Photographer: Dennis Westover

Photo taken: April 23, 2021, San Juan Island

Photographer’s description: “My wife and I spent three days on San Juan at our son’s home. I photographed wildlife (mostly foxes) during the day, but one evening after dinner a pod of five orcas began surfacing less than 200 feet from shore in front of the house. Sony A1, 600mm f4 w2.0 TC, 1/2500.@ f4, ISO 2500.”

Critique: “Your after-dinner surprise is the envy of many a whale-watcher, I’m sure. What a treat to get to witness and photograph these magnificent creatures up close! Technically, the photo is sound, with plenty of highlight and shadow detail. Color is spot-on, and it’s sharp enough to see individual water droplets. I might crop a smidge off the right to help direct the eye to the orca, but all in all this is quite good. Thank you for sharing with us!”

Below is a gallery of previous Reader’s Lens picks. Share your recent photo from around the Northwest. Submit online at seattletimes.com/submit-photos. Our favorite will appear in this spot next week. We judge the year’s best and award prizes in December.