LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY > AURORA AUSTRALIS, MILKY WAY AND BIOLUMINESCENCE – TASMANIA > Tasmania Bioluminescence 1 (Hobart)

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Bioluminescence is the light that bioluminescent creatures, such as fireflies, glow worms and squid emit. In Tasmania, a single-celled bioluminescent organism called a marine dinoflagellate, a microalgae, appears on our beaches from time to time. When agitated at night, it will flash a beautiful, bright blue color. If you agitate the water hard enough they even seem to flash green or greenish yellow and are clearly visible to the naked eye. One of the coolest things to watch is the electric blue bioluminescent waves as they crest and break onto the beaches.


Photographer’s Reflection:

“The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.” (Psalm 65:8)

My four year old daughter, Amariah, and I were so excited! We were going to see the sea sparkles!!

I had been waiting a long time to see the Tasmanian bioluminescence, let alone get a photo of it.

Why, oh why, did my husband have to be away on a business trip tonight when the sea sparkles were in town?

I knew this meant I probably would not get a chance to wear my photographer’s hat because I would be wearing my mommy hat all night. Oh well, I brought my camera just in case…

Amariah wasn’t exactly sure what sea sparkles were, but Mommy had promised her it was a “mystery surprise”, and she knew that phrase translated into “fun and exciting”. We practiced saying “Bi-o-lum-i-nes-cence” in the car as we sped off down the Tasman Peninsula, southeast of Hobart.

When we finally made it, we jumped into our rain gear and gum boots. As I led my little girl down to the water’s edge she was immediately gripped with inquisitiveness at the electric blue water lapping over the rocks.

“What is that, Mommy??”

“That’s the sea sparkles, Sweetie!”

She squealed with delight, and I began to introduce her to the pure joy of making the water flash like blue lightning. We stomped on the beach, waded through it, smacked it with sticks and threw about three thousand rocks into the water.

It was just like being a kid again as I shared my little girl’s first experience with the bioluminescence. Her eyes were wide open with wonder at God’s magnificent Creation. She loves to make up worship songs, and it wasn’t long before she started singing spontaneous praise songs to Jesus for creating the sea sparkles. Mommy had to grip her little hand very tightly or she also would have gone for a swim in the bioluminescence, which, not surprisingly, she had already asked to do…about six times.

Her fascination with the bioluminescence never waned, so amidst keeping her steady on the slippery rocks, preventing a spontaneous swim and being her rock arsenal, I had no time to snap a quick photo. However, we were having heaps of fun, and spending quality time together was more important to me that night than capturing a cool photo.

Then, in the midst of the excitement, an hour and a half past her bedtime, she abruptly announced, “Mommy, I’m tired. I want to go to bed now.”

What??? I couldn’t believe my ears…Did my little four year old Energizer Bunny actually just tell me she wanted to go to bed??

I asked her if she might be willing to lay down in the back of the car on a bunch of blankets for a little while as I took a photo. I knew this would be my only, fleeting opportunity. Thankfully she said yes, so as soon as I got her changed and tucked her in I grabbed my camera and tripod. Even though I had rolled the window down a little so she could call out to me if she needed to, the momma in me knew I couldn’t go any further than several metres away from the car.

This restriction would definitely challenge an artist who is a stickler for great compositions.

How fun!!

Needless to say, in between not having much time and having only a tiny section of rocks to work with, this photograph of the Tasmanian bioluminescence was the best I could do that night.

In all honesty, though, I do kind of like the odd composition. However, I am quite disappointed over the great loss of detail and highlights in this JPG that is featured on the website (and all the other JPG’s on the website btw). The real TIF image of this photograph has hundreds of bright and beautiful little sea sparkle splats all over the rocks.

Irregardless, God’s Creation never ceases to amaze me. He even fills the darkness with amazing wonders: auroras in the sky to eyeless salamanders in caves, angler fish at the bottom of the ocean to bioluminescent micro organisms on the shores for us to marvel at and enjoy.

Landscape Photography