For some reason, my journey through photography and particularly improvements in the technology used to take photos (I’ve really not developed much as a photographer myself) has been documented in turtles. I guess it had to be something so why not an adorable shelled creature.

The first attempt at capturing a turtle image ended in frustration, disappointment, nothing tangible to see, and was quickly followed by the purchase of a new camera.

The second visit to the aquarium went a a lot better and resulted in this photo. Not too bad, if a bit fuzzy round the edges.

It’s been a good few years since I made any steps forward on this turtle journey, but technology has improved exponentially and recently I secured this little beauty.

Glass and water are always going to be a problem, and I was lucky that this guy wasn’t moving around too much but oof, if you can’t see directly into his soul.

Meanwhile, I also discovered another creature I could use as a testament to the increase in photo quality twenty years apart.

I’ve always loved this photo. It’s dark and a bit blurry, but the shaft of light is evocative and it feels like it’s taken in the depths of the ocean rather than in an artificially illuminated sea life centre.

Meanwhile, the 2026 update:

Obviously we’re lacking the scene setting here and it’s not got the same ‘abyss’ feel about the other one but in terms of quality of photo, you can’t argue with progress.

I’ve posted some more pictures on the dedicated section of this site:

• Dragon of the seas
• Five-a-side
• The deep blue sea
• Penguin pal
• Things are looking up
• Otterly adorable