DOLHPIN PHOTOGRAPHY

Matthew Colquhoun

A strange but wonderful tradition that has become part of my family holidays is to get aboard boat trips to try and spot sea creatures. I blame the frequent mid-lockdown “if we could travel…” discussions, recounting memories of flying fish and distant fins, for igniting the obsession.

This summer we were lucky enough to travel to the Maldives for our family holiday. It swiftly became my dad’s personal mission that we would see dolphins aboard a boat before the holiday was done! The trips, of course, always began with a repeated disclaimer that in wildlife spotting, there is no guarantee of success. After about 45 minutes on the water, we’d resigned ourselves to just enjoying watching the islands pass… until suddenly we found the largest pod of dolphins I had ever seen.

All around us these animals jumped out of the water with the signature style of spinner dolphins. Roughly ten fins were always visible, but the likelihood was there were more than a hundred swimming just out of sight! Watching the dolphins make it their personal mission to race alongside the moment was an incredible moment.

It was a truly amazing feeling to be running around the front of the boat (in a half-squat to keep stable!) both trying to photograph the dolphins as they moved and taking time to enjoy seeing them myself.

Photographing these beautiful creatures was a true testament to the idea that you have to be the one ready for the wildlife, rather than your subject being ready for you. Not only must you take wild guesses on where to travel, but also in the moment being aware of when one will start to jump or start swimming within view. It’s an experience I’ll never forget and I’ll always love these photos I have to show for it.

This article first appeared in PRISMA, Issue 8.