dunniteowl
FollowThese are probably one of the most feared jellyfishes known to man. They can show up in the thousands and have one of the most venemous toxins of all the jelly...
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These are probably one of the most feared jellyfishes known to man. They can show up in the thousands and have one of the most venemous toxins of all the jellyfishes. This one, beached as it was, I found to be of greater photographic interest.
The nearly clear bubble of it's "Sail" combined with the almost flourescent blues against the backdrop of low tide hardpack sand and kelp was too good to pass. Most folks walking by ignore these sorts of things. Seeing me on my stomach, camera in hand and propped up on my elbows, though -- now that brought some stares.
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The nearly clear bubble of it's "Sail" combined with the almost flourescent blues against the backdrop of low tide hardpack sand and kelp was too good to pass. Most folks walking by ignore these sorts of things. Seeing me on my stomach, camera in hand and propped up on my elbows, though -- now that brought some stares.
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dunniteowl
February 01, 2011
A bit late, I know. I just wanted to say thanks for the compliment. I have seen a fair amount of your work in Viewbug galleries and definitely appreciate your compliment, considering the body of your work I have seen.
OrionBR21
October 07, 2011
Congratulations on being featured! I took a couple pictures of one of these last summer but they didn't turn out like yours!! :)
dunniteowl
October 07, 2011
Thanks to all of you! Thanks to the "editors" for granting this photo a Feature award. Thanks to the Portuguese Man-O-War for being where it was. And thanks to my mom for not minding that I was weird from the get-go.
dunniteowl
October 07, 2011
Thanks again to you well wishers! I tend to respond directly so they don't show up here. 255 characters is just too small a space to be properly gracious.
candyman735@hotmail.com
October 07, 2011
Nice color and interesting photo! Congrats on your feature!
dunniteowl
January 01, 2012
Thanks! Is it annoying to hear (or read) an artist admitting they like their own work? Because I like this one a lot, too!
korinna
July 25, 2012
it feels like real :) I have never seen so close any jellyfishes at all :) great shot!
dunniteowl
July 25, 2012
Thanks korinna! It is real. (Kidding around here) I don't usually get this close to jellyfish in the water (unless I'm snorkeling), but never this close to a Man-O-War in or out of the water until this photo.
dunniteowl
July 25, 2012
Thanks Sammiepue. This is one of my favorite photos of living things classified as animals -- at least of the ones I took. And I have a lot of photos of animals I like. This one, though for me, stands out in terms of overall composition and framing. I'm a pretty harsh critic of my own work and I still like this one.
Duff
September 05, 2012
This is a Fabulous Shot! Sorry Im late on the Congratulations! Very Nicely Done!
dunniteowl
September 05, 2012
I like to say, "You're never too late to congratulate!" Thanks, too! Man, I really need to get a chance to get back to the beaches. It's hell on my camera, however I love the opportunities of fish life, birds, waves, etc.
DearTam
September 08, 2012
LOL at your description! I can imagine. This is an incredible capture. I voted for Photofocus and also gave a Peer Award. Wonderful work.
dunniteowl
September 10, 2012
Your vote is sincerely appreciated. Get out and vote! Thanks for the great comments as well.
dunniteowl
September 26, 2012
Thanks, steve2. This is one of my favorite efforts on my part. I wish I had all the cool gear to set up a "shoot" like I used to have way back in the Analog Camera days. In the meantime, I keep snapping like crazy every chance I get. This one was one of those moments that could as easily have been passed by if I had only been looking the other way when I walked by it.
dunniteowl
October 09, 2012
I'm going to have to go back and re-review your gallery. I don't recall seeing any other Man-O-War photos anywhere so far. Or maybe I was too sick to notice last time? In any case, I do recall thinking we had similar tastes when I first visited your gallery. Thanks so much, by the way.
dunniteowl
October 31, 2012
Thanks, mary_hale_9534! You know, in the Inbox, I don't get to see what messages go with what photo until I select the message, so when you congratulated me on my feature, I first thought, "What?!? Did they feature another photo of mine?" Okay, I admit, I was excited about that thought. It turns out you mention this one, which is not a problem. I was just hoping they had picked me again for some other photo. In any case, this is one of my all time favorite images in my gallery for framing and composition reasons more than anything else, even though, as a whole image, it stacks quite well on it's own.
dunniteowl
November 21, 2012
Thanks, carolyn! This one photo has brought me the greatest amount of attention, so I'm guessing it must be more than just me liking it. :D In any case, this one photo seems to be something most folks are appreciating. I can only be glad they do and feel grateful that so many have been so complimentary!
DeLacy15
April 04, 2013
I saw one of these off the coast of South Carolina once. I think it was rare to see it there, but the Gulf-stream probably brought it in. It was beautiful! :) Great shot!
dunniteowl
April 06, 2013
They are pretty, aren't they? Just be sure not to touch those purple and white tentacles, in or out of the water. They're not so much stingers as they are coated with a neurotoxin that is like a sticky gel and it 'burns' the skin. If we were fish, I guess we'd get paralyzed instead.
Thanks for the shout and compliments!
Thanks for the shout and compliments!
dunniteowl
May 20, 2013
Thanks, srimanta. This is my first photo entered into any contest here on ViewBug. While it didn't win the contest, it did get an award for which I take great pleasure.
Joebo
November 17, 2013
I grew up in South Africa on the East Coast (Durban) and we use to get quite a lot of these on our beaches and in the water. We used to call them Blue Bottles, and man let me tell you I have had a few of their stings wrapped around my legs quite a few times. Not a pleasant experience. Joe :-(
dunniteowl
November 18, 2013
Yup, that's the other name, Blue Bottles. They are all over the world's oceans, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, even the Mediterranean. I don't know if they find themselves in either the Arctic or Antarctic oceans, though I wouldn't be surprised at all if they did.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on Galveston Beach, Texas on the Gulf Coast.Time
I don't recall the exact time of day, though it was sometime between Noon and 2pm in June of 2010.Lighting
Well, I don't use a flash, basically. So this is direct overhead sunlight, reflections of light off the beach sand, reducing the glare, because the sand was wet.Equipment
I used a Sony Cybershot DSC-W220. This is handheld (I had to lay down on my belly and prop my elbows on the sand to get this angle. I usually don't even carry a tripod, though I have three of them from my analog SLR days. As for lenses, the Sony Cybershot is a single lens system. The W220 has a 4x zoom, giving an overall lens from 30mm to 120mm in SLR terms of lens. I'm not sure what the lens "length" was in this image, though I'm pretty sure it was around 48-50mm equivalent. Again, I used no flash.Inspiration
I'm always looking at nature. I love seeing all sorts of things we find out there. I've seen Portuguese Man-O-War's before, though never beached like this and so fresh they still had a sail. The purple and blue, along with the sand on it made it look like a piece of blown glass art that got lost at sea and then washed back ashore. I also thought how beautiful it really is -- and how seriously dangerous they are in the water. I like that sort of juxtaposition of natural irony.Editing
I don't do any post-processing. I came from an analog old school SLR background. I could never afford to set up my own dark-room so I always relied on others for that. Because of this, I have come to really do my best to capture what I do in camera -- in camera only. I don't "punch up" the contrasts, colors or anything. What I do in-camera is my level best to capture the image as close to how my eye sees in real life, along with the angle my imagination and experience tell me might show the subject from as close to my physical and mental perspective as possible.In my camera bag
A lens cleaning cloth (don't leave home without it) and a 5x Jeweler's Loupe. Sometimes I carry a tripod, but it's too big to fit in my "bag" for the other stuff. My "official" camera bag is a back pack that I put water, extra batteries, snacks and bug spray (also essential) and when I do that, I will sometimes give in and strap my tripod on the tent straps.Feedback
Well, always consider your light. Depending on your lighting (and of course, if you carry lights and flashes this can be added to what I recommend) you have to look at the angle that you feel best represents the image you wish to take. I also, because I was a starving college student when I started, always mentally compose my photo before I snap. I use all the tools at my disposal, which includes light bounced off glass walls, windows, puddles, wait for that "right" amount of sun and cloud, etc. So I do spend a lot of time, in cases like this photo carefully walking around my intended subject from a decent distance (in this to avoid showing any footprints in the sand.) This helps me to determine my background, my best shadow or angle of light and gives me ideas about the right height from which to snap an image. Don't be afraid to draw stares as you position yourself and your camera to your subject.