Something 's a little fishy in here. (post 2/2)

[Okay, I'm going to fuss with this later, but I do know the formatting of this seems to be way off.  I can't seem to get the paragraphs to line up with the appropriate pictures.  When I'm in the WYSIWYG editor it looks *fine*, but it doesn't preview or post right.  Argh.  Sorry.]

Okay, here's the rest of the shots from the fist trip. Following this, I have something way cooler to talk about. ;)

Seriously, Who Puts Eyeshadow on a Fish?

There was an indoor Koi pond.  These koi were being fish-sat for a corporation that has a fishpond for them when it's warmer out, but it isn't deep enough for them to winter in and they don't have the facilities to keep them indoors.  Makes me think of the 9-billion gallon tanks my dad used to keep in the family room as a kid for his koi in the winter.

This Isn't a School, This is a Mob!

They're hand fed.  We got to hand-feed them, which is a bizarre feeling.  It's sort of like sticking your hand against the end of a slimy vacuum cleaner hose.  Because they're used to being fed by humans they mob up against the pool whenever anyone stands against the wall to see them.

The challenge to shooting these guys is that the water is highly reflective and they're half-in and half-out of the water most of the time.  I tried not to use the flash and make the reflection any worse than it was.

Not helping the matter was that some of the fish were really, really bright white and were basically swimming hot spots.

Self-Expression: He haz it.

But once in a while someone would calm down enough to let me get a good shot.  I find the blue 'eyeshadow' on this fish really, really hysterical.  He has both eyeshadow and a moustache.   Well, to each his own. :)

Lionfish

This lionfish is amazing, but hard to shoot.  This was probably the best shot I got - and it was through the glass with the flash, so it's not, you know brilliant, but it could be worse.  He's tough because there's a very solid fish, but some very ephemeral, transparent fins.  Getting the light to catch both properly is not the easiest thing ever.

Copper Wires

This one shows the very cool metallic stripes and the transparency of his lips.

Mini Ray

This little ray was only about the size of my hand.  He was a little high strung, zipping around his enclosure.  I had no idea you could keep a ray as a pet.

Under Ray

Here he was showing off his belly. I can't decide if it looks like he's frowning or smiling.  We fed the larger rays in the tide pool.  They don't have teeth, but they have some power behind their jaw.  If you don't let go of their lunch, you'll get nipped!








Okay, so that's the end of the fish story.  Next: I saved a diving duck from the mean streets of Chicago!  Stay tuned!