English: Fighting, Northern Elephant Seals (Mirounga angustirostris) at sunrise early light at Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, CA . 26 Jan 2013. (10 images in this set)

Photographing the Northern Elephant Seals (M. angustirostris) at Sunrise. Sat, Jan. 26, 2013, on a slightly foggy day that turned into a beautiful sunny experience. Mating, giving birth, fighting, yelling and squealing, and vying for very limited beach space, this Elephant Seal display is a must-see phenomenon, especially during the months of December, January, and February. A Photomorrobay Meet-up. See photomorrobay.com and tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/photomorrobay/ and www.flickr.com/groups/photomorrobay/ for more information. Shooting starts at 6:50 AM. Optional carpools to the San Simeon Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Overlook 34 miles north of Morro Bay, leave the Morro Bay Azure Street Morro Strand State Beach parking lot at 6:09 AM sharp arriving by 6:50 AM when the best shooting starts. A 9:20 AM high-tide brings the Alpha Male battles and mating scenes closer to the boardwalk thanusual. The best photos come from before 9:00 AM as early light can be very important here. Our past successful outings have been held between the dates of Jan. 22 - Feb. 2.

Use a tripod, and a lens reaching out to say 200mm to 300mm. 70-200 would be nice. There is a railing for handheld brace-shooting. Everyone welcome. No instruction.