Friday, January 15, 2010

Theme Day: Favorite Photo of 2009

This is my favorite photo from 2009. I was out on a fishing trip off shore from Tamarindo in May with my two sons. We found ourselves in the midst of a huge pod of hundreds of dolphins jumping all around our boat.

In every direction, the water rippled with fins breaking the surface and dolphins looping up for short breaths of air. It is not common, however, to see a dolphin flying completely out of the water, except at Sea World. It is even rarer to be able to capture a photo of a dolphin in the wild completely airborne. Usually, by the time I see them, point the camera and snap the shutter, the dolphin is back down in the water, particularly if the camera is set for auto focus, because the auto focus interjects a short delay in the shutter reaction.

So how did I get this photo of the dolphin flying through the air? Dumb luck. I was focusing on the group of dolphins in the center of this picture and was taking their photo when the dolphin the the background went flying up out of the water.

The worldwide Daily Photo bloggers have done something different this year. Rather than picking our favorite photo for the January 1 first-of-the-month Theme Day, an extra theme day was added for today, January 15, for our favorite photo of the year. I hope you have enjoyed this choice, as I have enjoyed sharing it and my other photos with you.

To view the 2009 favorites of the other Daily Photo bloggers from around the world: Click here to view thumbnails for all participants">

15 comments:

Laurent said...

This is a very good choice for the photo of the year. Lucky you !

Sharon said...

I love this photo. It makes me smile.

brattcat said...

Yes, yes, I'm so glad you chose this one for your Best, Dave. It's an extraordinary shot, one you deserve to feel very proud of.

Leif Hagen said...

Magnificent dolphins photo! Nice choice for theme day!

glenda said...

Wow! What a photo. Great choice, I enjoy it also.

Lowell said...

Dumb luck or not, this is a superb photograph. I've tried, without any luck, getting a shot of a dolphin jumping clear of the water...

Great job!

Judy said...

This is a great shot. Somehow it evokes the feelings of tranquility and excitement all at the same time.

Hilda said...

A serendipitous, perfect capture and a wonderful choice!

Jilly said...

How fabulous! What an amazing experience and what a superb shot. How I'd love to experience this.

Phivos Nicolaides said...

This is an amazing photo!

Anonymous said...

Wow.

What a poetry of a photography. Wonderful weekend for all of you.

BlossomFlowerGirl said...

Wow, what a fabulous photo. Each time I've tried photographing the little blighters I always miss them.
Cheers.
Melbourne Daily Photo

Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.com said...

excellent choice for theme day. dolphins are such amazing creatures. full of energy, brains, and strength.

Unknown said...

This is just GREAT, David!
I've only been surrounded by dolphins once but the sea was so wild that you needed to use both hands not to fall out of the boat, so there is not one single photo of the guys... It was in Zanzibar after a big storm and it was crazy! :-)

Anonymous said...

An amazing shot - and wonderful memories for you and your sons.

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