Jellies! [Underwater Photography]
Uploaded: July 19, 2012 09:57:06
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Exif: F Number: 10, Exposure Bias Value: -0.33, ExposureTime: 10/1000 seconds, Flash: did not fire., ISO: 800, White balance: Auto white balance, FocalLength: 22.00 mm, Model: NIKON D5100
Michael Kelly July 19, 2012
Elain this is a wonderful capture. I have shot at the Montery Bay Aquarium numerous times and it is very difficult to get good clear, well exposed, and sharp pictures do to the difficult lighting, and movement of the various sea creatures along with the problems of the thick fingerprinted glass. You did a terrific job with this one. I like the diagonal comp too. #1475759Elaine Hessler July 19, 2012
Thanks! You are correct-it was a bit tricky, but it really depended on the jellyfish and the tank they were in. To be honest, there was a little bit of "spray and pray". Many weren't this sharp because the darn things are always moving and the light was a bit dim. This was one of the best aquariums I have been to. Evidently it is really hard to keep them healthy otherwise you'd find them everywhere. They had an awesome exhibit-I highly recommend it! #10236455Stephen Shoff July 19, 2012
I agree, nicely done. An interesting pictures. #10236495Jeff E Jensen July 19, 2012
Yup, very cool! #10236744Debbie E. Payne July 20, 2012
There is one outside do DC in Maryland that is a great aquarium. Allison and I almost went there when we wee in DC. #10237662Debbie E. Payne July 20, 2012
Got carried away and forgot to tell you what a nice image. There are so many obstacles to low light photography. I don't think I have more than two or three images taken at a aquarium that I would even post.Anthony L. Mancuso July 21, 2012
Great shot under the circumstances Elaine...I have tried shooting at several aquariums and it's never easy to get one this good with all the challenges Mike mentioned going on.. #10238570Aimee C. Eisaman July 21, 2012
Love the diagonal comp and the way it gives a feel for the direction of movement. Like the others have said a great shot in such low light. I'm not even seeing any noise. Did you work on the noise in editing or did you use a low ISO? :~) #10238616Elaine Hessler July 21, 2012
Thanks again! The ISO was 800, f/10, 1/100 sec. I was pretty happy I didn't have to go higher with the ISO. These guys were moving, but not as fast as some of the others and they reflected a decent amount of light. I never thought about fingerprints on the glass, but they must have been cleaning all the time because I didn't notice any.I was looking back to the flipped horse picture and was wondering if this flipped version is more appealing.... Let me know:) #10238778
Aimee C. Eisaman July 21, 2012
I don't care for the flipped version as much. This one works well as originally posted because my eyes are moving with the subject as I enter the frame from left to right. In the flipped version it is like I'm having to fight to get past it so to speak. Does that make sense? #10238857Rita K. Connell July 21, 2012
I am very impressed with this shot. the details is very nice, I agree the flip doesn't work for me for the reason aimee said. the other reason it is hard to get image at the Aquarium is because there is so many people and you need to keep moving.great shot! #10239428
Elaine Hessler July 21, 2012
Thanks for the comments-I am still learning about how we look at photos and why certain things are appealing and some aren't, so thanks for the input! I forgot to tell you all I did was a little sharpening in PSE, no noise reduction was needed. #10239496Peter W. Marks July 22, 2012
This is fascinating Elaine. I agree with Aimee that the original version is better for exactly the reasons she stated. It is always difficult to explain why an identical flipped image works or doesn't work but she has nailed it. Here in the western world when we look at the text on a page in a book for instance, our eyes immediately focus on the left side of the page to start reading and I guess that habit gets ingrained in us. With the flipped image our eyes stop at the dominant head of the jellyfish and so we tend not to take in the whole scene. I would be really interested to know if someone who is severely dyslexic sees it that way.Elaine Hessler July 22, 2012
Hmm, interesting. How is this image different from the horses? If I am remembering right, your eyes end up on the horses' faces which are on the left in the flipped version.... This is a tough one for me. And would someone from Isreal like my flipped version better? :)These are spotted jellies and you can read about their cultivation here : http://montereybayaquarium.typepad.com/sea_notes/2010/05/a-look-inside-our-jellyfish-laboratory.html
As for the set up, no polarizer was used and I did get up close to the glass, but did not have my lens flat on it. It was just dumb luck there were no fingerprints or reflections. No flash was used of course. I just used the lowest possible ISO that would still give me a relatively fast shutter speed. I have a few more images from the aquarium that I'll post in the future. I am working on a fun puffin picture right now that needs extensive editing. Dale has been kind enough to tutor me in pse. In this image, I just removed a few specks of "dust" and that was it besides the sharpening. Thanks for your input! #10240097
Aimee C. Eisaman July 22, 2012
In the images of the horses there were many different horses and one of the most interesting ones was laying down in the water and it's head was to the right of the image. Honestly there are no cut and dry rules...each image is different and can have several elements that can hold stock in the outcome. :~) #10240393Beth Spencer July 22, 2012
I really like your original one the best!!! You did a great job!! I went to this aquarium several years ago when visiting my sister and it was awesome. these are very hard to shoot without reflections and stuff. Great job!! #10240514Carla Capra Anderson July 23, 2012
This is just fantastic and for all the reasons stated. I too, like your original post. Very well done. Congrats on your EP. #10241042Elaine Hessler July 23, 2012
Thanks!!! :) #10241065Aimee C. Eisaman August 30, 2012
Congrats on the beautiful phinalist Elaine....awesome! :~) #10300053Elaine Hessler August 30, 2012
Thanks Aimee!!! #10300456Beth Spencer August 31, 2012
Congrats! Way to go! #10301160JO ANN CLEVELAND September 08, 2012
Perfect timing on this outstanding capture Elaine!Big congratulations!
jo ann c. #10314222
Elaine Hessler September 08, 2012
THANK YOU! #10314232Sign up for an interactive online photography course to get critiques on your photos.
Discussions by Category: You can view photo discussions on various themes in the Community > Photo Discussions section of the site.
BetterPhoto Websites: If you see an orange website link directly under the photographer's name, it's totally okay. It's not spam. The reason: BetterPhoto is the one that offers these personal photography websites. We are supporting our clients with those links.
Unavailable EXIF: If there is no other information but 'Unavailable' in the EXIF (meaning no EXIF data exists with the photo), the 'Unavailable' blurb is not displayed. If there is any info, it shows. Many photos have the EXIF stripped out when people modify the image and resave it, before uploading.
The following truth is one of the core philosophies of BetterPhoto:
I hear, I forget.
I see, I remember.
I do, I understand.
You learn by doing. Take your next online photography class.
Copyright for this photo belongs solely to Elaine Hessler.
Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
Log in to follow or message this photographer or report this photo.
I already have an account!