I am definitely a sucker for a a good pixture.... and an even bigger sucker for a better pixture.
You get one that's pretty good, then you want it to be really good .... the next time, you have the chance to shoot that same thing.
When you get really good, you start a quest for great.... and on it goes.
Or
It's a subject that makes you feel good.... every time you see one.
Orange Cup is one of those subjects for me.... in fact, it gets me on both counts.
Now here's an interesting twist.... this is an invasive species.
But, an invasive species that has the good taste to grow only on artificial reefs. Things like dock pilings and oil rigs.... that quite honestly, could use a little beautifying.
Linda has this great saying that she often uses in conjunction with entertaining.... "It should appear to be effortless".
I live there, so I know how hard she works before hand and behind the scenes to make it appear that way once the guests arrive.
I share that same philosophy when it comes to photography.
You capture a moment representative of all that went on.... and you get to delete the mistakes and near misses that it took you to get there.
This pixture is a great example of that.
I took it in shallow water where there was a lot of wave action.... reaching down from the surface.
The Hermit Crab was very co-operative, standing out in the open and posing nicely.... which they often will not do.
But I was bouncing around like an empty cup, caught in the surf line.
That of course, made framing the shot an adventure. But the even bigger challenge was me.... stirring up the sandy bottom and ruining my own visibility.
I bet I shot 20 frames before I had one I liked.
More than once I had to just lay down on the bottom and let the sand that I had stirred up settle.... before it was clear enough for me to shoot again.
Even then.... if you look closely, you can see some sand particles floating in the water, in this shot.
This whole circus must have been hugely entertaining for the Crab.... don't you think?
Some of the things that we see over and over again, underwater.... fascinate me every time.
Flamingo Tongues are one of those things.
You may remember that way back in BoM #93, I had a pixture of one of these guys.
And a fairly long description of exactly what they are.
To review, they're a snail.... that's just one step removed from a slug.
If you grew up in a rainy climate, like I did.... you've seen all of those ugly slimy creatures (slugs) that you ever need to see.
When I see one of these beauties underwater.... that's the dialogue that is running thru my head as I move in for the pixture.
Because you can never have too many memories.... of fascinating things.
Kind of a nice smile.... for a guy who has such a reputation for being vicious.
Spotted Morays are solitary by nature.... usually seen in holes, often with just their head protruding.
They are active during the day, feeding at the sea bottom.... on crustaceans and other fish.
Their bite can be dangerous to humans.
But to get one.... usually requires sticking your hand somewhere it really shouldn't be.
Spiny Lobster are a lot like your "nosey neighbors".
They always seem to be standing there.... on their porch or in the front window.
Occasionally they will wave.... but for the most part, they just watch.
Making sure that you're not doing anything.... that they need to tell your Mother about.
This is a story that I should have written, when it was fresh in my mind.... because I realize that I have lost a lot of the details, in the years since is was told to me.
The gentleman in this pixture is holding in his hands a copy of the United States Declaration of Independence.... one of the original signed copies.
I am afraid that I have forgotten his name but he is well into his 80s.... and for maybe 50 of those years, it has been his responsibility to keep this document.
And, to bring it for display on the tours that he conducts of the old fort on St Eustasius.
As the story goes.... part of the process for declaring your independence, as a country, is to get other countries to recognize your claim.
So America, created a number of copies of that original Declaration of Independence, for that purpose.... for some reason I want to say 6.
One of those copies was in the possession of the Captain of an American warship. On the day that the declaration was made.... that ship was in the harbor of the island of St. Eustasius. So the Captain presented that document to the Governor as part of America's efforts to legitimize their claim.
Some years ago, the document had begun to darken with age.... to the point where it was becoming unreadable.
So, this gentleman made a photocopy. The photocopy is mounted in the front of this frame.
The original, which you are seeing here, he taped to the back of the frame.... so we could be sure that he was not making this up.
A group of boats, working boats .... on the island of St Eustacitia.
A very ordinary sight, for the people who live here.... I'm sure.
But for a visitor like myself.... colorful and just a little bit exotic.
I guess that's what travel is all about.
Believe it or not, this is one of the better pixtures that I have ever taken.... of a Southern Stingray.
When motionless.... they are kind a crummy brown/grey diamond shaped disc, laying on a featureless bottom.
Or as is often the case, burrowed partially under the sand.
But when up and swimming they are the very definition of poetry in motion..... flying thru the water with a effortless grace.
I live in hope.... of a well taken pixture of a Stingray in motion.
And when I do get it..... you will see it too.
I'm thinking Green Sea Turtle.... but to tell you the truth, I struggle a little with my turtle identification.
So, if any of my many scuba diving friends see that identification as wrong.... please let me know.
There is a lot of similarity between the Green Sea Turtle and the Hawksbill Turtle.
I look to the beak for the definitive identification.
In this case, I don't see the longer and hooked beak that is characteristic of the Hawksbill.
The common name, for the Green Sea Turtle, does not come from any particular external coloration.... but instead refers to the greenish color of the turtles fat, which is found in a layer between their internal organs and their shell.
Like other sea turtles they migrate great distances between feeding grounds and hatching beaches. Many islands, worldwide, are know as Turtle Island due to the green sea turtles that nest on their beaches.
Females crawl out on the beaches, dig nests and lay eggs during the night. After incubation, hatchlings will emerge and walk into the water.... often running a gauntlet of predators.
Green Turtles that reach maturity, in the wild.... may live to be 80 yrs old.
