fstopandsee

Sometimes, to get that sweet sweet nectar you have to do extraordinary things.

Sometimes it is the darkest skies that have the best colors. After the sun goes down the little light that was left over San Francisco was deep blue and purple and very moody.

The details of this Dendronephthya, or Carnation Coral can really draw you in. The shades of pinks and purples are a strong contrast to the fine glowing white streaks in the base. A perfect opportunity to get the camera up close and personal to capture all of the intricacies.

It is unclear (get it?!?) to me why I would expect to see all of the skyline in a city known for fog. What this view lacks in a crisp view of the skyline it makes up for with a mysterious glow in the sky and the traffic below.

I love taking photos when I travel, and my trip to the Midwest this year had some great opportunities to do just that! The sky seemed clear earlier in the evening, but later crazy lightning streaked almost sideways across the sky for at least 45 mins. The weather is just more exciting in the Midwest!

Nothing to see here, certainly not a friendly little green bug just trying to blend in with the little green bits of this flower. Move right along please and don’t bother the bug!

Hong Kong is an extremely vertical city, with many opportunities to really test out if you definitely do, or definitely do not have a fear of heights.

I love nudibranchs. Very tiny, hard to find, hard to photograph, and full of so many crazy colors when you get the photo right. I could spend a whole dive getting a good shot but normally have to move one after taking a few pics. Some would call this a sea slug, but I think the proper name for this one, Dermatobranchus Ornatus, rolls of the tongue much better!

Lisbon is a very hilly city, as any resident of the city will happily tell you. These old tracks are the home of the Ascensor da Glória, a type of train that will take you on a short ride up or down the steep hill. The interesting views were at night, when the clouds were moving and the crazy mix of sky and artificial lights took over.

We only spent a short time in Porto, so I wanted to make the most of it. One night I crossed the bridge and made it to the top of the hill after sundown for a panoramic shot of the entire city. You can see it all here, from the oldest parts of town to the near side of the river which is busy with port tasting all day. What you can also see, if you look very closely, are my friends enjoying a lovely meal on the far side of the river. I assumed everything in Europe was open until very late, but by the time I made it down to the restaurants everything was closed. I didn’t get a good dinner, but I got this photo!