It’s 9:30pm here, and I just got back from a full day of scuba diving off the reefs of Koh Phi Phi (an island that is one of the top ten places in the world to scuba dive). Brian and I are going through the scuba certification process, and today was my turn to leave him with the kids. 🙂
Picture a two story rustic boat, blue skies, full sun, cool breeze, turquoise waters, naps on the two hour boat ride there, naps on the two hour boat ride back :), fresh pineapple, green curry over rice for lunch, AND no kids pulling on my shirt from 8am to 8pm. Awwwwwwwww.
In the middle of my second dive, we were 12 meters down (36 feet). Out of nowhere, I had an unexpected meeting with a beautiful sea turtle! He was magical! A real life Hawksbill sea turtle!
(photo taken by Sandra Edwards)
This big guy was almost as long as Blaze is in height! I couldn’t help but follow after him. I was mesmerized, and for a brief moment, nothing else mattered expect to follow the sea turtle. Honestly, seeing this creature glide through the water left me changed. I can’t quite explain it in words yet, but I had to share.
Brian and I are also learning A LOT about underwater photography! Our scuba instructor also shoots professionally underwater (what a coincidence, huh!), and he’s introduced us to a couple other underwater photographers. The whole art of underwater photography is completely fascinating! The white balance challenges alone get me all excited. Did you know that the deeper you go in water, the more color you lose? First you lose red tones, then you begin to lose yellows, and so forth–so you have to adjust your white balance continuously. Many underwater photographers shoot with a red filter to compensate for the loss of red tones. Ohhh, my mind is exploding with ALL that I’m learning about underwater photography! It’s a whole new world to shoot with all new rules and tricks!
And to top it all off…I came back and heard that Blaze swam on his own for the FIRST time today! What a big day for our family!
I am completely exhausted but had to share my unexpected meeting with all of you. It was to magical to keep to myself!
Glad you all liked the Back Lighting photo recipe and photo coaching yesterday! I’ll try to answer your questions tomorrow! Off to bed to dream of sea turtles (so much better than Flying Termites!).
xoxoxo,
m
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Turtles are pretty neat guys! My husband and I were snorkeling in Maui, and all of the sudden, we were in the middle of a dozen or so turtles. The funny part was, they seemed just as excited to see us. They would look at us under water and then pop to the surface to see what we looked like from above. Then they’d duck back under peeking right at us. So fun! I hope your kiddos get to see them too. 🙂
Oh I am so hoping to see sea turtles once I get to Hawaii! And I am completely obsessed with underwater photography. I have seen some of the most beautiful photos of kelp that I want to frame and hang on my walls…an underwater camera outifit is certainly on my wish list! Something about being free underwater, discovering the unknown, being out of your element…it’s all quite a metaphor isn’t it?!
I expect the unexpected with you!
Flying termites, monkeys, geckos, turtles, glow the dark swimming… What’s nest?
These last posts have been so wonderful! Love the images as well as the stories. But they have also got me thinking about a decision Chelsie and I have to make and I’d like to get some opinions from any/all who might want to contribute. We are about to invest in a second camera and our thoughts were to keep in the Canon line because we already have a 40D. We would be able to share lenses, etc. if we stay with what we already have. BUT…..the more I see and hear Me Ra’s posts I’m wondering if we should venture into Sony territory for our second camera? We would lose the flexibility of sharing lenses but would it be worth it? Does anyone have any suggestions on which Sony model and lens to start with? I just love, love, love hearing about this adventure and am so excited for your entire family Me Ra and Brian! Keep those posts coming Please!!
Your day sounds like a little slice of heaven! And underwater photography too? And Blaze swimming on his own? Brilliant! Enjoy every moment and thanks for taking the time to share your adventures!
And in response to Addie’s comment, my friend who has lots of Canon lenses just got a Canon Mark II and is absolutely thrilled with it. I have the Sony A350 and Sony A900 and wouldn’t trade either for another camera. But you should get the camera that feels right to you. Maybe read camera reviews online and talk to your photographer friends, then decide. Best of luck!
Oh my gosh Me Ra! I am sitting in a staff meeting right now and am sooo wanting to be napping on a boat under the beautiful blue sunny skies and warm!!!! We still have snow on the ground here!
Have a great day!!!!
how exciting! what a great picture…have a great day.
Seriously, all I can say is amazing, jealous, blessed….
What a cool experience
MeRa, I love reading about your family’s adventures – thanks for sharing!!
🙂
Sounds like a little piece of Heaven. That would definitely be a worship-inspiring incident for me.
You guys are WAY too cool to come home and hang out with me! OMG Blaze! That sling shot is SAWEEEEEEET!!! Hope you show that Alpha Male monkey punk who is the real boss!!
Pascaline! I can’t believe that was YOU climbing that rock wall! When did you get so CRAZY!! You must be watching too much of that crazy monkey stuff!! I was climbing a wall like that once and when I got to the top I got “beached”, as in a “beached whale”. I had my arms on the top surface, but my body was still on the wall and I couldn’t pull myself up!! My friend had to run around the cliff all the way to the top and pull me up by my arms. I was “beached” with my legs shaking for like 15 minutes. I WAS SOOOOO SCARED!!! AND I WASN’T WEARING A ROPE!!!
By the way, do you guys think curious George was derived from one of those yellow baby monkeys?
Hey Blaze and Pascaline, I got an idea!! You should catch some of those geckos and put them under mom and dad’s blanket tonight!!
Anwho, I’m soooo jelous! You guys are having so much fun. I wish I was getting my scuba certificate, shooting monkeys, climbing walls, running through sand, eating green curry over rice for lunch and napping on a wooden boat!!!
I miss you guys sooooooo much and can’t wait to see you!!
WOW how exciting!!! Sounds like you had a FABULOUS day!!!! You are sooo lucky!!!!!
Thanks, Paris Parfait, for the suggestions. We appreciate any and all input before we invest in the next camera!
Very nice pose and composition; good lighting shows off colors and lovely pattern details. What kind of strobes do you use?
Very nice pose and composition; lighting brings out the lovely patterns and colors. What kind of strobes did you use?