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Blue Glitter

Hi Bella Family,


The South Coast is home to many beautiful natural landscapes; I moved here because I was in awe of the variety of landscapes, amazing places to explore and the lovely community spirit.


For years I had come here in search of Bio-luminescent Plankton. With no idea what it was, what it looked like, where to go - this was like chasing a ghost!


Now-a-days there is a wonderful community of people who share tips, tricks and potential sightings of all things glittery, and this has made the chances of success so much better. Before, I used to pack up my camera, tripod and gumboots and off I went to every possible place I could think of.


As you know, there has been a significant amount of it this past weekend; I was disappointed to miss out because I had my husband's surprise birthday party, but that's okay!


MY FIRST TIME SEEING BIO!


My first experience with bio was back in 2018, after 3-4 years of hunting for it unsuccessfully.


I played in the water with my gumboots and got to see the faintest traces of blue glitter - well, oh my, I love glitter, so this was enough to make me so over the moon! I could have stayed all night, however it wasn't enough for a photo. I enjoyed the experience and was grateful. In the back of my mind, though, I wondered how anyone could shoot bio if that was it.


Then one night I was out shooting with my dad; the moon was out in full force and no red algae sighting so we were not expecting bio, just some nice night shots.


It didn't take long before we realised the waves were flashing blue every once in a while.


Well I nearly lost it with excitement!


After a few hours the bio faded so we called it a night and I took dad home. By this stage, the clouds had set in so I decided to go back out to see if it was still there and I was NOT disappointed!


Here is a video I snapped so my mum could enjoy the bio without being able to come to see it.



Here is my first favourite photo of bio that I've taken.




At the beginning of this year, just after the debris from the fires was clearing from the ocean, the bio was incredible and I was lucky enough to see it 3 days in a row *mic drop*


It was the most incredible experience of my life <3














The third night there was a lot less; I found a tiny pocket of it trapped in Moona Moona creek so I still had a little bit of fun



The important thing to note is that each night and each location is different, giving you such different results. These were along the same stretch of beach, but at different locations.


Also, camera settings can be hard. You want to bump up your ISO to capture the bio, but that adds more grain to your photos. I want crystal sharp photos, so each time I shoot I shoot in different settings. I was stoked with the photos below, and each time I shoot it I get better at it.






Here are some tips for shooting bio:

  • Bring gumboots and a towel, or a change of clothes

  • Make sure you have a torch, or ideally a red light, as you will need to navigate the beach to see it - HOWEVER, light affects the brightness of the bio, so don't shine it on the bio and please be mindful of people around you trying to take photos or enjoy it

  • You may not see it straight away, so give your eyes some time to adjust

  • Bio is activated by movement, so if there are no waves you may need to go play in the water!

  • If you want to photograph it, you will need a good camera and a tripod. If it is bright enough and there is enough of it, you will see it with the naked eye and can video it

  • It is unpredictable, and just because it is there at 8pm doesn't mean it will be there at 8:10pm. A lot of factors, such as the tides, affect it

  • You are looking for red algae during the day for your best chance to see it at night, but this doesn't always give you the result you want...


I found a thick amount of red algae at Green Patch just before sunset; the waves were crashing and the algae was coming up onto the sand - it was so red it looked like blood in the water - I thought it would be the most amazing thing I'd seen and couldn't wait for the night sparkles! Although impressive, it wasn't quite what I was hoping for, but I did get sharp sand trails and a nice milky way photo.









Moral of the story, bio hunting is so much fun and a great way to spend time with your family. Enjoy the moment and remember Mother Nature is a spectacular and magical thing.


Happy bio hunting! Post your pics to my Facebook if you find some https://www.facebook.com/akirabellaphotos


If anyone is keen to go out with me shooting, I never say no to bio and I'm happy to help you!


Love and Peace,

Amanda






 
 
 

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