Chris Crumley Blog

The non-diver perhaps can't imagine the almost spiritual feeling that engulfs most of us coming in close contact with a large marine creature. Could be a 15-40' whale, similarly sized whale shark or a 6-8' shark.

Humphead wrasse like this give me similar willies. At 4-5' long, they're not so big. But, are unafraid and get so close they seem to want to cuddle up.

Some divers have been known to feed the wrasse hard-boiled eggs. They suck the egg in, massage it in their mouths and spit out the shell. Try that underwater!

Generally, there is a movement to not feed marine life for lots of good reasons, but it goes on. Was this one getting close because he wanted me or an egg?

Ah, well, I'll probably never know.

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We all know about email etiquette; it's a courtesy thing to respond fairly quickly. But, sometimes, you just can't.

Take the case of someone who spends most of their time underwater. Maybe it's harder to get a signal there. Or, maybe they use AT&T and they're underwater near Ocracoke Island, NC where there is no AT&T signal on land or anywhere.

Okay, I'm sorry. My phone vendor frustration is showing.

Last week was dedicated to shooting still and motion stock and I was fortunate to be working with an incredible crew in Richmond, VA. Our mer-person (above) was Rozlyn Papa; she'll be back again in these pages, so watch for her. She's also a shoe-in for pages in the Femme de la Mer book.

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The pool in the "old" Cavalier Hotel dates back to its construction in 1927. Picture automobiles of the late 20s and early 30s arriving at the front entrance on the hill for big band sounds from Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman. This part of the hotel is open in the summer and the pool is clearly from another era.

It's a good location for photography and we took the new Canon Tilt-Shift lenses there for a few trial frames.

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Had to shoot some things at the oceanfront house for the Interior Designers today, then ventured out onto the beach. We were getting a lot of wind and waves from another hurricane passing by.

Doesn't look like our typically warm, sunny, calm Virginia Beach beach, huh?

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Chuck Guthrie was next to me shooting the fountain and building behind it with a 16-35mm wide angle lens tilted up to get the fountain and the building in the frame (right side with converging vertical lines). He sent his frame beside the Tilt-Shift lens version (left side).

Major difference; most architects would opt for the parallel lines.

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Another frame from the Town Center testing session last Friday.

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First Friday at Town Center, Virginia Beach, VA takes on a festive atmosphere with artists spread around the four square blocks and in the open area around the fountain. Last night, celebrated local artist Louis Jones was painting a large canvas real time in the square in front of the Bravo! eatery.

It was a good setting for testing the new Canon TS-E (tilt-shift) wide angle lens' ability to correct perspectives normally destroyed by tilting a wide angle lens up or down. This one was using the 24mm. We also worked with the 17mm.

After testing, a cold drink and plate of cheeseburger sliders finished things.

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I thought Palm Tree Mart's setup on Virginia Beach at ECSC (East Coast Surfing Championships) was clever.

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