When I reflect back on my experiences doing action photography, there was only one subject more challenging than photographing dolphins in the wild from a kayak: snapping shots of small, fast-swimming fish while SCUBA diving (or even worse, snorkeling). Back in the 1980’s when I did underwater photography, digital wasn’t yet available, so I shot 36-exposure rolls of film using my dad’s Nikonos underwater camera. Getting one or two good shots from a roll was considered a success in the world of underwater photography, so the expense added up shooting through so much film in hopes of capturing a fish in focus and well-composed in the frame.

Fast forward to the 21st Century, and I feel very fortunate to utilize digital technology in my photography. Although I no longer SCUBA dive, I shoot plenty of topside pictures during my travels, so it’s nice to be a shutterbug without the concern of expense.

Thankfully, that was the case today back at Fripp Inlet, because I shot dozens of dolphin photos that ended up in my netbook computer’s recycle bin, never to be scene again.

Photographing my dorsal-finned friends while they hunted down fish for lunch was a challenge, but it sure was an enjoyable one! It was so relaxing being out on the water listening to nothing but the sound of water lapping up against my kayak and the pfffffft sound of the dolphins exhaling through their blowholes. (Of course, it seemed like that mostly happened just before I had my camera focused on the right spot. It’s impossible to accurately anticipate exactly where those dolphins are going to pop up!)

The greatest thrill was seeing a dolphin jump out of the water right in front of me, and then repeat the aerial show twice more in rapid succession. I think he was taking a good look around to see just what (or who) that was floating on that pink thing above him (or her?). As you can see, my timing in capturing this acrobat was a bit off, because my waterproof camera lacks a burst mode. Oh well, better late than never!