Steller’s Sea Eagles - Hokkaido Photo Workshop Tour

On some occasions, when the seas are calm, I use zodiac boats to photograph these magnificent raptors, sometimes with clients and other times alone. When I am leading my annual Hokkaido photo tour expedition, we can get up close and personal to the raptors feeding frenzy.  We can clearly hear the battle cries of the Steller’s Sea Eagles and White-tailed Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) as they exchange barbs and slashes for their fishy prize.  However, during some conflicts, there is no clear victor, except us photographers who have captured still images and videos of unforgettable exchanges between two mighty raptor species on the pack ice. I recommend photographing the raptors having two camera bodies, just in case one braked down, best lenses are a medium telephoto or a super-telephoto.  From my experience in Hokkaido on boats, I prefer zoom lenses over a fixed focal length.  My choice of lenses is the AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR or the Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM Sport with a x2 teleconverter giving 600mm. Both of these lenses are excellent, and I recommend the equivalent focal range from other camera makers.