11-24-13 The Mysterious Moon Jellyfish

Here's another capture from the Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska. As I was working on getting this photo ready for this post, it occurred to me that the photos you see here fall into one of about three categories: photos that demonstrate a process, photos that attempt to show a unique or new view of things, and photos of things, in which process, art and uniqueness are not primary considerations.

This Moon Jellyfish photo falls into the third category. Do a Google search and you will discover over a million hits. And many of the photos are much better than this one. So why post? Partly, to borrow a phrase from mountaineer George Mallory, "because it's there."

Also, because I often see and think analogously, this photo reminded me very much of the alleged "brain" in Michelangelo's famous centerpiece of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Judge for yourselves:

In case you are wondering, the "brain" is the form in which God (the one with clothes) seems to be floating. Had Michelangelo seen a human brain before he painted this? No doubt. Did he say the strange form in the painting was inspired by brains he had seen? No. What does it all mean?

What it means is that I accidentally took a photo that is vaguely reminiscent of Michelangelo. So at least for today, I am in good company.

Canon 5DIII 1/50s f/4.0 ISO2000 67mm

Creation of Adam photo courtesy of Wikimedia

11-18-13 Going To School

Those who follow my Instagram feed will have seen a variant of today's post. Both were taken at the Henry Doorly Aquarium and Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska. Deb is here for a Midwest Higher Education Compact meeting and I'm along as her driver, body guard and photographer. You didn't know that the president of Lake Area Technical Institute had people like me did you? All are unpaid positions.

Our group was visiting the aquarium for our dinner last night and I agree with Deb, who observed that she had never eaten a meal with sharks circling overhead.

We were served beef, not fish, so as not to insult the sharks.

11-16-13 Tropical Colors

This photo of a Hawaiian gecko is the third in a row in this blog that come from my 2006 collection. Like so many other photos of mine, it had been abandoned and exists only because I'm not good at throwing things away.

The colors in this photo are unlike almost any that occur naturally in South Dakota, though I am struck by how similar the color palettes are in this photo and in my recent post from Salt Lake City called "A Little Color." Check it out.

Canon 5D 1/2500s f/3.2 ISO100 135mm

11-15-13 Cat's Eyes

I'll bet you didn't know that a common characteristic of the four species of venemous snakes* in the US is that they all have "elliptical eye slits, aka "cat's eyes." The important thing, then, is that if you encounter a snake, you need to look it in the eyes to determine if it is deadly or not. If you stare in to a snake's eyes and see that they look more like a human's eyes, then he/she** is your friend.

Mac is no snake, of course. And he's not venomous. He has been known to kill mice and small birds from time to time but he does that primarily because that's what cats do in their spare time. Mac has been part of our family for 13 years now, though he is a sprightly 7 in this photo, taken in 2006.

Canon 5D 1/400s f/3.5 ISO400 135mm

*rattlesnake, cottonmouth, coral snake, copperhead **Only trained herpetologists can determine a snake's gender.

10-02-13 Fun & Games?

I don't normally take requests for this blog - largely because I don't get them. But yesterday, Brad H, one of the instructors at Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, South Dakota, saw me and told me I needed to post more Alaska photos. He said, "You must have more than we've seen on your blog!"

The fact is that I do have more but I'm trying to show my versatility by posting other photos. :-) But, because Brad asked for one, here's a whale for you.

We saw many whales on our cruise to southeast Alaska in August but only once did we see one frolicking as this one was. Though "frolic" may not be the right word since experts don't necessarily agree on why they jump out of the water. Whatever the reason, this young whale put on a heck of a show for us on a day that would have been perfect even if he/she hadn't shown up.

Canon 5DIII 1/640s f/8.0 ISO250 170mm

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09-28-13 Cooling Off

I am calling this "Cooling Off," though it could be that they are warming up. "They" are harbor seals that we encountered resting on ice bergs as we left the area of the Dawes Glacier. They are staring at us with suspicion while we were staring at them with wonder.

Canon 5DIII 1/800s f/7.1 ISO400 280mm

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09-14-13 Morning Procession

I was anchored near the mouth of Mission Creek at Lake Oahe (Missouri River) a couple weeks ago when I noticed movement on the point of the far shore. Using my binoculars, I noticed that it was a group of deer walking slowly along the beach. A few minutes later, I saw them walk into the water and then start to swim to the south point of the bay I was in. I estimated that the swim was about 1/4 mile and was more than a little surprised since I didn't know deer could swim.

Eventually, they arrived on the near shore and, having checked me out, hurried up the hill and out of sight. Below you will find two other photos I took in the sequence, including one where the buck (who was last in the line) has stopped and is checking me out. Given that he didn't have his Speedos on, do I dare say that he was "buck naked?" (Sorry.)

Canon 5DIII 1/1600s f/8.0 ISO400 200mm

05-07-13 Out To Pasture

It is a fact known to my family, friends and associates. But I haven't in any formal or public way made the announcement: after 36 1/2 years of being a classroom teacher, I am retiring. I am down to my last three days with "my" students in "my" classroom.

When I was younger, I used to think that retirement meant being "put out to pasture." Thus, I offer today's photo. But having watched friends and colleagues who have retired, it seems that life sometimes gets busier after retirement.

So the question I get is: "What am I going to do now?" The answer: "More photography, of course."

02-24-13 Jungle Cat

This is Mac and he is a highly evolved animal. And because he is a hunter, he also needs rest. I figure he sleeps 21 hours a day. I also figured that since he seemed pretty ensconced in this red chair, I might be able to get an HDR photo of the sleepy cat. After all, one of the rules for successful HDR photography is a subject that doesn't move much. A sleeping cat was perfect.It turned out that Mac moved just enough (eyes go from mostly closed to totally closed; tail is constantly flicking around, etc) that the three exposures were less than perfect. Oh well.I did get one decent exposure using flash bounced off the ceiling. So here's Mac. Fierce, wily and dangerous? Nope.

01-15-13 At Ease

"And now," as Rocky would say, "for something completely different."Yes, the voyeur in me had to capture this scene: a man, sleeping quietly in a Denver, CO, park being watched by a squirrel. And, for my loyal readers, a trivia question: who was Rocky?

01-05-12 Nuts!

One of my new year's resolutions is to go through old photos that I have on DVDs and see if there is anything worth salvaging. I have found a few, including this one. Though I am also amazed by the number of really bad photos I took with my first high end digital camera (a Canon 1D). It is proof that it isn't the camera that takes the photo. The photographer makes the photo.

12-30-12 Friend or Foe

The coati is a relative of the raccoon, an animal we are familiar with in South Dakota. These coati were part of a band of 15 or so and they were pretty good at working the residents of the resort we stayed at recently. They look cute and innocent but they could be aggressive, as my brother-in-law found out. One of them climbed right up his leg looking for a handout and leaving bleeding claw marks. All of the signs on the resort said "Don't feed the animals." That was probably good advice.