A Chat with Terence Zahner, Underwater Photographer Extraordinaire

Every since "meeting"  Terence Zahner, the mind behind ZahnerPhoto on etsy, I've been fascinated by his underwater photography. He takes lovely photos of things on dry land too, but it's the intimate portraits of squids, corals, fish, and other underwater denizens that seem most mysterious to me. I asked him a few questions about his artwork, and he's been kind enough to share the answers here. If what you read here doesn't make you want to visit the nearest seashore, I don't know what will!


How long have you been diving? Did you start taking photos right away?

I got certified in 2000, while on my honeymoon in Hawaii. We decided to try SCUBA at the recommendation of friends that honeymooned there the year before. After the first dive, we were so blown away by the experience that we started studying for our certification the same day. I am so fortunate to be married to my dive buddy.

I’ve always had the desire to share the underwater world with others who will never see it firsthand in the way I am privileged to. My first underwater photo attempts were with a disposable film camera. The images are abstract blobs of blue that I assure you were actually a turtle or a beautiful fish to my eye. I started shooting underwater in earnest with a compact digital camera and plastic housing in 2005. I’ve outgrown several camera systems along the way.

What's the most exotic place you've ever been on a dive?

The most off-the-map place is Saba, my new favorite place to dive. It is a tiny volcanic pinnacle in the Dutch Caribbean, a short flight from St Martin. Only about 1,400 people live there. It reminds me of Hawaii in several ways, and is much closer to home.



What's your favorite subject? I've noticed a lot of very detailed images in your shop lately, but I see a lot of tentacled creatures too. Do you play favorites?

I’m most obsessed with nudibranchs. For those who don’t know, nudibranchs are sea slugs, like snails without shells. They are typically flamboyantly colored and patterned and can be somewhat hard to find, especially in the Caribbean. I have a small but growing collection of photos that I have contributed to NudiPixel, an online nudibranch reference site: http://www.nudipixel.net/photographer/terence_zahner

I also love photographing cephalopods, in part because they are interactive. Most critters tend to ignore you or hide, but when I encounter squid or octopi there is really a sense that I am being observed and evaluated. One time an octopus even tried to take my camera. Their ability to camouflage and alter their appearance is so fascinating to watch and makes for a memorable occasion. I’m discovering that they are also very popular with my audience.

The natural labyrinth patterns formed by coral growth are another source of inspiration. I find them very relaxing to look at. Ultimately I have to be ready to photograph anything, because I almost never know what I am going to find.

What's the strangest thing you've ever seen underwater? Did you get a photo of it?

The strangest things tend come out under cover of darkness at night, my favorite time to explore the coral reef. Decorator crabs are some of the strangest things I’ve seen. They cover themselves with all sorts of debris, including other living organisms such as sponges, hydroids and algae. In addition to being cryptic, they are also very skittish. I do have a number of perfect photos that look like nothing special, until the crab is pointed out. I’m sure some people just think I am seeing things.

Anything else you'd like to tell us?

Support ocean conservation! I hope that my photographs help educate people on the incredible world that lies just below the waves.

I'd like to extend my gratitude to Terence for taking time to talk about his work and about the amazing world beneath the waves. Check out these links to see more:


ZahnerPhoto (Etsy Shop)
Twitter
Facebook

Year of the Rabbit

Amazing that we are already eight days into 2011, or as some would have it, the Year of the Rabbit. Of course, around our house every year since 2009 has been the Year of the Rabbit. That's when we adopted Shallot... Or started to foster him. It wasn't supposed to be permanent. Yeah, right! You can read more about him here. He's a "special needs" bunny, but I'm happy to report that several days ago he was given a clean bill of health at his yearly physical. He'll always have to have his teeth trimmed every two weeks and his veggies chopped up for him, but he's come miles since we adopted him.

Marshmellow Garden

So, without further ado, I dedicate this blog post to bunnies everywhere. Want to do a little Year of the Rabbit shopping? Here are a few pretties I discovered while browsing Etsy...

First up is the unbearably cute "Marshmellow Garden" by Krisblue. I wonder if Shallot would feel calmer with this hanging near his hutch? Then again, if he were any calmer he'd be asleep. Never before have I met a bunny that wanted to be friends with a manic cat.

Hares Tshirt

Then there's this stunning Tshirt by NYhop... And it's even on sale! If only it were my size.

Rabbit and Carnelian Earrings

I'm not immune from making rabbit-themed things either. These earrings are new in my shop, The Frog Bag.

Rabbits - 1920s Illustration

But the cutest thing I found had to be this set of illustrations, rescued from a damaged childrens' book from the 20s, in Ephemera Obscura's shop.

Want to do more for domestic bunnies this year? Check out Bunny Luv for lots of tips, resources, and ways to help your favorite hopper. Another good resource is the House Rabbit Society. I hope everyone is having a fantastic Year of the Rabbit so far!

Giveaway Time!

Between visiting family, deadlines, plumbing issues, cat issues, dog issues, and filling orders, November was a bit hectic. Yet when I look back over the blog posts I've completed the number seems rather paltry. I wasn't that busy. Even so, more than 450 souls (or perhaps bots?) now follow this blog. I don't think I've earned it this month, but I'm really happy about each and every eyeball pair (or single) that reads my ramblings. And so, without further ado, I'd like to do another giveaway to say thanks.

You could win one of these pendants:

How? Simple! Just comment, and tell me what you'd like. Here are your choices:

Tapir

Gian River Otter

Anteater

Capybara

Jaguar



And tell me what color you'd like:

Red

Black

Brown

Yellow

Blue

I'll pick a matching bead and make you a lovely pendant if your comment is picked.

The winning comment will be chosen at random next Monday (December 6). You can comment until Midnight on Sunday (December 5). If you tweet about this, or post it on Facebook, please come back and leave another comment saying that you did. That way you can have up to three chances to win!

Thanks so much for reading my blog, and good luck with the giveaway! Of course, if you'd like to just buy a pendant, they are sold on the Tapir Preservation Fund website. If you have a questions about special orders, you can always contact me at my etsy shop or through the Tapir Preservation Fund!

Squirrel Appreciation

postcard available from
 http://oldmapsandprints.etsy.com 

This has been a bit of a stressful month so far. First we caught the plague at Comicon, then our (three year young) hot water heater went supernova and spewed water all over Gabriel's studio. Then, on the same day, we discovered that we needed a major plumbing repair in the yard. Clearly, things weren't looking up.

So it was a great relief to see this squirrel massage video. I swear, it turned my entire month around!

T-shirt available from
http://binarywinter.etsy.com

With that in mind, I thought maybe some squirrel appreciation might be in order.


Yes, squirrels can be jerks. I used to work with wild fox, ground, and grey squirrels, and I can assure you that, pound for pound, few animals inflict as much pain when they bite you.


Even in my current job as a zoo keeper I'm not immune from squirrel antics. Just last week one snuck into my food prep area while I was making dinner for (ironically) our squirrel monkeys. I guess none of the food was to his liking though, since he simply urinated on the celery before scampering off.

Does this make me dislike squirrels? Hardly! It does make me appreciate them for what they are though. Cute and cuddly? Not really, although you wouldn't know it from that video. Bad ass? You bet! Watch out world, here comes a squirrel! And me too, as soon as I get our house put back in order.

Ice Age-O-Rama!

Once, long ago, I studied anthropology. But even then I secretly wished it was paleontology. Eventually I ended up with a degree in zoology. I want there to be some way to make "zoo keeper" rhyme with all of that, but alas. I guess I'll have to just get to my point instead...

Which is just that I am still very much interested in paleontology. Almost as interested as I am in living tapirs. So you can imagine my excitement when I found out that there is going to be a talk about ice age tapirs at a museum (sort of) within driving distance of my home!

Hopefully I can get the day off work and actually attend. If not, I'll have to content myself with factoids from the internet. For instance, did you know that the skull of a 1.8 million year old giant sloth was just unearthed in Palm Springs? Just picture it: a 12 foot tall sloth roaming the desert, maybe pausing poolside for a cool beverage... Too bad I never got that paleontology degree. If I had, I would know that the California landscape looked very different during the Pleistocene. Maybe I should just content myself with one of these 3-D ground sloth puzzles from the Tapir and Friends Animal Store instead.

Or I could buy myself some jewelry, like this tiny bronze Smilodon skull. Forget diamonds. Real women prefer tiny reproductions of fossils. At least, that's what this woman prefers. Hey, maybe I could wear it to the tapir talk!

And the Second Winner is...

That's right, a winner has been chosen! Who did the choosing? In the interest of random fairness, the universe was consulted. How did I contact the universe? With a random number generator that claims to use the background static of the cosmos to pull numbers out of thin air. Yay, chaos!

Anyway, the universe has spoken, and since there were only 30 entries it couldn't use its fallback answer of 42. Instead, the universe chose entry number 20. Tyler, step right up and claim your prize!

Tyler had a choice between a pair of earrings and a tiny beaded bottle (here's the post if you want to see what she won). She picked the bottle, so congratulations to Tyler! She has a blog too, so stop by and say "hi"! Or, better yet, check out her cute etsy shop. She has gadget cozies like this one for only $6, and the proceeds go towards her college education.

Many thanks to everyone who entered. These give away posts are a lot of fun for me, so I'm planning on doing another one soon. If anyone has any ideas on what they would like to win I'm open to suggestions. Sorry, I don't have any money or trips to Europe just sitting around, but feel free to browse my shop for inspiration.

Who Ya Callin' Chicken?

I'll be honest. Chickens used to freak me out. When I was very young a giant (well, it seemed giant) rooster attacked me for no reason while I was playing in my grandfather's back yard. I know you're probably thinking that I pulled his feathers or mocked him or something, but I swear, he was just a reprobate.

These days I love chickens. What changed my mind? Ironically, it was another violent act, this time perpetrated by a hen. My mother-in-law was house-sitting a small farm in Florida when we dropped by for a visit. Several hens wandered the back yard. We shared a bit of bagel with them, but one was more interested in stalking something hidden in the palmettos. Quick as a flash, she came up with a small lizard, tossed it into the air, and swallowed it down. Unbelievably bad ass! I had always thought of chickens as idiots, but here was one that would have made its dinosaur forebearers proud. Don't get me wrong, I'm not only a vegetarian, but I have a special fondness for lizards. Still, the hunting prowess of this bird was amazing. Maybe there was more to chickens than I thought...

So now I count myself as a chicken lover. I've even been known to collect a bit of chicken art, if

it depicts these noble birds in all their multi-faceted splendor.

That's why I was so excited when I spotted this wall hanging in Tatty Tiara's etsy shop. It came in the mail today, and I love it! It's even better in person than in the picture.

I also love these vintage stuffed chickens from BlueBirdSales. They're cute, but not in a condescending way.

Then there's always the custom chicken option. These guys, from HedwigzInch, are made to order. Who wouldn't want a one-of-a-kind felt hen? I know I do!

So, take time to appreciate some chickens today. In all of their bad-ass, lizard-and-bagel-eating glory.

Give Away Time!

It seems that 300 people are foolish enough to follow this blog! My evil plan is working perfectly. Next step: World Domination! Or, maybe just a little give away to thank everyone for dropping by. Both seem plausible, but the give away seems easier to accomplish on a Sunday morning. So I suppose I should amend the plan: first, 300 blog followers. Second, a little giveaway. Third, world domination. Let's get started!

Here's the prize:

Or, if you don't wear earrings, one of these tiny beaded bottles:

All you have to do is post a comment telling me which suits your fancy. Want an extra chance to win? Go to my etsy shop, then come back here and tell me what you like best in a separate post. I'll use a random number generator to choose the winner. The drawing will be held on February 28th, 2010. Good luck!

This is Your Cat on Drugs

I sell a lot of cat toys in my etsy shop. Every single one of them contains cat nip. Does this mean that I'm a kitty drug peddler? Apparently the answer is yes.

Not every cat reacts the same way to cat nip. Only about 3 out of every 4 will go wild for the stuff. The reaction seems to have a heavy genetic component; American felines often love it while their Australian counterparts tend to ignore it.

Humans usually find the odor pleasant but not overly interesting, probably because we don't use our noses the same way that cats do. I always assumed that the reactive chemical in the nip, (called nepetalactone) somehow stimulated the cat's vomeronasal organ, a chemoreceptor that we lack. Recent studies show that this isn't the case. Instead the nepetalactone binds to receptors in their olfactory epithelium where it probably mimics a feline pheromone. The result is temporary euphoria and possibly mild hallucinations.

This reaction is short-lived, however, and after a few minutes the kitty usually gets tired of rolling around and acting crazy. They will then be immune to the siren song of the nip for about two hours, after which they may return to the same toy for another hit.

There is conflicting data on the reaction of big cats (lions, tigers, pumas, and such) to nip. Some tigers seem to love it, but most seem to be fairly indifferent. Then again, these guys are a lot bigger than our charming feline housemates, so maybe they just need really big toys to fully appreciate cat nip's recreational potential.

Trilobite Bonanza!

I don't know about you, but I spend way too much time searching for trilobite merchandise on the internet. It can be a futile and lonely pursuit. If you're persistent though, it can pay off in spades! So here is a gallery of some of my favorite trilobite finds; a guide post of sorts for any other poor trilobite-hungry souls out there in cyberspace. 

First up is this fabulous sharpie drawing of an Oryctocephalus 

trilobite, done by weirdbuglady and bought on etsy. I love this piece! Check out her shop, it contains some 

of the most brilliant soft sculptures imaginable.

Next we have this "quiet trilobite", also bought on etsy, this time from ArtYes

who also does lovely depictions of diatoms. 

Need a trilobite that's a little more water proof? Try The Tapir Preservations Fund's extinct animal collection

Or maybe you want to wear your trilobite? I got this great design printed on a hoodie from Trilobitten's Cafepress shop

Now when the weather is cool I'm able to flash my trilobite pride all day at work. 

Still not convinced? Go on your own search. But be sure to tell me if you find anything cool. I'm always in the mood for trilobites.