2012 Atlantic Journalism Awards Finalists
Attachments
| Slug/Label | Whale of a Time |
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| Date Aired or Published | Sept 29 |
| Media outlet where first aired or published: | Telegraph Journal |
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Short explanation of the story and how it developed: Cindy Wilson arranged to go to out on the Bay of Fundy with Moira Brown, Senior Scientist of New England Aquarium, for a day of whale research. The weather conditions were rough and Ms. Wilson was told that they may have to turn back if it was too bad, in fact the only reason they were going out at all was because of having media with them. They left from Lubec Maine early and after some engine problems on the boat they managed to get to the area where the whales frequent. The research team warned that they had had very little luck in sightings so this may be a early day. They couldn’t of been more wrong, after a slow start the whale started showing themselves, a mother and calf were first and then several other glided in and out of the choppy waves. The shooting was challenging due to waves and having to be at the bow of the boat with one leg wrapped around a support and both hands on the camera. Falling into the chilly Bay of Fundy water was a constant threat. After several hours of being out on the water Ms. Wilson started to feel a little queasy, but as she is allergic to Gravol, she had to soldier on without any medical help. After about seven hours out the researches were thrilled with this being a banner day for sighting of Right Whales as well as several other species such as fin and humpback. Off in the distance they spotted lots of splashing and raced to the area, there were three humpback whales jumping and splashing the water with their large fins. Then to the amazement and joy to everyone they started breaching, the boat was still going at full throttle towards them, jerking up and down with each wave. This shot was taken with the telephoto 200 mm lens when the boat finally slowed enough to get a shot as this was a final breach, full body out of the water, magnificent. Nine hour later, heading back to dock Ms Wilson succumb to her motion sickness , but it was worth it. |
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Resources of the newsroom (money and time) available to complete the story: |
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