A Weddell seal raises its head to see what the commotion is alongside his iceberg bed. They are so big that they just move their heads up to see the photographers floating by.
Big Seal
Paradise Bay, Antarctica - 01 Jan 2026 See on Google Maps
On New Years Day we were on a zodiac in Paradise Bay. We approached several icebergs to look for wildlife. This big Weddell seal was relaxing on an ice flow. As our boat moved around I was able to capture him with his head up and looking right at me. He was close enough i came off 500mm and took the picture at 400mm.
I was in "zodiac" mode - high shutter speed and f-stop/ISO set to enable the high shutter speed. With a f14 the ice around the seal is sharp and good bokeh on the ice in the distance. I also like the blue of the ice below the seal.
Cal Holman Posted on 10 Oct 2026
EXIF
Camera
Canon EOS R5m2
Lens
RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
Focus
400 mm
Speed
1/1999 sec
Aperture
f/14.0
ISO
800
Program
Manual control
Exposure
0 EV
WB
Auto white balance