This is a rockpool blenny, which might just be my new favorite fish based on my interactions with him. I found this male cleaning out a little hole in the rock to be a nest in which his lady friend will lay her eggs. This process was very entertaining to me, because any rock or snail I dropped into the hole was promptly picked out and spat onto the algae surrounding the nest. I need to go back and have another photoshoot with him - I thought I got a photo of this amusing sequence, but the delay on my camera prevented me from doing so.

This was in about 10 feet of water, about 100 meters from my front porch.

1 comment on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: underwater, wildlife

This is a shot that I’ve been dreaming of for a long time. I’m pretty happy about this one. A beautiful orange tube anemone at about 65 feet deep in Toyon Bay.

1 comment on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: orange, underwater, wildlife

My favorite animal in the world: the two-spot octopus (Octopus bimaculatus). This little guy was hiding in a crevice in our bay at about 25 feet, and he had no interest in coming out. Just staring me down and flinching when the flash fired… So cute. And awesome.

2 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: underwater, wildlife

This is Flabellina iodinea, or the Spanish Shawl nudibranch. Marine slugs are way prettier than terrestrial slugs, eh?

I kind of wish his ”face” were headed into the negative space in this photo, but that would have been tough to get without moving him myself…

By the way, that purple and orange is legit - no tomfoolery with the colors.

2 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: orange, purple, wildlife, underwater

No, seriously, that’s what it’s called. Right now, there is nothing in the open ocean but gelatinous zooplankton. These sea butterflies are everywhere, which is awesome because they actually swim around, unlike most zooplankton we see.

I shot this just under the surface about 4 miles off Catalina.

3 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: blue, underwater, wildlife

I know, I cut off the squid’s arms and tentacles on the right side of this image. However, I did manage to catch these two in the act of mating, with the male’s red arms wrapped around the female’s body. This is a pretty stellar capture from a Toyon Bay marine biology nerd standpoint - we don’t see squid very often, and even less often while mating, and even less often that that with a camera in hand. So I am pretty happy about this shot, even if it’s not composed all that well.

3 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: underwater, wildlife

This is a hula skirt siphonophore, or Physophora hydrostatica. This image is special because most hula skirts are found in the open ocean, away from inshore kelp forests, which means that the image is usually against a plain blue or black background. But this little gal was floating in by the kelp at Long Point - providing a more interesting background.

Long Point, Catalina at about 20 feet deep.

2 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: wildlife, underwater

For as ravenous as our California morays always seem to be, they really don’t have much of a taste for crustaceans. It seems every crack you look into has a moray chilling with a lobster friend, with little red rock shrimp crawling around and cleaning him. This handsome devil was hanging out at about 35 feet deep at Hen Rock.

2 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: underwater, wildlife

Being lost in a cloud of blacksmiths on a day with clear water remains one of my favorite freediving experiences. This isn’t so much an artistic photo (though the endlessness is well-captured), but more an image of one of my favorite underwater scenes.

This was taken at the Avalon Dive Park on Catalina… and followed by delicious breakfast in town. That makes for a great start to the day.

5 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: blue, underwater, wildlife

Often aggressively territorial and prone to curiously inspecting cameras, here is a rare shy garibaldi hiding behind a CA golden gorgonian.

This is probably my favorite shot from my dive yesterday.

2 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: orange, wildlife, underwater

This is a juvenile California Sheephead taking refuge in a Golden Gorgonian. With how skittish and quick these little gals are, I didn’t think I would ever get a decent image of one.

The image, by the way, was taken at Hen Rock at about 40 feet deep.

Update: I just looked at this image on a different monitor and it looks terrible - noisy, lacking contrast, and soft. Let me know if this is true on your monitor!

1 comment on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: underwater, wildlife

I’ve loved photography and the ocean for a long time, but never felt that I had the funding necessary to venture into underwater photography. I still don’t have the funding to get the equipment I’d like to get, but I am pretty excited about trying it out, even if I’m just using a point and shoot and one slave strobe. But most posts are better than no post at all, right?

This is the California State Marine Fish, the Garibaldi, checking out a Fragile Rainbow Sea Star at Long Point, Catalina Island. I was about 60 feet underwater when I snapped this shot.

4 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: orange, wildlife, underwater

Well, this is the first time in a long time. But I haven’t entirely forgotten how to do it. I’ve been shooting much more underwater lately than above - so hopefully I’ll have some updates from under the ocean soon. For now, that’ll do, pig.

3 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: b&w, wildlife

Well, Bishop has come and gone. A good time was had by all.

10 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: bouldering, california, climbing

This is one of the older macaques in the colony near Phra Nang beach in Railay.

2 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: thailand, wildlife

When I was sixteen, the idyllic isthmus of Railay was my idea of paradise. At 26, I finally got the chance to visit. Aside from the plethora of tourists, it was everything I’d hoped for: the rock climber’s dream of limestone cliffs set among crystal clear waters.

This is Phra Nang beach at the tip of Railay at sunset.

Song of the Day: Margot & Nuclear So and So’s - Cold, Kind, and Lemon Eyes
A ballad for a rainy day here on Catalina…

5 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: beach, boat, ocean, thailand

This is a pretty straightforward shot of one amazing animal feeding in a meadow in the Bong Duet National Park.

Song of the Day: Andrew Bird - Anonanimal
Yes, Andrew Bird may be the most prolific visitor to my ”Song of the Day” feature. But he deserves it - this song is amazing. I must admit that before I ever heard it one of my closest friends had told me many times that this song would blow my mind… and it did. First of all, it’s like three stellar mini-songs in one larger epic song, and one of those mini-songs is about a fish-eating anemone. I mean, seriously… To a marine science geek like me that nearly earns it song of 2009 in January. No doubt in my mind, Andrew Bird is a genius.

2 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: b&w, thailand, wildlife

The King’s Palace in Bangkok is an ornate maze of Thai architecture. This was one of the Palace Guards, featured here bored out of his mind, I’m sure. Watching tourists take photos is mind-numbing even if you’re one of them.

Song of the Day: TV on the Radio - Love Dog
I featured this song a few days ago on my year-end list, but I had never posted it before then. I have never been much of a TV on the Radio fan, but this song is awesome. It combines the weirdness and intricate percussion of Menomena with vocals a little like Bloc Party. It’s been on repeat for the last month.

3 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: b&w, people, thailand, toning

These are some of the hard-working locals on Phi Phi Island (Ko Phi Phi) in the Krabi Province of Thailand. Ko Phi Phi is a weird place - one of the most stunning locations on the planet, but the only ”town” is a tourist ghetto that I found utterly unappealing. What a shame.

Song of the Day: Animal Collective - Summertime Clothes
Okay, I’ll believe the hype for this song. I’m not sure about the rest of the album yet, but I can’t get this song out of my head. It reminds of 2007’s ”Fireworks” in that way. I want this song on repeat in my head… even rainy days might seem sunny in that case.

4 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: boat, kids, ocean, people, thailand

This photo is from a visit with a Mae Manai Karen Hill Tribe a few hours north of Chiang Mai in Bong Duet National Park. Katie and I trekked a number of miles into the jungle and met many villagers along the way. If you’re a westerner and you’ve never been to Thailand, I have to clarify a few things for you. In Thailand, every westerner is treated like a walking ATM and every Thai is an entrepreneur. Even the children. In this case, these three kids attempt to sell the Thai version of Lay’s Potato Chips to people that trek by on the trail. They could not say a single English word - but they would do everything in their power to sell you something. At least until you demonstrate clearly that you’re not buying. Then it’s doodling on cardboard time.

More photos of these kids later.

In the meantime, enjoy my annual year-end ”Favorite Music of the Year” list:

Top Songs of the Year

20. The Notwist - Boneless
19. Mates of State - My Only Offer
18. She & Him - Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?
17. Portishead - Machine Gun
16. Sigur Rós - Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur
15. Annuals - Sore
14. Death Cab for Cutie - Cath…
13. The Hold Steady - Sequestered in Memphis
12. Fleet Foxes - Ragged Wood
11. Thao - Beat (Health, Life and Fire)
10. Wolf Parade - Call It a Ritual
09. Deerhunter - Nothing Ever Happened
08. Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s - As Tall As Cliffs
07. TV on the Radio - Love Dog
06. The Dodos - Walking
05. Kaki King - Can Anyone Who Has Heard This Music Really Be a Bad Person?
04. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Glue Girls
03. Vampire Weekend - Mansard Roof

02. Blitzen Trapper - Gold for Bread

Coming on the heels of last year’s Wild Mountain Nation, I was hoping Blitzen Trapper would release another upbeat, twangy gem in 2009. Fortuntately there were many of them on Furr. My favorite one is this track, ”Gold For Bread”, an up-tempo, hybridized indie rock slice of perfection.

Decide for yourself: Blitzen Trapper - Gold For Bread (From the Furr LP)

01. Tokyo Police Club - In A Cave
This song is a grower. I wouldn’t have said this was my favorite song of the year unless I sat down to make this list. It never really blew my mind with unique instrumentation or stunning complexity… but I did find myself giving it more spins than anything else in 2008, and it’s continuing into 2009. Give it a listen and try not to get hooked.

Decide for yourself: Tokyo Police Club - In A Cave (From the Elephant Shell LP)

Top Albums of the Year

10. Wolf Parade - At Mt. Zoomer
09. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
08. Portishead - Third
07. The Dodos - Visiter
06. Sigur Rós - Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
05. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
04. Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s - Animal/Not Animal
03. Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell

02. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Few albums were as divisive in 2008 as this one was. I can see both sides of the argument because Vampire Weekend is not necessarily one of the most complex or even ”best” albums of the year… but it is still one of my favorites. It’s an immensely enjoyable and consistent album with a few sub-par songs that interrupt the flow a little bit. If you take the great songs from this album and put them in a playlist, though, you’re hard-pressed to find any downsides… even if the lead singer did steal your friend’s ID in college.

Decide for yourself: Vampire Weekend - A-Punk - A-Punk

01. Blitzen Trapper - Furr
If Vampire Weekend failed at all due to inconsistency, Blitzen Trapper made up for everything. Furr is an astounding achievement in its consistency - almost every track can stand out at any given time. The only downside, ”Love U”, is really only a downside because of how grating it is following the sublime ”Not Your Lover”. Portland’s best kept secret is out… buy Furr as soon as you can.

Decide for yourself: Blitzen Trapper - God and Suicide

2 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: children, music of the year, portrait, thailand

This was a test. I was playing with desaturation and I wanted to see what it looked like on the site. So I posted it a year in advance so I could look at it online and figure out whether I liked it or not. Well, a year passed without making a decision, and the image popped up all on its own. Oh well. What do you think?

3 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags:

This is the first of many photographs I will post from my trip to Thailand, where I was from Thanksgiving to Christmas. I will also write much more than this in the future, too… including my annual music list starting very soon.

3 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: purple, thailand, wildlife

Here’s to posting again in 2009.

5 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: night, fireworks

Alright, I lied. One more photo before I leave for Thailand. I couldn’t stand the idea of that ridiculous-looking deer being the front page of Optic Distraction for the next month. So I chose something far less ridiculous… a 50-foot tall STATUE OF JESUS!

Unbelievable. This is just outside Puerto Nuevo, Baja Norte. This shot was actually taken from the highway as we sped as rapidly as possible to get south of Ensenada. I wasn’t really prepared for this thing, but how does one prepare for something like this? On the bright side, the lighting made for one dramatic photograph of this enormous… thing.

In case you were worried, a Bishop from Tijuana did actually bless our beautiful 50-foot tall Jesus.

See you all in six weeks!

4 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: mexico, statue

I suppose this one necessitates an explanation.

The story, as I see it, involves a young, teenage male. Unfortunately for this young male, he startles easily and is prone to panic. One fine Catalina evening, he sauntered across the volleyball court, enjoying the cool ocean breeze. Suddenly, a monster leapt from the darkness, snagging the top of his head. In just a few moments, the monster had wrapped his head up and the handsome youngster panicked. In so doing he just thrashed himself deeper into the grasp of the monster.

Of course, the young male is a mule deer and the monster… the volleyball net. This buck somehow wrapped his antler in the volleyball net, ripped the volleyball net support out of the ground, and ran back and forth across the court, dragging the 10-foot long 4×4 around as he ran. We found him in the morning, still attached to the net, and thus also the light post that the net was attached too, and not surprisingly, thoroughly exhausted.

He was freed by two lassos, a sleeping bag, and a pair of bolt cutters to cut the cable from his antler. Sad, I suppose, but somewhat hilarious. Especially when I imagined some sort of ”When Animals Attack” scenario. He is still running around Toyon with a bunch of volleyball net wrapped around his antler. Ridiculous. Both the deer and this crazy place I call home.

On another note, this will be my last image until Christmas time, as I leave for a month long journey through Thailand in a week. I hope the next 6 weeks treats you well - lots of exotic Thai images in just a couple months…

3 comments on this image.

Comment on this image

Tags: b&w, catalina, wildlife