Travel Photography: Monterey Bay Aquarium

[Editor's Note:  Alice has a knack for finding the most interesting places to photograph, here is another one.  In addition, I can tell you from personal experience that, she finds the most interesting restaurants - you'll understand when you get to the bottom of the article, I suggest you take her up on the offer!]

It’s winter in the northern hemisphere, which means the days are shorter and the weather is cooler. For those of us who also work, that means fewer daylight hours with variable weather for photography.  It also means perfect museum weather with none of the accompanied guilt that you’ve spent the entire day indoors.

I took a day trip down to California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium, an award winning aquarium in the San Francisco Bay Area.   Almost 2 million people visit each year, a testament to how amazing this place is.  It also presents an interesting challenge to photographers.  I find that weekends are inundated with families and children running amok, and weekdays in general are easier for getting closer to the aquarium glass for photography.  I am crowd-averse, so I try to go at non-peak days and hours.

The aquarium is located right on the Monterey shoreline at Cannery Row, and actually pumps in and circulates back Monterey Bay ocean water from the Pacific, along with its nourishing plankton, 24 hours a day (2000 gallons a minute!).   This allows most of the aquarium to functionally be ecologically similar to the ocean that would normally house these extraordinary creatures. It also permits the aquarium to show exhibits that are rarely seen in any other part of the world, like the thriving California kelp forest.

Among other popular exhibits are the jellyfish, seahorses, sea otters, and the Open Sea exhibit. The 1-million gallon Open Sea exhibit houses animals found in the outer bay such as sharks, giant green sea turtles, and tuna, and truly mesmerizing to behold. There are daily feedings at each of the major exhibits multiple times per day, and this is always interesting to watch. (or if you’re like me, you take advantage of that moment to photograph nearby exhibits that have been abandoned for the feeding show!)

Photography is encouraged at the aquarium, with the important exception of flash photography. Some animals are sensitive to flash photography and this is prohibited at the exhibits. If you did use flash, most of the time you’d end up with glare from the glass anyhow! The exhibits are generally very well lit, and as long as you can push your way past the throngs of children (nicely), you are virtually guaranteed a good shot!

Even if you don’t have the opportunity to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium soon, check out the aquariums, zoos, and wildlife exhibits near your home.  You’d be surprised at how much biodiversity there is in the world around you if you stopped and looked.  If you do get a chance to visit Monterey, however, make sure to stop by neighboring Carmel, filled with beautiful vistas, the famous 17-mile drive, quaint B&Bs, and culinary genius.  It’s also quite dog-friendly for you pooch lovers out there who can’t bear to leave Fido at home.  I’m happy to share my favorite restaurants with you- if you do go, enjoy the visit!  Your winter will pass by that much more quickly!