iPhoneography

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I never go anywhere without my iPhone. I am surprised at just how much fun it is. Who knew? (well, millions actually). The camera is the most used feature (along with the many processing apps). Big surprise? Without it, I would have missed capturing these scenes of light on my morning walks around town. This one was taken just down the street (W.Dunne) from my house.

I took this on my way into the CRC for an early yoga class. Half the sky was lit up. Camera shake prevented a clear photo, so I "posterized" it in PS Elements.

I have walked by this old oak on E. Third Street many times. On this particular morning, my timing was perfect. Within a minute, the glow was gone. HDR Pro took 2 photos and blended them. I further processed it in Snapseed.

This morning was overcast and cold with no sky on fire or glowing trees; but on my hike part way up El Toro (the easy part), I still found interesting scenes that whispered, "Take a picture of me." The next 3 were also taken with HDR Pro and processed with Snapseed.

Big Lens allows you (me) to set depth of field
after the photo is taken. Cool, huh?

I realized this morning that my camera is a terrific companion.
We always have a good time together.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

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Photographing in an aquarium presents a few challenges: tripods are not allowed, the light is low, and the constantly moving subjects are encased in thick, fingerprint-smudged glass. In the reef exhibit (my favorite), the vibrant colors of the corals and other animals grabbed my attention. I cranked up the ISO to get a faster shutter speed, leaned my lens against the glass to steady the camera, and shot this Bat Star and Tube Anemones.

This was taken with a fish eye lens (seemed appropriate)
attached to my iPhone.

Did I mention the vibrant colors?

In the kelp forest, the Pacific Sardines swim in an endless circle.

Watching Jellyfish is a mesmerizing experience. It is difficult to take your eyes off their constant, undulating motion. Remember lava lamps? Instead of long, trailing tentacles, the translucent moon jellies use a short, fine fringe to sweep in plankton and fish eggs. WARNING: "Plastic bags that end up in the ocean often look like jellies to animals that depend on these drifting creatures for food. Thousands of turtles and birds die each year after swallowing indigestible wads of plastic mistaken for jellies."

The rare Leafy Sea Dragon, a close cousin to the Seahorse, is now my favorite ocean animal. their long, leaf-like appendages provide perfect camouflage in seaweed beds. They're nearly impossible to spot as they slowly sway back and forth with the current. I spent a long time waiting for it to move into the open. Can you imaging being such an exotic creature?

I deleted many more photos than I kept from this afternoon of shooting. Scores were out of focus, blurry, too dark to save, or I caught only part of a darting fish. But I left the building in awe of the remarkable diversity of life that has evolved on Earth. It is a privilege to be a part of it. You can see more aquarium photos on my Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/