that they had seen several times on other trips to the area. They had nicknames this one "Owl" and could identify it by the unique patters on the underside of its fluke.

Fortunately, the whale surfaced near the boat, as the captains cannot approach the animals by law. As slow and lumbering as whales are, photographing them means being in a state of perpetual readiness.

I love the water dripping off the edge of the fluke, just starting to pick up the orange hues of the setting sun.

What a stunning memory to have being so close to an animal of this size.

Canon EOS 10D, Canon 80-200mm f/2.8L @ 200mm, 1/160 sec @ f/2.8, ISO equiv 100