Whales of Western Australia
Written and Photographed by Andrea Limseth
Artist
Andrea Limseth, originally from Norway, moved to Perth in Western Australia back in 2018. She has since been photographing the ocean wildlife off the active Australian shores.
My artistic journey came to life in May when my partner and I went for a 2 month trip up the coast of Western Australia. Funnily enough, receiving a drone in preparation for the trip was actually a gift from my partner to keep me “busy” while he was out surfing. I don’t think either of us really knew how much I was going to enjoy it! From that trip forward, the drone has pretty much been with me on every major trip or vacation I’ve been on.
Whales of Western Australia
I have a great love for the ocean and I think my portfolio reflects that. The photos that receive the most attention also happen to be my personal favorites- the wild and beautiful whale photos. I guess it was a combination of luck, the Australian culture, and the fact that I always bring my drone with me, which gave me the opportunity to shoot these amazing mammals on hot summer days in Margaret River, WA. We were just going down to the beach for a quick dip when a friend asked if we would like to have a look at some whales just off the coast. You don’t have to ask me twice! That’s also what I love so much about Australia; the wildlife is incredible! Every trip we take we find dolphins, sharks, and whales, it is paradise.
Launching the drone from a boat is not the easiest thing done, ill admit. But the second I had some height (around 30 m) in the air, what I saw was just amazing. The way these big creatures move in the water so effortlessly. Some younger ones were showing off by jumping and slapping their fins. It made it very easy for me to get great shots! I just couldn’t stop taking photos for the following hour or so. By the time we were close to heading back home, the whales came up to the boat and paid us a final visit. This resulted in some pretty incredible photos. Most of the photos I shot from a 90-degree angle at around 20-50 meters up.
It was around 4-5 pm, so the light was perfect and I had no problems with the sun reflecting off the water.
I always edit my photos in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. I pull the contrast up and darken the photos to make the whales pop out as much as possible. I then saturate the blues only.
I own the DJI Mavic Air. I usually use the general settings for shooting, though sometimes I’ll tweak in-camera to get just the right exposure. I typically fly using 3 batteries from the fly more combo.
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