If you, like me, grew up in Baltimore, you've definitely made a few trips to the National Aquarium. Though the layout and exhibits have definitely changed a bit since my last visit (what happened to those awesome columns filled with bubbles?), it was so much fun to go back and enjoy this hometown gem with Eric and my dad.
Hanukkah gifts came early this year (my dad's family and I exchanged gifts over Thanksgiving), and I was delighted to receive a new lens for my Nikon. Though I didn't bring my actual camera to Baltimore, my dad always has a spare lying around This time it was the D7000, or what he likes to call his "little" camera. (It's not little, it's bigger than mine!)
To be honest, if my dad hadn't pushed me, I wouldn't have brought the camera to the aquarium at all. I stepped out of my comfort zone and used a camera and lens that were both bigger and heavier than what I'm used to.
Achieving good or even mediocre photographs was a challenge. Shooting through glass (often scratched or dirty) was no small feat. I never, ever focus my camera manually, but in this case it was a necessity- otherwise the shots would end up focusing on the glass or anything showing up in reflection!
In some cases, like the photo above, a little reflection actually made the photo even cooler! It sort of seems like the jellyfish is floating inside of a spaceship. The screen reflections didn't happen on purpose, but I'm happy with the result.
Though I took about a million photos throughout the aquarium, I was most happy with the jellyfish because of their whimsical shapes, celestial vibe and bright/contrast heavy colors.
I'm really, really proud of these photographs. They may not be my best, but I definitely would not have been able to take these types of photos a few years ago, or without the encouragement of my dad. Really, I feel so blessed to have such a cool and talented Dad.
I'll leave you with this photo that reminds me of 2 things: 1) a flame (while editing, I couldn't get 'Girl on Fire' out of my head) and 2) some sort of crispy, fried carbohydrate that you'd find on top of a piece of fish/a salad at a fancy restaurant.
