The Commons Picture of the Day is a moment most professional photographers dream of capturing. It’s especially notable given that User:Dr.Haus is not a pro and he captured the photo on a point and shoot camera that he bought two years ago.
The photo is from a vacation he took in the Patagonia region of Argentina. The day he shot this photo, he woke early and boarded a boat with his group to head out from coast of the Valdés Peninsula in the Chubut Province, a nature preserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Within a few minutes of being on the water, they saw a southern right whale and its calf. The whales spent about 40 minutes swimming near the boats.
“This species of whale isn’t really shy,” said Dr.Haus, who hopes people who view the photo are as awed by the animals as he was. “I can say that this was one of the most impressive moments in my life.”
Dr.Haus started shooting photos on a trip to London in 2004, when he was ten, with a camera his parents got him as a birthday present. He has been a regular contributor to Commons since early 2011 and he has enjoyed his experience interacting with other photographers. He said he had often used photos from Commons for school projects, so he thought, “it would be fair to give something back and share useful photos.”
He enjoys sharing his photos under a Creative Commons license, as much as he enjoys taking a virtual tour around the world through others’ photos. “I think it’s awesome to see all these beautiful pictures, often from places of the earth you’ll unfortunately never be able to visit,” he said.
(View more of Dr.Haus’s photos)
Matthew Roth, Global Communications Manager
Reporting by Elaine Mao, Communications Intern
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