Multimedia Photographer Susan Seubert with National Geographic Expeditions in Alaska

Last week I spent aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird where we traversed Alaska’s Inside Passage.  The weather was constantly changing but it rained very little, much to my surprise and delight!  I will be writing more about this National Geographic Expedition in the next few days, but I was so excited about this footage that I felt that the blogsphere would be a better place if I could share the joy of watching a pair of Dall’s porpoises bow riding on the last day of our journey.  I was preparing for a slideshow presentation when I suddenly heard hoots of excitement coming from the front of the ship.  A group of these cetaceans had decided to join us and bow ride for a good deal of time.  For a while, there were as many as 5 in front of our ship, much to the delight of everyone on board.  People took turns looking over the bow as the animals jumped and played in the water.  I was fortunate enough to get some video footage of these amazing marine mammals.  Their distinguishing marks were made visible as they turned on their sides and it was wonderful to witness their agility as they frolicked in front of the ship.  I hope that the movie below transports you to Southeast Alaska for a moment and affords you a glimpse into what it’s like to be on board with National Geographic.

Dall’s Porpoises bow riding the National Geographic Sea Bird

►

This video was made with a Canon 5D Mark II fitted with a 24-105 IS USM lens and processed in iMovie.

Read Full Post »

Portland Editorial Photographer Susan Seubert shoots for Smithsonian Magazine

One of the most interesting things about being an editorial photographer are the environmental portrait assignments.  Sometimes, the photograph is of a person I meet while traveling who is part of a larger story, but most of the portrait assignments are to illustrate a singular person. For this assignment for Smithsonian Magazine, I was to photograph Laura Kutner, a Peace Corps volunteer who rallied a Guatemalan community to turn plastic bottles and trash into building materials.  It’s recycling meets Habitat for Humanity.  You can read the story here.  For this summer’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which is part of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, Kutner will be recreating part of the project she led in Guatemala.

Peace Corps Volunteer Laura Kutner holding plastic bottles at a recycling plant in Oregon

Here's a blurry behind the scenes of our location. A small scoop is a very different term in an industrial recycling facility!

The shoot was done with a 5D Mark II camera, a Canon 24-105 IS USM lens, a Speedlight 580EX flash mounted to a lightweight Manfrotto stand with an umbrella and pocket wizard radio slaves.

Read Full Post »

National Geographic Expeditions Photographer Susan Seubert heading to Alaska

Greetings!  After a month of surfing and shooting in Maui, I’ll be headed to Alaska’s Inside Passage for an expedition with National Geographic and Lindblad aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird from May 22-29, 2010.  Last night we saw at least six humpback whales off Ka’anapali Beach here on Maui and I’m looking forward to seeing more of these large cetaceans in Alaska where they migrate to their feeding grounds.  Here in the Hawaiian Islands, the whales mate and give birth, but they don’t eat, so they’ll be mighty hungry when they return to the colder waters of Alaska. If you’d like to join us on this expedition, please sign up here.  See you there!

National Geographic Expeditions "Alaska's Inside Passage"

Read Full Post »