Meet macro-photographer Dan Harding at the Museum of Ventura County on Free First Sunday, February 3 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., and find out how he captures the detailed images of tiny sea life on view in the current museum exhibit Tidepool Discoveries. The informal talk and all museum galleries are free to the public that day.

Harding combines technology and an unusual perspective to share his passion to protect and preserve these creatures. His process involves temporarily placing them in a small aquarium on site, so they can be returned quickly to their found location after being photographed. He also designs and constructs special underwater camera housings for other shoots.

Harding, who lives in Santa Paula, began scuba diving in the kelp forests of the Channel Islands when he was just 15 years old. This fascination with sea life evolved into degrees in marine science from San Diego State University, and a teaching career in the U. S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and locally in Ojai. Harding’s photography has appeared in numerous publications including National Geographic’s Your Shot and the Peterson Field Guide of Coral Reefs of the Caribbean and Florida, as well as in exhibits and displays at Channel Islands National Park; Pepperdine University’s grunion research program; the California Oil Museum; and others.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura. Hours are 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission to the exhibitions is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children 6-17, members and children under 6 are free. Paid events include free admission to the galleries, and the first Sundays of every month are free general admission for the public. For more museum information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.