Richard's Story
 For the past four or five years I've been leading photographic expeditions to Baja California and the Sea of Cortes for Lindblad Expeditions, a long time leader in adventure travel. Last April's voyage took us to San Ignacio Lagoon, on the Pacific side of the Baja Peninsula, where female gray whales congregate to give birth and raise their calves in preparation for the very grueling and dangerous trip north to their summer feeding grounds off the coast of Alaska. While at San Ignacio, our ship, the Sea Lion, anchored outside of the lagoon, and we used our Zodiac landing craft to visit the adult grays and their calves in the shallow bay.
Since the emphasis of this particular expedition was on photography, my job was to provide instruction while on board, then later, to get the fifty or so guests into good situations to practice their photographic skills.
Although this was a photographic expedition, there were quite a few guests on board just along for the experience. One of those was Robyn Kravit, the president of the National Zoo at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Robyn had originally planned to make the voyage with her mother. At the last moment however, Robyn's mom couldn't make the trip because of a minor health issue. Faced with a dilemma, and knowing her mom was going to be OK, Robyn decided to go on the expedition alone.
Although taking care of the guests is my first priority, once I get them where they need to be, there's always some time for photography for myself. As a photographer, I'm always looking for images that tell a story. Often that means photographing the guests and their experiences. It didn't take me long to discover that Robyn Kravit made a wonderful subject.
Robyn literally threw herself into everything that we did with her whole heart and soul. I do mean literally. Once when interacting with the gray whales at San Ignacio, Robyn so enthusiastically launched herself off the bow of the Zodiac that her life vest automatically inflated as it hit the water. Saved from a watery dunking by her quick-thinking fellow passengers, Robyn and her now-balloon-like vest became the subject of much good-natured merriment,something that she happily joined.
This photograph of Robyn and the gray whale calf is my favorite from the trip. Often, as a photographer, good things seem to happen, merely because I'm there and ready with a camera. I'm happy to have been a part of this very magical experience. A perfect moment. It took all of us giving everything to make it happen. I'm glad I was there. | 
