I was suddenly obsessed with whale tails.

The dream came to be, and soon I found myself cruising through Alaska.  My primary mission was to capture my latest favorite creatures---whales.

Thousands of pictures were taken in Alaska, and I was able to capture about a hundred of whales as they surfaced.  I was able to witness only a single full breach, but it was from a distance too far to capture.  Perhaps a good reason to revisit Alaska!

While a photograph of a breaching whale is next to impossible, I soon learned that even composing an interesting photograph of a whale in its surroundings was frustratingly difficult as well.  Imagine your utmost patience aboard a drifting boat, in perfect position--when the whale is spoted 90 degrees from where you were hoping for.  It became the norm.

Perhaps this challenge is what transformed my curiosity of whales to the obsession while I was boating around Alaska trying time and time again.

Every whale tail moment was unexpected and all I could do was hope that the backdrop was an interesting one.  Admittedly, most times it simply was not.

I was able to capture a few gems with beautiful Alaskan backdrops.  However, I decided not to waste some fascinating whale tail photos and created "whale tales" which were backdrops from other moments where the water was still and no real tails could be seen.  Taking it a step further, I created other artworks that pulled moody scenes into the equation.

Here are my top ten favorites thus far.