Jellyfish Jamboree at the NE Aquarium
By John Tunney

If you are looking for some unusual photo opprtuinites, check out the New England Aquarium's jellyfish exhibition. The exhibit, called "Amazing Jellies, features more than 1000 of these eerily beautiful and quite colorful creatures. And when you're done with the jellies, head over to the main exhibit: a three story tank filled with sharks, stingrays, turtles and many exotic fish from all over the world.

Photgraphing an aquarium is a challenge. You're shooting a moving target in dim light through plexiglass and water. I shot most of my pictures at ISO 650 in aperture priority mode with the lens wide open (f4) and kept my fingers crossed. I used a lens hood and and placed the lens right on the glass to avoid reflections. Normally, you'd want to use a rubber lens hood because it's soft and won't slide on the glass. I couldn't find one to fit my lens, however, so I improvised and placed a strip of duct tape around the edge of my plastic lens hood. It wasn't pretty, but it worked.

The aquarium is located on Central Wharf near Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. Visit http://www.neaq.org for more information.

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