Kieu-Hanh Vu
October 2026 - Diving with Aquatic Animals
About the Image(s)
This image was captured at Dubai Aquarium, located inside the Dubai Mall. This massive aquarium is a 10-million-liter tank holding over 33,000 marine animals, including sharks. There are several divers in the aquarium, and I assume that they are visitors who want to experience diving with aquatic animals. I like to include the girl outside the aquarium for more impact. I note that there are some Arabic letters reflected from the other side of the aquarium but I prefer to leave it as it is to use my image for a travel image. All comments are highly appreciated.
15 comments posted
The girl looking at the diver makes the image! Such a strong line between her eyes and the diver. Great capture/memory! Two suggestions - the girls body is a little too close to the edge - creates some tension in the image. And the whole scene looks a little too blue for me. In the attached - I adjusted the color temperature with the LR eyedropper (one click) using the girls shirt as something that should be white - it's a subtle change, but I think it improves the image. Regarding the divers - we often see them in a comparably sized tank at the Chicago Shed Aquarium - where they are employees cleaning the tank and tending to the fish. I'd be surprised if the Dubai aquarium allowed visitors such access. Posted: 10/06/2026 06:41:25
Posted: 10/06/2026 06:50:51
I really like your edited version! Thanks, Steven! Posted: 10/14/2026 02:47:18
Thank you for your comments and your edits, Steven! Your comments are helpful to me because they raised a few issues I hadn't considered. Posted: 10/14/2026 02:45:39
Steve's comments and edit are spot on, I don't have anything else to contribute, other than great image, the little girl makes this. Posted: 10/12/2026 18:17:28
Thank you for your feedback, Jack! Posted: 10/14/2026 02:49:43
This is really a photo of a girl being awed by what she is seeing. I love it.
I wonder how this photo would have looked taken in landscape mode, to have more of the tank on the right side of the girl.
I took a photo of a girl in front of an aquarium with a mermaid in the tank and nearly submitted that. But it doesn't show the awe of the girl at all which you've so clearly captured. Posted: 10/13/2026 14:51:53
I wonder how this photo would have looked taken in landscape mode, to have more of the tank on the right side of the girl.
I took a photo of a girl in front of an aquarium with a mermaid in the tank and nearly submitted that. But it doesn't show the awe of the girl at all which you've so clearly captured. Posted: 10/13/2026 14:51:53
I appreciate your kind comments, Susan! I was also awed to see the aquarium filled with fish and people, especially inside a shopping mall.
I did take some images in landscape mode but since the aquarium is round, so the photos have a lot of glare and reflections from nearby shops and neon signs. Plus, there are tons of visitors crowded around it, making it even harder to get a clean shot.
I'd love to see your picture of the mermaid. Please share it next time!
Posted: 10/14/2026 09:32:51
I did take some images in landscape mode but since the aquarium is round, so the photos have a lot of glare and reflections from nearby shops and neon signs. Plus, there are tons of visitors crowded around it, making it even harder to get a clean shot.
I'd love to see your picture of the mermaid. Please share it next time!
Posted: 10/14/2026 09:32:51
It really is a challenge to take a photo like this.
I'm attaching my photo here since I've already sent Jack my photo for next month. Posted: 10/26/2026 20:57:01
I'm attaching my photo here since I've already sent Jack my photo for next month. Posted: 10/26/2026 20:57:01
Thanks for sharing your very cool image, Susan! It's like a scene in a Disney movie! Posted: 10/28/2026 06:01:15
Great image - well done. One suggestion might be to remove some distractions (fish at upper left, edge of tank at upper right, bright reflections in water). Then you could slightly brighten the girl - or even darken her to almost a silhouette. And slightly brighten the water/tank. Examples below. Thanks for sharing this image. Posted: 10/28/2026 07:56:34
Posted: 10/28/2026 07:56:59
Hi Susan,
Was this image also taken at the Dubai Aquarium? Posted: 10/29/2026 00:06:13
Was this image also taken at the Dubai Aquarium? Posted: 10/29/2026 00:06:13
Thanks Steven.
Kieu-Hanh, this was at a teeny tiny aquarium a few minutes from my house in Central Florida. They have a little mermaid tank. Posted: 10/29/2026 02:04:40
Kieu-Hanh, this was at a teeny tiny aquarium a few minutes from my house in Central Florida. They have a little mermaid tank. Posted: 10/29/2026 02:04:40
You did a great job of snapping the shot at the moment the little girl was in such awe of what she was viewing. I agree that a bit more space to the right of her would be a good idea. Shooting this in a shopping mall must have been a real challenge, but you managed to make it look like the little girl was the only one there. Very cool. Posted: 10/27/2026 21:50:42