<p dir="ltr"><strong><a href="http://www.justin-hofman.com/">Justin Hofman</a> was at the right place at the right time with this right whale.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p dir="ltr">The look-twice photo has captured imaginations around the web with its juxtaposition of the right whale's humongous mass with a small boat.</p><p><strong></strong></p><p dir="ltr">The irony is that right whales are among the gentlest creatures on Earth and are endangered because of human activities.</p><p><strong></strong></p><p dir="ltr">Hofman was recently on a trip on the vessel <em><a href="http://www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com/triptypes/ngexplorertrips?utm_source=news.nationalgeographic.com&amp;utm_medium=Link&amp;utm_content=20140106_PhotographerCapturesAstonishingImagesOfSouthernRightWhales_ExplorerShip&amp;utm_campaign=NGdotcom">National Geographic Explorer</a></em>, diving off Argentina's Patagonian coast from <a href="http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/buenos-aires-argentina/">Buenos Aires</a> to <a href="http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/365-photos/trees-tierra-del-fuego-argentina/">Ushuaia</a> and photographing southern right whales.</p><p><strong></strong></p><p dir="ltr">He used an SLR camera and an underwater video camera, getting as close to the curious, quiet, and shy animals as he could.</p><p><strong></strong></p><p dir="ltr">"Almost all [the images] are within six feet," Hofman said in an interview.</p><p><strong></strong></p><p dir="ltr">Shooting the photographs required a lot of planning.</p><p><strong></strong></p><p dir="ltr">"I was picturing the event almost every night before getting to sleep," Hofman said, explaining that his group’s diving permit was for just a single day. "I was almost obsessed with the right whales because I knew we'd only get one chance."</p><p><strong></strong></p><p dir="ltr">"<a href="http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/tag/valdes-peninsula/">Valdes Peninsula</a> [off the coast of <a href="http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/argentina-guide/">Argentina</a>, where the shots were taken] is an incredibly windy place that can be closed down any day of the year, so us having the permit for only one day was a huge gamble."</p><p><strong></strong></p><p dir="ltr">As this photo has made the rounds online, some have questioned its veracity.</p><p><strong></strong></p><p dir="ltr">"I've gotten a lot of emails and comments about the over/under shot being fake," Hofman said. "I promise everyone that this is not a composition of two photos and was only possible with the help of a skillful boat handler who placed the boat in the perfect position."</p><p dir="ltr"><em>—Tanya Basu </em></p>