Dirty Thirty Photography

Last weekend we took the two hour journey south to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, CA. It was well worth the trip. There is no Jaguar Shark exhibit, however, I imagine that even the great Steve Zissou would admit that the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a great way to view aquatic wildlife. The aquarium building is not massive, but maximizes its space with numerous types of oceanic life forms. The highlight for me was the jellyfish exhibit (as will be evidenced by the large number of images of them to follow). Everything was great and well worth the time and money. We were at the aquarium for a little over 3 hours which honestly felt more like 30 minutes. In fact, I think there were a few exhibits that I did not even see. There are also numerous interactive displays and a cafe on property.

If you are interested in taking pictures I would offer these few tips:

Go early because it gets very busy. We went on a Saturday in the summer which I assume is probably one of the busiest days. If possible, a weekday visit would afford better photographic opportunities.
Turn up the ISO. In my opinion, a little noise is well worth the faster shutter speed.
Bring a fast lens. I think a zoom with a very low fixed aperture would be ideal.
Don't use flash. I am sure that there are people much more knowledgeable than me that can use off camera flash in an aquarium. However, if you are not one of those people, don't use your flash.
Shoot a lot of images. It is a bit chaotic and you might not have much time to set up each shot, so the best solution seems to be to dial in the settings correctly and then shoot away!

In conclusion, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the best and you should visit if you get the chance. Below are a sampling of images from my visit, not including the jellyfish. The jellyfish commanded most of my lens time and I will follow this with a separate post dedicated to nothing but jellyfish. Thank you for stopping by and take care!

I found it impossible to get a good focus on any of the seahorses. It might have something to do with the curvature of the glass or it might be that seahorses are just jerks and refuse to pose for a good picture.

Rachel with an aquatic admirer.

This is my favorite fish in the whole aquarium. I love how his habitat looks so surreal and his face looks so familiar and grumpy.

I added this as a reminder of what a truly horrific place the ocean can be. As evidenced by this fish with a missing eyeball. Mitch Hedberg was right "if fish could scream the ocean would be loud as shit!".

The last week saw the end of the 2012 London Olympics, my first trip to a churrascaria, and a few pictures (including finding my namesake on a particularly seedy looking motel).

2012 London Olympics- I watched more of the Olympics this summer than I have ever before. Below are 15 observations, thoughts, and opinions about the Games of the XXX Olympiad...

The summer Olympics truly is a great event if for no other reason than to remind us how big the world is and how many countries exist that aren't usually recognized.
I would gladly live in any city with Boris Johnson as the Mayor.
Usain Bolt is really, really, fast and has a true superstar persona.
Misty May and Kerri Walsh seem like two of the most likable big time athletes.
The US women's soccer team is considerably less likable.
I would give NBC's coverage a C, no one likes tape delays for sporting events.
It was great to watch the US men's basketball team and I am happy they won gold, but now I can go back to cheering against Lebron.
The uneven bars in women's gymnastics is the single most incredible event.
I enjoyed water polo and volleyball more than I ever thought I would have...
...but basketball and soccer are still my favorite team sports to watch.
Anything inside the velodrome is terrible.
Nobody is happier with a bronze metal than the South Korean men's soccer team that in turn are excused from mandatory military service.
The second best Olympian name is Hulk (Brazil soccer) the best name... Dong Dong (Chinese gymnastics).
I enjoyed watching the swimming, but once every four years is just about right.
I was surprised at the initial negative reviews for the closing ceremonies. They were upbeat and full of easily recognizable songs and faces, and most importantly everyone there seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Churrascaria- This past weekend included a trip to Espetus Churrascaria in San Mateo. We went with the same friends that joined us a few weeks ago at the House of Prime Rib. After eating at HOP it was decided that we should go somewhere offering even more absurd amounts of meat. As I have previously stated, I do not eat a lot of meat, but looked forward to trying a Brazilian Steak House. It did not disappoint. The 14 kinds of skewered meat we tried were delicious and included Filet, Sirloin, and Shrimp. The meal was further amplified by the salad bar that included marinated eggplant, scalloped potatoes, and prosciutto. Although, my favorite thing was probably the fried plantains that are brought to the table. My least favorite thing was definitely the bite of chicken heart that I tried. Chicken hearts aren't for me, but my boy Chris loved them and ate about 20. Truly making him the bad guy from Temple of Doom if the Indians were chickens.

Pictures of the Week-

I was out exploring and ended up right by the SF Zoo. I did not pay to go into the zoo because it was a free day for SF residents (living in Burlingame is apparently not close enough) and therefore it was a mass of humanity. However, there is a section at the front entrance where you can see zebras and giraffes before you have to show a ticket. I hung out there for a few minutes and took this image of a photogenic giraffe and his friend.

This is in a beat down and abandoned building across from the from entrance of the SF Zoo. I sincerely hope has never been used for its stated purpose.