Gallery of Glowing Sea Creatures

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Queen Angelfish

Angel fish

(Image credit: Brandi Irwin, Liquid Film Photography)

Red and Green

Brandi Irwin photography

(Image credit: Brandi Irwin, Liquid Film Photography)

A light similar to a black light plus a special camera filter bring out colors not visible to the naked eye.

Glowing Coral

Coral flourescent

(Image credit: Brandi Irwin, Liquid Film Photography)

Many of Irwin's photos are taken in the Caribbean, but she is planning a dive trip in Asian waters this fall.

Anemone Dance

Sea anemones

(Image credit: Brandi Irwin, Liquid Film Photography)

The fluorescing anemones are among the stars of a New York Aquarium show, opening August 5, of Irwin's work.

All coiled up

Octopus

(Image credit: Brandi Irwin, Liquid Film Photography)

An octopus peers out from the tangle of its legs. "I will come to the surface with whatever the ocean gives me," Irwin told LiveScience. "It's unpredictable down there."

Frilly Slug

Sea Slug, Carribbean

(Image credit: Brandi Irwin, Liquid Film Photography)

A lettuce sea slug.

Bristle Worm

Bristle worm flourescent

(Image credit: Brandi Irwin, Liquid Film Photography)

A bristle worm glows green. Irwin's dives take place on moonlit nights.

Seahorse Meeting

Seahorses

(Image credit: Brandi Irwin, Liquid Film Photography)

Two seahorses photographed by Irwin.

Stingray & Shipwreck

Stingray

(Image credit: Brandi Irwin, Liquid Film Photography)

Sometimes black and white is more striking. Here, a stingray approaches a shipwreck.

Sunflowers of the Deep

Anemones

(Image credit: Brandi Irwin, Liquid Film Photography)

And sometimes the colors are riotous, as with these sunflower-like anemones.

Stephanie Pappas
Stephanie Pappas
Live Science Contributor

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.