Sunday, February 7, 2010

The Aquarium


In an attempt to gain more photography experience, I took some time to go to one of the many aquariums here in North Carolina. This particular aquarium is located south of Camp LeJeune just past Wilmington/Carolina Beach. The last time I drove this far south, Michael and I were taking a leisurely bike ride in the humid heat of the summer. I was amazed by the multi-million dollar bright pieces of real estate that are cramped together on every bit of grassy land by the ocean. It really is so different than anything I have ever seen. Today's trip was different than the one he and I took last summer - the streets were not lined with bathing-suit clad women and there was not a hum of activity coming from the long stretch of tourist attractions that line the 25-mph street. It was nice, though. Quiet and cold with only the locals having lunch in the hole-in-the-wall diners.

Anyway, I've attached some of my favorite pictures from this particular trip the aquarium. My new camera definitely does a better job in the confines of a dark aquarium... but I was also struck by the fact that to my eye, everything was beautiful but to my camera, everything had a HUGE amount of glare or reflection. It was frustrating at times, but I think I got a few good shots. In the end, I had a good time - which is the point, right? Such beautiful things in the water.





The jellyfish proved to be very difficult to photograph. The camera had a hard time focusing on the sheer creatures and the tank was super dark - so the shutter speed had to be open for a long time which makes it difficult to get everything in focus. Still, they are amazing. Oh, and I have seen jellyfish up close here in North Carolina.



They had a few alligators at this aquarium. They were magnificent animals... just sitting so still.



A few pictures of underwater greens...


A little green frog...

A snake hiding in some leaves...

A starfish laying in the water...



A few blue frogs...


A stingray - perhaps my favorite picture of the day...


Some coral... these are true colors, by the way.

A turtle - I seriously think he was looking at me...

A few other random pictures...


And a very cool pictures of a 5-month old sea turtle. North Carolina has several sea turtle conservation efforts/organizations. They are very popular creatures here... and quite cute, too. This one is named "A" and will be released back into the wild when he gets older. His siblings - "B" and "C" - will also go back to the ocean later this year.


3 comments:

  1. Great photos Emily. I love the one of the jelly fish.

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  2. Nice pictures! How in the world did you find the snake? I can never find the snake. Most of the time I think there's never one in there.

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  3. I know the feeling, Dad. He was just poking his head out enough for me to see his white areas. There was another exhibit for a particular type of turtle that the marker said would bury itself in the dirt when it gets too cold for them. Surprise, surprise... I couldn't find them at all!

    Thanks, Tina! I liked it, too.

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