Nudibranch
The "fingers" atop of animal are actually its gills.
Wikipedia will explain more: "A nudibranch (pron. ˈnjuːdɨbræŋk) is a member of t...
Read more
The "fingers" atop of animal are actually its gills.
Wikipedia will explain more: "A nudibranch (pron. ˈnjuːdɨbræŋk) is a member of the Nudibranchia, a group of soft-bodied, marine gastropod mollusks which shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms. Currently, about 2,300 valid species of nudibranchs are known."
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Wikipedia will explain more: "A nudibranch (pron. ˈnjuːdɨbræŋk) is a member of the Nudibranchia, a group of soft-bodied, marine gastropod mollusks which shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms. Currently, about 2,300 valid species of nudibranchs are known."
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Sep, 2015Views
929
Likes
Awards
Winner in Underwater Macro Critters in the Ocean Photo Challenge
Winner in Nudibranchs and molluscs Photo Challenge
Winner in Nudibranchs in all their splendour Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
All Star
Emotions
Impressed
Happy
Top Ranks
Top 30 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1Categories
Platinum
Platinum
acglock
November 14, 2015
Makes a phenomenal abstract as! Brilliant in glorious color, but I'm betting it would translate to an awesome gray scale as well!
PRO+
LookSee
April 01, 2016
Many thanks! Feels great to win in a Challenge so thematically specialized - and on April 1st, too! :)
PRO+
PRO+
PRO+
PRO+
PRO+
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
Photo was made deep under the Adriatic surface in Croatian Maritime National Park "Kornati".Time
Can't remember really, it was some decades ago. Very probably about noon. We used to dive while there was a maximum daylight to penetrate the surface, although it was not very important for this particular shot, since it had to be photographed with flash anyway.Lighting
I used a Sunpak Marine flash unit connected via sync cable to the camera, and the film was Fujichrome Sensia. Ambiental light is not very useful anywhere under 10 meters for 100ASA sensitivity, not even at noontime; add-on lighting has to be used for macro photography.Equipment
The camera was a Nikonos III with Sunpak Marine strobe and macro tubes between the camera and 35mm UW Nikkor (one of the four lenses available for Nikonos at the time). Two of those, 35mm and 80mm can be used on dry land too, as these have flat lens ports, while the 15mm and 28mm were specifically designed for underwater use and the respective convex and concave ports of those lenses are the part of their underwater corrective optical system. Macro tubes, however, worked best with the 35mm lens.Inspiration
You don't need any special inspiration to photograph such beauts underwater! Every dive was, is, and always will be slightly frustrating, given the enormous variety of themes in the sea. As no lens was right for all objects you encountered, so with Nikonos you had to decide which kind and size of themes will be photographed during any specific dive and then set up your equipment prior to that dive. Of course, once the macro tubes are mounted, all themes over certain size and distance are out of consideration and approach.Editing
All our slidefilms were developed in the field, using home-made rig for that specific purpose. It gave us the chance to see what was done, and possibly repeat the dive if anything went wrong. E-6 process is/was very simple to control, and we got to see the images already after 30-40 minutes. This slide was scanned and optimized years later, although the scanners available at the time weren't anywhere near the quality available today.In my camera bag
For underwater photography I had to use a suitcase, because the whole system consists of numerous parts - many bought, and many self-built. Add the batteries for three weeks of Outdoors, several dozen rolls of film, spares and tools for field maintenance and repair, and you can imagine the package. Nowadays, all I need fits in the pockets of my photo vest. I wish that size and practicality was available then, but in those days it wasn't even imaginable. On the other side, I wish today's underwater cameras could stand what the Nikonoses could! So far, no manufacturer seems to understand such wishes and needs. Nikonos III was rated for safe use down to -40 meters, but it worked flawlessly at more than double that depth.Feedback
In underwater photography, the best advice would boil down to two words: BE PREPARED! If you are lucky to dive in tropical seas, any contemporary camera can get you such photos, as the plankton-less waters are very transparent, and brimming with life right under the surface. So, snorkeling will bring you close to beings like nudibranchia, corals etc. where any waterproof camera can make good photos, even by daylight only! Deeper down, the light frequencies gradually filter out (warm parts of spectrum go first), and you have to reduce the light distance to your objects. Thus, flashlight is more or less a must. If possible, keep the angle between lighting and photographing direction around 45 degrees (even more for macro shots) so as to avoid flat lighting, and also reflection from water-suspended matter. It will render better texture and more natural look to the theme. Crucial things to remember are related to the camera maintenance. Be sure to thoroughly wash your amphibious camera in fresh water after every use, and dry it well before opening any closures! Never allow the camera to dry after the sea dive and before you have washed away all the salt and biological matter. If you can't properly rinse the camera right away, at least do not allow it to dry! Wrap it in a wet towel and transfer it to freshwater bath as soon as possible. If salt crystals form under all those filigree commands, it will be really hard to remove those, and all kinds of subsequent problems may develop. So make this brine-removal process a kind of religiously followed procedure, and you'll have no trouble using the camera for a long time. To my sorrow, you will not find this advice in any manual. Every water ingress will void the camera Warranty - it will always be the user's fault! So please share the above suggestions with your diving buddies. Chances are, you might save some cameras and holidays from disaster.
