Go with the Flow.
Downward Spiral, Chicago, IL 2006 Natural Design, Monterey, CA 2004
In 2004 I visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. One of the most compelling features of this living shrine to marine life was the magnificent jellyfish tank with floor to ceiling glass panels. The Pacific Nettle jellies undulated around the tank with mesmerizing grace and beauty. I was immediately struck by the artistic nature of the species’ form. I set out to capture an intimate portrait of a single jelly by freezing it’s motion, a difficult task considering the low light and constant movement.
This was to be the first of many such portraits. In addition to finding animals to photograph during landscape shoots, I routinely find the closest aquarium that houses jellyfish. The Shedd in Chicago, the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta and the Newport in Louisville, KY, just to name a few.
Images from this ongoing series, which is entitled FLOW, have been exhibited in numerous Gallery Exhibitions throughout the United States and have appeared in publications such as COLOR Magazine and Silvershotz Fine Art Journal, Brisbane/London. Recently one of my jellyfish portraits was featured in PDN’s Photo of the Day, to correspond with the opening of an exhibition at Camera Obscura Gallery in Denver, CO. http://bit.ly/fLvuaf
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Adventures from Behind the Glass 
I think this is the first time I have heard the jellyfish described with words like “grace and beauty”. Great shots!
TSLOACMW, Thanks and stay tuned for some more Grace and Beauty.
Those are very beautiful…even though they scare me when we swim together.
Dangerous Beauty. Definitely not usually good swimming partners.
Stunning photo’s. They certainly are graceful until they sting you. 😉 Congrats on Freshly Pressed.
Graceful, yet dangerous…great combination. FP has provided significant exposure to the work. Thanks.
There is something so peaceful and mesmerizing about jellyfish — or at least as presented in that exhibit. I’ve seen it too, and my children and I just stood there, transfixed, for what seemed like an eternity!
GREAT shots — thanks for the trip down memory lane!
🙂
My pleasure, the descriptions have brought back my own memories, thanks.
I was here a couple months ago – such a beautiful set of displays! Great work with the photos and the blog!
Great to hear they are still going strong. Thanks for the comments.
Beautiful shots! Glad to see you on Freshly Pressed and getting other recognition too.
Thanks Rufus, the recognition is greatly appreciated.
I would not want to touch those things 🙂 You have some really nice photos of them!
Defintely look, but don’t touch. Thanks.
gorgeous!
Many thanks.
It was very nice to see a very familiar picture on Freshly Pressed. I live in California and visit The Monterey Aquarium at least twice a year, I think one year I took my niece and nephew six times. The Jelly Fish are always a favorite. They have a new exhibit featuring sea horses, it’s definitely worth the trip.
Thank you. I have long wanted to return. Some day.
What incredible images! The first one, when I saw the thumbnail, looked like a pirate ship floating through the sky.
Congrats on being freshly pressed!
That’s why the Beauty of Art is in the Eye of the Beholder. Thanks, FP has been outstanding.
I think that aquariums are one of the best places to take pictures. I always get great shots in them.
And we have many great ones throughout the country.
Hiya! Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
I’ve been to the Monterey Aquarium and felt the same way. That display truly took my breath away. I could have spent all day just standing with the jellyfish, watching their gentle maneuovres and sweeping motions.
And the seahorse exhibit is amazing too!! So incredible to see those tiny creatures up close like that.
Thanks for bringing back great memories and posting such lovely pictures.
Drive on,
– M.
Thank you, FP has been great. All the great descriptions of the Aquarium make me want to return.
jelly fish are so fascinating. cool pics, congrats on freshly pressed!
They are fascinating, thanks.
Incredible photos!
ABC, thank you, BSG
Great photo. What it would feel like to be a jelly fish.
I think they just go with the flow:)
These are really really awesome photos. But, am I the only one that gets hungry looking at them? They remind me of the shrimp tempura rolls I just read about.:)
Great blog site too btw.
Thanks for the comments on the Blog, more to come. I hope I am not thinking of Sushi next time I’m shooting for this series:)
Beautiful captures…I love jellyfish. And great photography. 😀 (The Shedd is going to be starting an exhibition on them soon, I hear.)
Thank you. The Shedd is a great Aquarium. Terrific nightime view of Chicago from across the water as well.
How stunningly gorgeous! I was recently in Miami for a weekend at the beach and found myself taking photos of the MANY jellyfish that had washed up on shore. It was so beautiful the way they interacted with light.
Congrats on being freshly pressed!
Kathy
Thank you, more to come. FP has been great.
beautiful! jellyfish are the most fun to photograph at aquariums. they’re always so wonderfully lit and the shapes they create swimming around are always so interesting.
Ditto.
great images. Thanks for sharing!!
Blessings,
Ava
xox
My pleasure.
Oh My!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those pics are GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can’t believe how beautiful they are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I really appreciate it.
Amazing. Must have been a fairly difficult capture, as well, based on most jellyfish tanks I’ve seen.
Absolutely, very difficult. The lighting varies as each location. With the constant movement and usually low lighting, it has become an unpredictable science. Significant effort goes into each one. Thanks.
Absolutely stunning. Thank you.
You are welcome, it is my pleasure. More to come.
I recently visited Monterey Bay Aquarium, and took some pictures of the jellies, (not nearly as great as yours), but their exhibit is really neat.
Congrats on FP!
🙂
MBA is really neat, thanks. FP has been GR8.
Wow those are some really great pictures. The one on the left didn’t look at all like a jelly fish to me at first. Almost like a basket with a little tree in it lol.
These are some great shots though. I always felt that jellyfish were both weird and cool and the same time.
I remember about a month ago I read that jellyfish have no respiratory system, instead they use their entire bodies to breathe. I don’t know how true that is but I find it fascinating.
Great Pics Barry
You are correct, they do not have a respiratory system because their skin easily defuses oxygen in and out of their body. No brains either, maybe that is the answer to lasting for hundreds of millions of years:) Thank you Mr.FB, more to come.
Stunning…thanks for sharing.
It is definitely my pleasure.
Oh, nice! I do believe I’m going down to the Long Beach Aquarium with my new camera to take some awesome desktop wallpaper shots myself! Thanks for the excellent idea!
Sounds good, I’ll have to add the LBA to my Bucket List. Thanks.
It’s amazing how beautiful these creatures are. I only ever see them washed up on the shore or from above on a boat. They are magnificent in their element, thanks for posting these!
My pleasure, look for a couple more on Monday’s post. They also look amazing lined up on a Gallery wall.
this is nice, lovely photos 🙂
Thank you LLC.
These photos are absolutely beautiful. I think people have a hard time realizing that art is everywhere. In the sea creatures that swim below us, in the sky as the clouds take shape. The camera you were using must have been a high quality because when I have taken pictures through the glass of a tank, they turn out pretty blurry. I loo forward to seeing more of your photos!
Thank you very much for appreciating the process. My equipment has improved over time, as has my technique. Even today, it is a difficult process which depends on the location. More to come on Monday. Also, your appreciation for the existence of Art in everyday life is refreshing. I try to capture that in all of my work. Thanks.
amazing pictures!
Many thanks!
Beautiful pictures! There is something mesmerizing about jellyfish. I’ve always been so intrigued by them. Thanks for sharing!
Mesmerizing really captures the experience of watching them. Thanks.
Wow – those are incredible pictures! Wish I had your skill or artistic ability . . .
I’ve been doing it for a long time, always learning and with intense passion. I appreciate the appreciation.
I absolutely love the pictures. Great job.
Thank you JJ.
Indeed fantastic picture
Thanks for sharing
Thanks, my pleasure, more to come.
nice post my dear
I like your every pictures It’s really very nice dear
thanks for the sharing it’s very natural photos
Tahnks
You are welcome.
Nice Photos! Congrats on being FP!
Thanks H. FP has been terrific.
Beautiful photos! I’ve never been to the Georgia Aquarium but I’ve heard that it’s just stunning. Looking forward to following your blog!
Kas
http://livebarklove.com
It is an amazing Aquarium. They also have two Whale Sharks, the largest fish in the world, in one huge tank. Definitely a must-see when in Atlanta. Thank you very much for following.
Awesome photos
Thanks, LBC
I LOVE jellyfish and can watch them for hours. Such beautiful creatures. Gorgeous pics. Thanks for sharing them.
My pleasure, they are mesmerizing. Look for more to come.
I also watch them for hours as part of my process. Thank you for the appreciation.
Beautiful and colorful. Great pics.
Thanks, appreciate it.
You are an extremely skilled photographer…I’ve never seen shots like that before. Beautiful work!
Many thanks for the kind words. It is my passion and I will continue to show work from various series, so stay posted.
nice..
thanks..
Words simply cannot describe your stunning work! I also checked out the awesome shots you took at Yellowstone. It’s so nice to see animals in their natural environment! I just posted my first blog about some of the environmental issues facing us here in Florida. I hope you get a chance to stop by.
Thank you for your kind words. I did stop by and thank you for your efforts to help preserve the natural beauty and wildlife of Florida. More images of FL, Yellowstone and elsewhere to come.
Beautiful in the water….icky on the sand. Amazing shots! Congrats!
Thanks, I agree, I’ll stick to shooting them in water:)
They are such elegant creatures, I love them and your photos are lovely
Thanks, elegant says it all.
Ahhhh beautiful and serene. Amazing!!
Thanks, that was what I was going for.
That exhibit rocks! The lighting makes all the difference.
Absolutely.
Beautiful images.
Thanks, G.
Such beautiful works of nature.
Works of nature, eloquently stated.
As I read this post, I’m actually looking at the glass jellyfish sun-catcher that I got from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. What a gorgeous facility, and your photos are stunning!
Thank you. Geat shared memories.
Amazing shots…and through thick glass, too.
Thanks, it is a difficult, but rewarding process.
WOW..GREAT SHOT!!! Keren banget!!!
Thanks, more to come.
Jellyfish are so beautiful!!!
They are.
This post reminded me of a poem called ” A Jellyfish” by Marianne Moore I had to study in my literature classes…and the picture is the added flavour…i loved it!!! 🙂
A beautiful poem for a beautiful creature.
Thanks for the share the photos are amazing.
No problem, my pleasure.
These are brilliant. You’ve captured both the vibrant colors and the movement in such a graceful fashion. The Long Beach Aquarium also has a fine jellyfish exhibit if you get the change to see it.
Very eloquent, thank you. LBA sounds great.
oh they are just stunning photos. I love the etheral gradeful beauty of jellyfish. They are such …alien creatures.
Alien describes them well.
Great photos of these mysterious jellyfish, they are one of the most beautiful creatures of the sea, amazing!
That is why I became hooked on producing this series. Since they have been so popular, I will post a couple more tomorrow. Thank you.
Beautiful images! “Natural Design” is stunning, and strangely reminiscent of Alison Jardine’s abstract oil painting “Interference”, which was on NotCot a few days ago:
http://alisonjardine.com/intermittence/
I see the linear resemblance. Thank you very much for your kind words.
The linear forms, but also the color palette. Your colors are exquisite. Do you adjust them with filters or post-processing, or are they all natural to the jellyfish themselves?
I love the photographs! Nice work!
Thanks, I appreciate it.
many thanks
thank you
Edit Minimal adjustments, I always try to shoot for what I seek to print.
Lucid colors; very pleasant to look at.
Thanks Steve
ah, I’ve seen some jellyfish exhibit, I believe it was called “genius bar” where jellyfish are inside tank aquarium where colors change in the tune of classical music (yeah, like a jellyfish disco scene playing chopin’s symphonies). Really dizzying and hypnotic experience. I was like stung when I got out. It was like hallucinating. I wouldn’t say it was an unpleasant experience but it was magically weird!
Very hypnotic
Wow… Nice colors and nice shot!
Thank you LJ
Such a good technique you have. I wish could be like you.!
I appreciate it, I’ve been working on the technique for years
WOW! Incredibly beautiful.
thank you
Nice shot, something that can be deadly but looking beautiful..
sort of like the black widow
My pleasure, the descriptions have brought back my own memories, thanks.
Same here.
Amazing pictures.
Thanks
Love your work… Kudos on FP
Many thanks. FP Rocked.
Great idea on your photo series of jellyfish. I saw the jellyfish exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and more recently at a temporary exhibit at the Baltimore Aquarium. I was amazed watching these creatures move. These exhibits shifted my perception from disgust about the creatures stinging me when I’m in the ocean to wonder about their color, structure, and movement. Great job capturing these two photos — and congrats on your gallery exhibits and other journal/magazine inclusions.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, I greatly appreciate it. Check out my FB page at: http://on.fb.me/dFOCUU and I can be found on Twitter @barrygreff.
How cool! Like some space-age hot air balloons!
Cool analogy. Thanks.
Really majestic creatures.
And wonderful photography too.
Vanimator
http://www.vanimator.com
Thanks for the shout out. Cool design site Vanimator. Stay in touch through FB page: http://on.fb.me/dFOCUU
and Twitter: @barrygreff. You never know…
I lived in Monterey for 3 years–going to the Aquarium all the time was a major perk of living there (I always kept an annual pass). The Jellies exhibit was new back then and they totally fascinated me! There is something so incredibly relaxing about watching jellyfish move slowly and gracefully around their habitat…it’s almost like music.
Very soothing music, I agree. You can see more jellyfish from other Aquariums at my web site: http://www.barrystevengreff.com. Also join me at: FB page: http://on.fb.me/dFOCUU
and Twitter: @barrygreff
Fabulous pictures, outstanding quality and congrats on FP 🙂
Thank you. FP led to other sites picking up the work leading to some 7,000 new visits. Quite amazing.
I would not want to touch those things 🙂 You have some really nice photos of them!
Definitely look but don’t touch. Thank you.
Amazing photos
Thanks.
Those are very beautiful
Thank you for your kind words.
I kind of have a jellyfish phobia, but they clearly make awesome photo subjects. Just, you know… keep them behind the glass. Because I am afraid for my life. 😀
For my series: FLOW, they are definitely behind the glass:)
You can see less phobia inducing images at my web site: http://www.barrystevengreff.com and by connecting at FB: http://on.fb.me/dFOCUU and Twitter: @barrygreff
Thanks for stopping by.
Cool, thanks Barry! I’m having a great time looking at your facebook photos… your website link isn’t working for me, though… it’s taking me to a placeholder site. Thought you might like to know. 🙂
I checked the link after I replied to you and did see that it was not working. I just had it fixed, I hope you return and enjoy the additional work. Thanks.
Thanks Rufus, the recognition is greatly appreciated
Thank you Toyota, Thailand.
These photos are absolutely beautiful. I think people have a hard time realizing that art is everywhere. In the sea creatures that swim below us, in the sky as the clouds take shape. The camera you were using must have been a high quality because when I have taken pictures through the glass of a tank, they turn out pretty blurry. I loo forward to seeing more of your photos!
Thank you, I appreciate that you also realize that Art can be anywhere. Today I posted a 3 minute multimedia presentation entitled “Mother Earth” featuring many of my iconic sea and landscapes set to a beautiful piece of music. Please stop by at: http://bit.ly/dJnv0o and join me at FB at: http://on.fb.me/dFOCUU
It is an amazing Aquarium. They also have two Whale Sharks, the largest fish in the world, in one huge tank. Definitely a must-see when in Atlanta. Thank you very much for following.
You are welcome. Thank you for viewing my photography.
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you design this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz answer back as Im looking to create my own blog and would like to know where u got this from. thanks a lot
Thank you very much. I designed it together with Alison Zavos who has a link on my Blog Roll. She is great to work with and very reasonable. Tell her I sent you.
Hi Barry, great photo. Thank you for sharing it!!
Thank you.