The Whites of Their Eyes

nobody@flickr.com (John Coveney Photos) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 03:09:53 -0800

View large on black (L) to see me reflected in his eye . . . or maybe not! :-)

Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes is often attributed to the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War where the British won a pyrrhic victory, However, it’s use was documented at least 30 years earlier and it was probably a regular military command when muskets had limited ammunition and firing rates.

The Grey Seals Halichoerus grypus at the ice house on the Traders Wharf (the fishing boat pier) in Dun Laoghaire Harbour often rest out of sight underwater but they will come to the surface briefly if you throw something in. You have to be quick though, because after a quick breath, they dive back down if they see that you have no fish for them. As they are normally in the shade on the north side of the pier, high ISO is required but at least you don’t have to worry about too many reflections. I got this shot last Saturday week on my way back from the Asian Lesser Whitethroat in Drogheda. It was taken with the Canon 100-400mm lens set at 400mm, ISO 1600, 1/1250th second and f5.6. The image is uncropped and edits in Lightroom were limited to exposure adjustments, sharpening & noise reduction.

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The Whites of Their Eyes