Aw gosh an' gee whiz, thanks Art.
As I'd mentioned, strong wind toward the Gulf in conjunction with a
scheduled minus tide produced one heck of a low tide.
Gorgonia on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts live just subtidally. An event
like this leaves them partly or totally exposed. It's then a matter of
finding the few odd color forms among the many usual ones, then examining
them for the little predator of the same color.
I had never seen or heard of an orange one before. Any of you folks on
Conch-L?
Photography was hasty and not as I'd have liked to do it. Snippets of the
three gorgonian color forms were put, along with the snails, into a little
clear plastic tub of filtered seawater, and photographed over a dark
background. I used a Nikon FE2, 55 macro lens, twin strobes (TTL mode), and
Fuji Velvia (50). The tub should have been raised up a little to throw the
background out of focus. I was not set up that day. My little aquarium was
not put together. Lesson: keep a simple set-up ready, you never know what
you'll come across.
 
Phil P.
 
----------
> From: MR ART WEIL <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Phil Poland
> Date: Friday, April 17, 1998 11:34 AM
>
> Sorry, Phil; don't have your E-mail address handy.
>    But I got the COA journal yesterday. Your photograph on the back
> cover showing the three Simnia is one of the finest wildlife photos
> I've ever seen. Amazing! Great! I doubt if anyone on the Conch list
> will disagree.
>    NOW---tell us how you did it---if it isn't a trade secret.
>    I have picked up Simnia for years beached at Folly beach in S.
> Carolina. Most of those were either the yellow variety or almost
> bleached white. Very few of the darker colors.
>         Art