National Aquarium, Baltimore. Fun with fish and more...

National Aquarium is an excellent destination in Baltimore's Inner Harbor during these cold "what should we do today?" kind of days.  Bring your kids or just your DSLR.  

We toured the Australia exhibit, watched a dolphin show, spiraled down the shark tunnel, observed volunteer divers hand feed stingrays, turtles and sharks.  The kids were totally inthralled and I was having a good time taking photos of the vibrant tropical fish.  

The indoor low light was a challenge for me so the aquarium provided a great learning experience.  I had to change my ISO for each exhibit.  When we left the aquarium, I forgot to change my ISO back to sunlight and most of my photos were overexposed.  I was exhausted of thinking so much and switched to my camera to auto.  Shame on me.

We spent about two and a half hours touring.  The same day a family we know spent a couple hours, went to lunch and returned for a few more hours which included an optional IMAX show.  

I could have sat at this tank all day and
photographed these vibrant tropical fish.
They went eye to eye and were interactive with the kids.
My husband gave me the "look" to move on
 and let a new family enjoy the prime viewing spot,
or I would have taken more shots.
The lighting in the tank was exceptional for photography.  

 Tropical fish that seemed very interested in the kids
 and followed their fingers along the tank. 

Bubbles!

Who doesn't love a clown fish.
I think I have that movie memorized.
"Just keep swimming" is one of my life mantras. 

She loved the fish.
It's so hard to get a good shot of
 her face when it's pressed up against the tanks.
In this shot I  like the glow from the tank and her fingers on the glass.

Kiss-y Fish Face. 

Australia exhibit bird.
A beautiful pink, grey and lavender coloring.
 He had his eye on me.

One of two hundred volunteer divers feeding the rescued
 the three finned sea turtle named Calypso.  
Hand fed twice a day.

Dolphin and environmental show.
My son wanted to sit in the splash-zone.
Maybe in the summer, but not in the dead of winter.
He put on a nice pout for the first half of the show.