When Machi Yoshida visited an aquarium and saw orcas when she was a five-year-old child, the Japanese photographer instantly knew what she wanted to do with her life.
“I fell in love with these beautiful animals,” Yoshida tells PetaPixel. “Since then, I always wanted to work with orcas.”
But after realizing the aquarium was the wrong place for these ocean-faring creatures to exist, she got a job on an orca whale-watching boat in Japan and began traveling to Western Australia to see the Bremer Bay orcas.
That was in 2018 and she has since spent seven seasons with the Bremer Bay orcas working on an identity catalog where she takes a staggering 8,000 photos per day some 30 miles (50 kilometers) off the coast where there is an annual congregation of marine life which draws tourists and scientists.
“I can recognize over 150 individuals by looking at them,” adds Yoshida who can tell them apart by distinctive white patches on their faces.
Yoshida lives her dream by working on whale watching baots in both Australia and Japan selling some of her photos and also working as a barista when she has spare time in Bremer Bay.
Sightseers who board Yoshida’s boat can browse the photos in her identity catalog and recognize individual orcas themselves.
She tells ABC News Australia that her favorite orca in Bremer Bay is one called Nibbles who regularly jumps in front of the boat.
“I found that impressive and instantly fell in love and since then he has been my favorite,” she adds.
Yoshida is currently in South Africa where she was invited on a whale-watching tour and recently photographed a pod of nine orcas.
“I want to travel the world to see orcas in other countries in between the Japanese and Australian orca seasons,” Yoshida says of her future plans.
“Following these amazing animals has allowed me to connect with people all over the world. This year, I got an invitation on a whale-watching tour in South Africa where I am currently photographing these wild animals.”
Image credits: Photographs by Machi Yoshida.
