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Sea snail shell

Photographer Valerie Taylor (born 1935)

Date1953-2000

Object numberANMS1468[917]

NamePhotographic slide

MediumColour transparency film

DimensionsOverall (inc carrier): 50 × 50 mm

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Valerie Taylor in memory of Ron Taylor

Terms

DescriptionGastropods (class Gastropoda) are a group of molluscs including sea snails, sea slugs and nudibranchs. They are characterised by their muscular foot, which is often protected by a calcium carbonate shell, and a special feeding apparatus called the radula, which acts like a conveyor belt of teeth to scrape food off surfaces. As gastropods are highly diverse in their morphology, habitat and diet, they play many important ecological roles across the ocean. SignificanceThe simplest definition of macro photography is taking a picture of something so that it appears larger than it is in real life. This technique reveals the tiny hidden wonders of our world. In the early 1970s, Ron made Valerie the first known macrophotography set up for an underwater camera, with extension tubes and framers. Her stunning close-up shots of Great Barrier Reef corals were the cover story for the June 1973 issue of National Geographic. With this setup, Valerie was able to take some of the first high quality macro photographs of very small creatures, like the gastropods seen in this archive.