Just as I sat down to create this blog, at 8:55 pm pst, we just had an earthquake!! I was sitting here getting ready to type this and bring up the photos when the whole building wrenched and then everything 'shivered' for a few seconds. I was born here in San Diego, and grew up with the 3.0 to 3.5 quivers, as I called them. We got them at least once a week or biweekly. So, now I really feel at home now! It was probably around 3.0 magnitude from the feel of it. I was in one earthquake over in La Mesa back in 1966 and it was 6.2 on the Richter Scale and it was major. In fact, a quarter mile from my apartment, a huge gaping rip in the earth opened up. So, with this quiver, I watch. Since being in a major earthquake, I know there can be serveral 'swarm' quakes before the 'major' one hits. So, as I work on this blog, the seat of my pants in the chair will be my warning system :-)).
Yesterday (Wednesday) we went to one of my all time fav’s here in San Diego--the Birch Aquarium at the famous Scripps Institute; one of the great marine biology centers in the world.
I had a heck of a time photographing. I had 2” to 6” thick glass that my lens had to get through in order to photograph. Then, no matter what setting I put my camera on, nothing would give me enough life. I was forced into doing a flash which I truly disliked. I don’t like to use the flash for anything, much less on fish in an aquarium. I saw others using a flash on their cameras, so got over it and started to do some photographing.
Each exhibit at Birch is a work of art, moving art, quite literally. You'll see that in all the photos I took. This is a gorgeous anemone...such a pale pink and so fragile looking.
The amount of fish, their colors, are incredible. I felt like I was in a rainbow. The Aquarium has done a wonderful job on exhibiting the anemones, jellyfish, the sharks, the fish and “sea dragons”--I call them ‘leafy’ sea horses.
This is a huge blue eel. I had to shoo with a high ISO, so most of these photos are going to be 'grainy' looking. A high ISO was the only way to get some 'light' into the photos.
I love jellyfish! I'm enamoured with their slow motion ballet moves through the water. If I'm not mistaken (and could be), I believe this is the most poisonous jellyfish in the world--they are sooooo teeny, tiny...the size of a dime. And, I undersand that if you get stung, you can die in 3-5 minutes afterward. They're so small you'd never see them in the ocean....wow. And yet, they look so incredible fragile. Who would guess they were so deadly? Amazing.
I'm always in awe of Mother Nature and her coloring of her family.
Outside, they have a tidal pool exhibit that over looks the marine blue Pacific Ocean. And, the shark exhibit is nearby. It’s a wonderful way to spend a morning or afternoon. My only gripe is they didn’t have lattes....only coffee. Am I spoiled or what? haha.
Sorry, but I'm no expert on fish, so forgive me. I shot the fish that were colorful. And this little yellow fellow was fetching against a blue background.
What is an ocean without anemones, urchins and star fish?!
This fish isn't gorgeous, rather plain, really. But I got a good headshot of him!
I loved the diversity of color between these three fish.
I loved this orange jellyfish. It is about the size of your palm (the round head of it), with the tentacles flowing out like wisps of hair, whim to the ocean current.
These are called MOON jellyfish, and you can see why. I just loved watching them open and collapse their 'parachute' heads. And, if you got them in the right light, their round circles on top glowed a neon pink!
And here is a Moon jellyfish where the flash has hit it just so and you can see the neon pink circles on top of its head. Really rad!!
Jellyfish are like silent ghosts floating rhythmically through the sea like ballet dancers. I could spend a mesmerizing hour filming them--they put me into a deep, medatative state as I watch them with their 'bellows' like motions.
I couldn't get enough of the Moon jellyfish...they put me into a deep meditation!
In the next couple of days I’ll post more photos than those you will see below. Enjoy the color of Mother Nature!
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