Adventure filmmaker David Hartman of Hayfire Media was working on a promotional video for a West Coast outfitter when he captured this amazing footage of an adult orca whale and calf swimming in unison.
“This project was proposed to me on very short notice, and before I knew it I was flying out to a remote area off the northwestern coast of Vancouver Island,” says Hartman, who followed along on a few expeditions to get a diversity of footage while capturing the remote beauty and wildness of the area. “I quickly realized that this was about so much more than sea kayaking. I decided to devote much of my time to filming wildlife and the landscape.”
The video was made from a drone, and offers a unique perspective on the graceful movements of these playful creatures. “This was a special project for me because it was my first experience with whales, and you really can’t understand how majestic this creatures are until you see them in person,” says the Toronto-based Hartman, who adds that the drone was essential in capturing both the wildlife and grandeur of the area. He describes flying the drone out of a 16-foot Boston Whaler as a “complicated endeavor,” especially when following whales through tumultuous currents!
Watch more of Hartman’s films and check out his other work here.
