Nautical Nonsense

I miss being able to walk to the beach- as a celebration for finishing my final examinations of high school my friends and I embarked on the hallowed journey known as 'schoolies' and enjoyed sand and sun. Our house location was a five minute walk from the shops and under ten minutes to the beach where we would lie around on the grass and walk through the tide daily whenever we got sick of watching television or when we wanted to enjoy the good weather while it lasted.

I love hair when it's drawn using the fine lines technique- sometimes it looks more like a wood grain type of effect but the blurring distinction between hair and rain for this particular drawing is simply breathtaking. From the silhouette figure shielding themselves by using an umbrella to the side profile of the girl above everything is done with immaculate detail. I love the shading effect overall and the way the rain clusters in some parts as well as the light and shade bouncing of the hair curls. I think the balance between light and dark and the art of making a drawing come to life and giving it another dimension lies in the art of properly shading to give it life-like properties.

 

Even though technology has moved past the traditional music mediums such as vinyl and cassette tape, they still manage to look cool such as this still of a Disney cassette 'The Little Mermaid'. The soft focus background of pebbles leads me to believe this was taken in England on their shores, I'm very glad I don't live in England whenever I sea photographs of what their beaches look like. There's hardly any sand, it's covered in rocks as far as the eye can see and the sky always gives a depressing and boring impression. Maybe that's why you need to bring your favourite childhood music cassettes with you to brighten the mood. The contrasting red plastic goes well against Ariel's ravishing long hair and iconic green tail.

Unable to find underwater casings for any of my cameras (due to laziness) I would never be able to take a photograph as breath-taking as this. I love the sand and murky water used to make the seahorses body seem brighter by comparison as well as the soft blue of the ocean and hidden sponge beds and coral in the background.

While I am unable to take photographs under the water, this lighthouse taken with what I assume is a plastic camera is very achievable for someone like me. I had a dream last night that I was at the beach and saw something so fantastic and awe-inspiring I felt the need to go back to shore to get my Diana+ Dreamer camera. This dream is what has motivated this post. The wild colours of the sky streaked with cloud cover, the grass and contrast of the red and white bricks of the light house has become even more intense through the plastic lens. Another tell-tale sign of using a toy camera or plastic camera is the vignetting at the corners and darkening around the edges.

Another visit to the aquarium is in order to safely take some photographs of sharks. I mainly focused on taking snaps of over head manta rays but maybe the sharks would look more dramatic, although this little fella above isn't even smiling for the camera. Where are those seven rows of teeth I've heard so much about? Another cool thing about taking pictures of sharks and large aquatic animals is that there is usually a smaller fish or two swimming just under their body in a slip stream effect.

 

I have taken photographs here but none of mine had this gorgeous vintage filter effect washed over them and my timing was at best, very poor. This is a scene from a boat ride at Disneyland and full of cute mechanical elephants. The relatively small ears as well as protruding foreheads indicate these are Asian elephants and maybe my favourite breed, the Sumatran elephant. I talked about the conflict between elephants and farmers for my Indonesian examination and managed to pull of an A. I was a very happy camper when I read my results online.

 

If I had my own pool you can be certain that I would sit around on a pool noodle or other inflatable item and read books for most of the day until it got too cold to deal with. Too bad all the land in my garden slopes at horrible angles and due to all the leafy green trees it would involve a lot of effort to install it. If I had the motivation I would ask to swim at the local pool but right now my esteem isn't fairing it's best and I'd like to wait it out till I lose weight after eating so much for Christmas lunch.

 

I love the combination of this milk maid braid down the front fringe and this vintage looking jumper covered in sweet embroidered nautical emblems. I've seen plenty of cute little anchors down at my local shops and since my pay has come in I may be tempted to get them... unless I get a Mickey Mouse pendant in gold from D_Luxe jewellery first and a Deadly Ponies Mr Fur attachment. Of course I have to be careful to save some money for my term deposit as well as the joint account for Canada with my mother but I think I can allow myself some time to spend some money on fun things after what seems to be a long drought. I'm still waiting for a lot of eBay things for myself and my boyfriend to come through as well.

What the Water Gave Me

It's built into our DNA to seek out and bathe in the ocean when we're hurt, even animals when covered in grazes and cuts will bathe in the ocean; it's the salt water which acts as a antibacterial wash that does the trick. I believe there's something else that's calm and therapeutic about bathing and water in general, I always feel so much better after having had a shower or when I've cried in the shower. You just feel new again and cleansed of all your worries and troubles.

I would secretly love to have a pet seahorse, mainly because I have a large in-joke with my boyfriend about how he is a pregnant sea horse and he'll give birth to my thousands of babies. For anyone who knows me in real life and knows who my boyfriend is... well... I'm sorry you had to read that but in a way it serves you right. Also because of the in-joke I am doubly in love with a gorgeous gold ring with a large blue sapphire and seahorse motifs on either side of the gem.

I had meant to focus on the ocean and a more nautical theme but I have some lovely photographs of interaction between aquatic mammals and fish as well as this bird's eye view of pool and tennis courts. It's the contrast of red, green and blue between the two sporting fields that ties it together as well as the sharp geometric lines of each that I admire. I had aspired to one day own a swimming pool when I was younger but now I've realised that all I need in Summer to keep happy is a very strong air conditioner, and the occasional nap in a bath tub on occasion as well.

I'm itching to get myself to either the Melbourne zoo or aquarium these holidays to once again make a day of photography. My last trips to each involved taking my boyfriend in tow but maybe it would be better if I went alone; while in his company he usually points out stuff I would otherwise miss, I'm sure he's sick of me paying more attention to a piece of electronic hardware than to him. That is, until the battery of my camera dies or the memory card gets too full.

I know I shouldn't think of this poor, shrivelled up seahorse exoskeleton as beautiful but there's something sculpture like about the way the bones and plates show with the dehydration of the seahorse. A little specimen like this is a Chinese chemists dream, the main threat of the seahorse is currently over fishing for use in traditional Chinese medicine. This tradition can be supported by the chemical properties within the body of a seahorse but it probably isn't recommended too much these days.

Rather than taking photographs of just the animals themselves when I visit zoos or aquariums, sometimes the better pictures are the interaction between humans and the animals trapped behind the glass. There's something beautifully tragic about the way the human's day is brightened up in that instant and the way the creature longs to be free and walk around and away from their enclosure with ease just as the human will do.I have my own dreams to work as a veterinarian in a zoo so I really shouldn't object to them too much.