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Fluorescence Images by Charles Mazel
The photographs on this page were taken at a depth of 2 m (6 feet) and less just off a rocky beach in Marshfield, Massachusetts. They are not the beautiful shots you see on the other photo pages, but they may be of interest for marine science for what they show of the bottom. Take a look at the captions with each photograph for partial explanations. For more information contact NightSea.
These photographs were made in full daylight (approximately 11 am). The camera and strobes were mounted in a special 'DarkBox' that holds the camera in the proper position relative to the subject and excludes ambient light.
Technical details:
Camera: Nikonos V with 28 mm lens and Nikonos close-up kit
Camera filter: NightSea BB59 barrier filter
Electronic flash: Dual Ikelite Substrobe 50
Excitation filters: NightSea BE1 exciter filter
Film: Fujichrome Sensia ASA 400
F-stop: f3.5
Exposure control: Some full manual, some in TTL mode with ASA knob set to 200
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All images © Charles Mazel
Rocks and algae. The yellow-orange fluorescence on the rocks comes from phycoerythrin-containing coralline algae. The deeper red fluorescence arises from chlorophyll. The surface is very three-dimensional, and there is some light leakage at the back of the box. This is visible as the green light in the lower right of the image. Scale - approximately 14 x 24 cm.
Similar to above
Assorted algae on rock. Scale - approximately 14 x 24 cm
Algae on rock. The yellow-orange fluorescence comes from phycoerythrin-containing coralline algae. The deeper red fluorescence arises from chlorophyll. The green fluorescence at the left middle is from the encrusting tunicate Botryllus. The origin of the brighter yellow-green fluorescence at the right center is uncertain. Scale - approximately 14 x 24 cm
Blow-up of an image showing a red macroalga in the center, pinned under a small stone.
The duller orange fluorescence is from areas of the alga that contain phycoerythrin and chlorophyll in a functional
relationship (i.e., energy transfer to photosynthesis). This piece of alga had broken loose from its holdfast, however,
and was floating freely along the bottom. As the plant decays the energy transfer from phycoerythrin to chlorophyll
breaks down and the phycoerythrin fluorescence is released, evident as the intense yellow fluorescence in the image.
To the naked eye in ambient light those sections of the alga appeared orange-pink.
All images © Charles Mazel
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