Kohli
Philip SchillerSpent an amazing morning with 2000 Elephant Seals @ Año Nuevo CA State Park
Jeremy 
@pschiller looks like the last one was tired of the cameras. “🤦♂️”
kieliscalling@pschiller the last one is amazing 😆
@kieliscalling Thanks. He was a massive bull, about 2K lbs.
@pschiller wow, how far away have you been? I know that they can become dangerous 🤔
@kieliscalling Very close. We had to move out of the way when one big bull decided to go where we were standing. The rangers do a great job keeping everyone safe (especially the seals).
@pschiller great! The result shows 😊
kcǃ@pschiller great shots—especially love the expression on the last one!
Curt Clifton@pschiller one of my absolute favorite things to do here!
toastedmilkThat’s a lot of seals
Conor@pschiller that final one where it’s covering it’s face is gold ⭐️
alexisw@pschiller fantastic photos, thanks for sharing (I went down a search rabbit hole as a result and learned that seals and sea lions have nails - some even on hind flippers).
Shawn King@pschiller WOW! Did you get *really* physically close or are you using a big zoom?
@KingShawn Both!! 90 to 280mm zoom lens. We stood close enough that we had to step back when a large male approached and moved across the spot we were standing on.
@pschiller "...we had to step back when a large male approached..."
LOL I can imagine! Those things are MASSIVE. I love the one shot you posted - looked like the elephant seal was posing for you. :)
Bill0004@pschiller @KingShawn based on these four photos it would appear that at least one of them “literally can’t even right now.” Great shots!
Christophe Lamperti@pschiller I remember it’s quite a pungent experience 😅
Ernesto Acosta 🗯️@pschiller They are incredible photos. 😍 Let me guess, shot with an iPhone 14 Pro Max?
Megatron@pschiller Great shots! Did you use a heavy zoom, or actually get up that close to them?
Dave Ryder@pschiller Beautiful
John Rearick
Bill Vinson@pschiller those are some great photos. We watched them a bit further down the coast this past summer. Same trip where we got to see Apple Park for the first time from the store’s observation deck. You definitely got the more up close and personal experience 😃
Dale Steele@pschiller Always good to appreciate from appropriate distances as at least one researcher learned when he was chased up the lighthouse stairs there and had to jump out the top window only to find the mad bull did the same and hit the sand still in pursuit! #wildlife
@Aplodontia I can believe it. These majestic bulls really moved fast!
Kevin Clark@pschiller Great shots! Which camera we’re you using? We want to know your setup 😃
@kevin Hi Kevin. Today I shot a Leica SL2 with 90-280 APO-Vario-Elmarit lens and my iPhone 14 Pro Max. Both great in the rain 📷
Stammy@pschiller @kevin great setup!
@pschiller Woah that’s an incredible lens! I also love shooting with a combo of iPhone 14 Pro and dedicated camera (Fuji X-T5 in my case), you’d think the big camera would always beat the iPhone but for more and more situations it doesn’t. Thanks for sharing Phil 😊
William Bout@pschiller @kevin That's a very nice kit!
Scoot 
Torstein@BOLT @pschiller I think he’s covering his nose, they are known to smell really bad
Erfin@pschiller I love the detail in the photos. Hope you had a great time!
Lincoln-Shaun@pschiller Fantastic photos. We should get coffee at work! 😁
superevr 
@pschiller I remember going there for a middle school field trip! They used to warn us that the elephent seals could chase us for a mile if we got too close
adacosta@pschiller The last pic, I hope you are getting my best side 😄
Migrated to @@pschiller I need to see those animals in person lol!