18/08/2024
(HR / ENG captions)
Fotografija kojom sam se prijavio na
National Geographic Magazine Croatia foto natječaj. 🥳 (Link za glasanje ispod).
Pakake je najrjeđa vrsta morskog lava na svijetu🦭, koja se može pronaći samo na Novom Zelandu. Fotkano na pustoj i zabačenoj, više kilometarskoj plaži na samom jugu Novog Zelanda, kratko pred zalazak. Radi se o ženki koja se bezbrižno odmarala na plaži i upijala zadnje zrake sunca. Mir joj je prekinuo gorostasni mužjak koji je izjurio iz valova na plažu i krenuo prema ženki - (vjerovali ili ne, iako su masivni, mogu se jako brzo kretati i na kopnu). Vidjevši to, ona se uznemireno dala u bijeg u ocean, povremeno iskačući da vidi nije li mužjak odustao. Od 140+ opaljenih fotografija, jedna jedina je uhvatila pravi trenutak. Guglanjem i pričanjem s jednim od DOC (Department of Conservation) rangera, shvatio sam da ne postoji puno fotografija NZ morskog lava koji surfa. Zapravo, nismo uspjeli pronaći niti jednu! Neovisno o toj činjenici, ovo je svakako jedna od srcu mi najdražih fotografija do sada.
Pravilno ponašanje u blizini divljači na Novom Zelandu nalaže da im morate dati minimalno 20 metara prostora, a ja sam dužan zahvaliti Panasonic New Zealand timu koji su mi to omogućili na način da su mi dozvolili da testiram tada najnoviji model njihovog fotoaparata - G9II s novim Panasonic / Leica New Zealand DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4-6.3 II objektivom. 400 milimetara na tom senzoru se prevodi u 800 na full frame senzoru, što mi je omogućilo promatranje ovih čuda prirode iz pristojne daljine, bez da ih uznemiravam. Ako možete, bio bih vam zahvalan da ostavite svoj glas za mene i moju fotografiju na službenom National Geographic HR linku:
https://photocontesthr.natgeotv.com/photo/qD_5P1VNBo9KKvGsrC6cnN5fN-q8rGMkxd3kAdm3?page=12
This is the photo I submitted to the National Geographic Magazine Croatia photo contest. 🥳 (Voting link above).
The New Zealand sea lion (Pakake / Whakahao) is the rarest sea lion🦭 species in the world, found only in New Zealand. I took this shot on a remote, deserted beach in the far south of the country, just before sunset. When we arrived, this female sea lion was peacefully soaking up the last rays of the sun on the sand. But her calm didn’t last long—a huge bull suddenly charged out of the waves and headed straight for her. These animals might be massive, but they can move surprisingly fast on land. Spooked (I assume), she made a run for the ocean, diving in and out of the waves to check if he was still following her. Out of 140 shots, this was the only one that perfectly captured her surfing the waves as she tried to escape.
After doing some research and chatting with a DOC (Department of Conservation) ranger, I realized that there are very few photos of New Zealand sea lions surfing like this. In fact, we couldn’t find any! Rare or not, this is definitely one of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken.
In New Zealand, you’re required to keep at least 20 meters away from wildlife, and I’m grateful to the Panasonic New Zealand team for making this possible. They let me test out their newest camera at the time—the G9II with the Panasonic/Leica New Zealand DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4-6.3 II lens. The 400mm on that sensor translates to 800mm on a full-frame sensor, which allowed me to capture this moment from a safe and respectful distance without disturbing the animals. Also grateful for people at New Zealand Sea Lion Trust for taking care of these gorgeous creatures.