I can't say I've seen this on a hike before and maybe never will again. Whilst wandering on the coast near the Victorian and NSW border, this breaching whale was a pretty special sight.
I'd liked to have a better photo, but my hiking camera lens is usually a compromise. It'd be nice to take a super-zoom or real wide angle, but in the end I usually opt for something which covers a bit of both. My 100-400mm lens would have been handy, but alas it was sitting at home. Oh well. It's an annoying habit, seeking the ideal photo, as in the end it may have been nicer to ignore placing the viewfinder to the eye and instead just savour the moment. A memory might be nicer than a photograph.
I'm reminded of this by a quote I've used before and it comes from the book, 'Everest: The Hard Way' by Chris Bonington. Fabled climber, Doug Scott, writes,
'Speaking now for myself, there comes also the saddening realisation that the view from the top of Everest which I now have in my mind's eye is very possibly no longer the magnificent pure naked wholly coloured vision of the moment, but consequently wholly coloured by the slides I then took and have seen so many times since.'
I guess this leads to a surprising thought. It was only five years ago I started taking a camera when walking. Before then, I'd take in the sights without documenting anything. Times certainly have changed.
