Ted Kinsman is a scientific photographer that specializes in creating images for books, magazines, and television. His particular areas of interest are in x-ray radiography, high-speed photography, Scanning electron microscopy, and time-lapse cinematography. His work has appeared in numerous books and magazines ranging from Discover Magazine to Forbes. Recently his work has appeared on Gray's Anatomy and CSI New York. In addition to running 
B.N. (Bobbie) Sullivan has a strong affinity for the sea and everything in it. She first learned to dive in 1970 and has since logged thousands of dives. A wish to document the marine life she encountered prompted her to learn underwater photography more than 20 years ago. More recently, she began to write about the marine life she has photographed. A research psychologist by profession, she approaches her subject matter with the mindset of a scientist, but targets her writing to a general readership in whom she hopes to foster an appreciation for the ocean and its inhabitants.
B Jefferson Bolender is Training Coordinator of the State of Arizona's
program for disability awareness and assistive technology. Through
her travels she always has a camera at hand to photograph everything
from people to technology and nature. As a teacher of elementary
education, special education and art, her interests include a wide
array of subject matter with an emphasis on documentation with an
artist's eye.
Steve Jurvetson enjoys rocketry and photography and especially the pursuit of both in the Black Rock Desert. Some action photos and video links can be found 
Alex Wild is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he works on the molecular phylogenetics of various groups of insects. He is also a part-time photographer whose images appear in such venues as Ranger Rick, Smithsonian, BBC Wildlife, and even ScienceBlogs.
Nudibranchs -- marine snails without shells -- make wonderful photo subjects for the macro photographer. They are small, colorful, and they move slowly (as snails are wont to do). That last characteristic is particularly welcome. Most fishes are in motion almost constantly, and non-sessile invertebrates tend to scurry hither and thither. It's nice to find a subject that is not only photogenic, but doesn't turn tail or flat out disappear before the photographer can focus the camera's lens!
It's always interesting to find out and record which critters feed on what. Here are some macro photos of two sponge-eating nudibranch species feeding on their favorites. The colorful nudibranch in the first photo, at right, is Chromodoris quadricolor -- also known by its common name Striped Pajama nudibranch. While we cannot see the mouth parts of the creature in this photo, or any obvious feeding damage on the sponge, the species is known to feed on these brightly colored sponges (Negombata sp.).
The individual in the first image was photographed in the Red Sea at Tiran Island.
In the image above, we see a Mediterranean nudibranch species, Peltodoris atromaculata, known by the common name Dotted Sea Slug. The nudibranch is on a brown sponge (Petrosia ficiformis), which is thought to be its primary food source. Both the sponge and the nudibranch species are found throughout the Mediterranean, including the Adriatic and Aegean Seas.
The final image, above, is much more convincing as a feeding record. Here again we have P. atromaculata, but this time the feeding scars on the sponge, P. ficiformis, are very obvious. It is not uncommon to see several of these nudibranchs feasting on a single sponge at the same time. They can leave the sponge quite scarred.
Each of the two photos of P. atromaculata is of a different individual. Both were photographed off the coast of Greece, near Cape Sounion.
Note: Although the nudibranchs in the second and third photo appear larger than the C. quadricolor in the first photo, in real life they all are about the same size: approximately 5 cm (2 in) long. The second and third photos were enlarged.
Life Science
Comments
Oooh, I LOVE nudibranchs! I was going to call them the butterflies of the sea, and then realized that this reflects my own entomo-centric bias. Maybe butterflies are actually the nudibranchs of the land!
Posted by: Julie Stahlhut | August 19, 2009 10:26 AM
Hi Julie - Nudibranchs are colorful like butterflies, but I can tell you one thing from experience: Nudibranchs are MUCH easier to photograph than butterflies. ;-}
Posted by: B. N. Sullivan | August 19, 2009 3:27 PM