We were taken back to our childhood with this talk by Steve and Julie, paddling around the rock pools that we are so lucky to have on our doorstep.
Julie, a marine biologist is based at the Marine Visitor Centre at Kimmeridge, and Steve a photographer of above and below the water level.
As they pointed out, to photograph the rock pool creatures initially you have to find them, and we were give a fascinating insight into the life of everything from limpets and crabs through to the fish that live in these little havens on the seashore. It is actually quite a tough life living in this environment, the power of the seas, the drastic temperature changes all within the tidal cycles, and how they have evolved to survive is enthralling.
Steve and Julie were happy to share how and when to try and photograph in these challenging situations, and the images we were shown throughout the evening really gave us a sense of wonder, the brilliant colours, clever camouflage, and some very scary looking creatures that you are really happy are only the size of your thumb!
It is worrying though, that Julie also reports the changes in species in our locality, as the climate shifts so will the habitats.