Blog
Humpback Inspired Artwork
10/12/2011
I recently was approached by an artist, Patrick LaMontagne, who creates unique cartoon characters of various wildlife and has put together a collection of these wildlife cartoon totems. He asked permission to use a particular Humpback calf photo I took in Tonga last year and explained what he was trying to achieve. I didn’t know what to expect but as you can see the final piece is very engaging. It is always flattering when someone is inspired by your work and as you can see below the results are truly amazing. Patrick is a very talented artist and you can see more of his collection at http://www.cartoonink.com/
Epson World Shootout Underwater Grand Prix for 2011
02/12/2011
During August this year the Epson World Shootout was taking place. I just found out that I won third prize in the wide angle category. There were some great entries for this event and I feel privileged to be awarded along side some amazing photographers. you can checkout some of the photos at the World Shoot out website. The shot below was taken in swallows cave in Vava’u Tonga and no matter how many times I come back to Tonga this is always a favourite spot for taking photos. Special thanks to my model Rebecca Hayter for patiently holding her breath so I could capture the light and colour.
Meeting Paul Watson Captain of Sea Shepherd
11/11/2011
As many of you know I am a keen advocate for the preservation of whales and spend half my life in the water photographing these amazing creatures. It was privilege to meet the Captain and Founder of Sea Shepherd last night as the conservation group try and raise enough money to fuel their campaign to Antarctica to stop the Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean in Australian and New Zealand Antarctic territory. Hope this is the year they end whaling.
ANZANG Nature and Landscape Photographer of the Year Competition 2011
29/09/2011
Scott Portelli was named Runner up in the underwater category at the ANZANG Nature Photography competition 2011 http://anzang.samuseum.sa.gov.au/index.php?blog%2Fshow%2FUnderwater-2011.html
10th Celebrate the Sea Underwater Festival 2011
27/09/2011
Scott Portelli received a Merit of Excellence award in the Colour Print Photographic category at the 10th Celebrate the Sea Underwater Festival 2011
10th Anniversary Edition - Humpback Whales of Tonga
19/09/2011
I have been coming back to Tonga every year for the past 10 years and have been lucky enough to see some amazing behaviour and have some remarkable encounters. This book commemorates my ten years visiting Tonga, I hope I can continue to do this for another 10 years. Please email me if you would like a limited edition signed copy of the book.
Half way through the season and we have had some amazing encounters
28/08/2011
We have had some amazing encounters with the Humpbacks and had some fun snorkelling around the islands reefs and caves. It is only half way through the season and the whales are still arriving in numbers. stay tuned as we keep you up to date with what is happening in Tonga.
ADEX 2011 Photographer of the year competition
15/06/2011
Scott Portelli was awarded 2nd place in the wide angle category of the ADEX 2011 photographer of the year competition. Along with his video of the Azores which also received second place in the underwater video of the year.
This image taken under a special permit granted by the Regiao Autonoma Dos Acores, Secretaria Regional Do Ambiente E Do Mar, Dreccao Regional do Ambiente.
2012 expedition in search of Blue whales, Sei whales and Brydes whales of the Azores
30/05/2011
During the month of April some of largest Balleen whales can be seen migrating past the Azores and often feeding in the area.
This image taken under a special permit granted by the Regiao Autonoma Dos Acores, Secretaria Regional Do Ambiente E Do Mar, Dreccao Regional do Ambiente.
At the 2011 Beneath the Sea competition, Azores Sperm whale receives an honorable Mention
18/03/2011
Sperm whales are amazing creatures to be in the water with and every encounter was unique, I can't wait to be back with these whales again in the mazing Azorean waters off Portugal.
This image taken under a special permit granted by the Regiao Autonoma Dos Acores, Secretaria Regional Do Ambiente E Do Mar, Dreccao Regional do Ambiente.
Tongan Humpback Whale Photo and Azores video Highly commended at the 2011 British Underwater Image Festival
25/02/2011
Annouced at the 2010 BUIF awards in London, this Humpback whale photograph was Highly commended in the wide angle category, Iwas also luck enough to have my video of the Azores Highly commended. I feel so lucky to be celebrating 10 years with these amazing Humpbacks in Tonga.
Sperm Whale Photograph from the Azores Commended at the 2011 Sony World Photography Awards
24/02/2011
This photo taken on my last day in the Azores is one of the most amazing experiences I had in the water with a Sperm Whale. I have spent the past 10 years taking people to swim with whales and I do feel privileged each and every time but there is always a moment that surprises even me. Look forward to seeing these amazing creatures again this June.
This image taken under a special permit granted by the Regiao Autonoma Dos Acores, Secretaria Regional Do Ambiente E Do Mar, Dreccao Regional do Ambiente.
Annouced at the 2010 ANZANG Nature Photography awards.
02/10/2010
Scott was named runner up in the Our Impact category of the 2010 ANZANG Nature Photography competition for a shot of a Blue Marlin taken in Tonga in 2009. The Marlin had been tagged and released and was gasping and showing multiple wounds to its eye and body. This was a sad sight to see but a good reminder of how we have an impact on the ocean.
It has been an amazing season with the Humpbacks. But sadly all good things come to an end, well for this year that is.
30/9/2010
The season has drawn to an end and it is hard to describe all the amazing things we have seen, so hopefully pictures tell a thousand words. check out this years photos at flickr or on Facebook. We have met lots of interesting people along the way and had some memorable moments with the whales. I can only imagine what 2011 has in store for us. But hopefully a lot more of what we had this year. Stay tuned for updates for the 2011 season.
Half way through the season and the whales just get more amazing
1/9/2010
There must be something in the water this month, as the whales seem to want to get up close and personal with the swimmers. Not only are the calves curious but the adults seem to be playing a game called "How close can I get to the humans". We also saw spinner dolphins with mating whales, a calve spy hopping and opening his mouth in the rain, a heat run of 5 males and a mother and calf and a small white calf with ADD (Attenion Deficet Disorder) discovering his tail makes a cool splashing sound. It has been action packed!
Well our first few weeks in Tonga have been a great start to the season
22/8/2010
We have had some nice encounters with the whales in the past few weeks and have seen some interesting behaviour, including some pretty cool breaching and we even had fun with our whale and people portrait session, as well as lots of singing Humpbacks. there is nothing like floating metres above a singing whale as the sound reverberates through your body. They definitely have a strong set of pipes. Not to mention that we have also discovered a new form of adventure which I like to call swimming with jelly fish in the harbour. trust me we were amused for hours. stay tuned, more to come from Tonga.
The Azores is one of the best places in the world to see such diversity of whales and dolphins and other marine life.
14/8/2010
Just returned from the Azores where we had some amazing encounters with the diversity of cetaceans that frequent the waters off the Azores Archipelego. we saw 11 species of whales and dolphins while we were there including some rarely seen cetaceans such as bottlenose whales, beaked whales and large balleen whales like the Sei and Brydes whales. All images taken under a special permit granted by the Regiao Autonoma Dos Acores, Secretaria Regional Do Ambiente E Do Mar, Dreccao Regional do Ambiente.
Scott has won the Highly Commended award at the British Underwater Image Festival for 2010 with his image of a Humpback mother and Calf seen in the 2009 season in Vava'u
02/5/2010
Just announced at the BUIF (British Underwater Image Festival) held at Dive Fest in Cornwall on Sunday 2nd May, I have been lucky enough to be presented the Highly Commended award in the Sea & Sea Open category. The photo is off a new born calf and its mother that was seen during the 2009 whale season. Look forward to having some amazing opportunities in the 2010 season.
Scott will be joining the Elysium expedition to Antarctica in February to photograph and document wildlife following in the footsteps of Shackelton
17/1/2010
As part of an expedition team to Antarctica I will be spending 2 1/2 weeks photographing and filming wildlife along the Antarctic Peninsula, Elephant Island and South Georgia with a team of expert photographers, film makers and scientists. Hopefully I will find some Tongan Humpbacks feeding down in the ice and doing what they do before making the journey back to more tropical waters in Tonga.
One of Scott's Tonga Humpback whale photographs was just published in the new BBC book Life.
28/12/2009
I was privileged to have one of my photos from Tonga published in the new BCC book Life, which is an umcompaniment to the new series, some of which was shot in Tonga in 2008. The book features some spectacular wildlife from our amazing planet.
