2019 Photomicrography Competition

Cuprite (mineral composed of copper oxide)

Dr. Emilio Carabajal Márquez

Location
Madrid, Spain
Technique
Focus Stacking
Magnification
20x (Objective Lens Magnification)

In Their Own Words

A Q&A with Nikon Small World winner Dr. Emilio Carabajal Márquez.

What is the subject matter of your winning image and why did you choose this image?

Cuprite (mineral composed of copper oxide). In this case, it is formed by the passage of molten lavas through a copper streak. These beautiful crystals are formed in the vacuoles formed by the vapors. I think this image is interesting because cuprite crystals resemble complex buildings of undoubted beauty.

What are the special techniques and/or challenges faced in creating this photomicrograph?

These cuprite crystals are extremely small, which is a challenge, and their faces are like mirrors with strong reflections that must be controlled to avoid spoiling the photograph.

How long have you been taking photographs through a microscope? What first sparked your interest in photomicrography?

30 years. I have been studying cave fauna for more than 25 years and for my research purposes I needed to photograph different parts of the arthropods object of my studies.

Do you tend to focus your microscopy toward a specific subject matter or theme? If so, why?

Currently, my main interest is in micromineral photography since its extreme beauty and its extraordinary shapes and variety of colors captivated me from the beginning.

Why did you enter the Nikon Small World Photomicrography competition? What do you think of the competition?

I consider it the most important microphotography contest in the world. I think any photographer specialized in this area would be proud to participate in it.

Mosquito larva

Anne Patricia Algar

Location
Hounslow, Middlesex, United Kingdom
Technique
Darkfield, Polarizing Light, Image Stacking
Magnification
4x (Objective Lens Magnification)

In Their Own Words

A Q&A with Nikon Small World winner Anne Algar.

What is the subject matter of your winning image and why did you choose this image?

My image is a mosquito larva showing its syphon tube for breathing, mouth brushes for feeding, and anal gills. Also shown is the internal structure of the mosquito and the number of large hairs covering the body. I find it interesting that a hated insect can produce such an intriguing picture when photographed through a microscope. Having been bitten on numerous occasions by mosquitos, I can appreciate both sides of the issue.

What are the special techniques and/or challenges faced in creating this photomicrograph?

To emphasize the details in the subject, I used polarizing and wave plate retarder filters. As brightfield illumination would not have made the subject stand out from the background, I used darkfield to produce the black background. A single image would have given insufficient depth of field so I took a series of shots at different focusing distances and combined them with Zerene Stacker.

What is your primary line of work?

I am a retired local government officer.

How long have you been taking photographs through a microscope? What first sparked your interest in photomicrography?

I began taking photographs through a microscope two years and five months ago. Having seen various pictures of crystal structures taken through a microscope on the internet, I decided to try taking some for myself. I soon moved on to biological specimens because I have had a long-term interest in photographing wildlife.

Do you tend to focus your microscopy toward a specific subject matter or theme? If so, why?

Although I am still interested in crystal photography, I now specialize in aquatic invertebrates, mainly collected from a garden pond. I enjoy revealing the detailed structure of these invertebrates that is invisible to the naked eye.

Female Oxyopes dumonti (lynx) spider

Antoine Franck

Affiliation
CIRAD - Agricultural Research for Development
Saint Pierre, Réunion, France
Technique
Focus Stacking
Magnification
1x (Objective Lens Magnification)

In Their Own Words

A Q&A with Nikon Small World winner Antoine Franck.

What is the subject matter of your winning image and why did you choose this image?

This is a close up of the face mask of the lynx spider, which is typical of this species. This picture reminds me of traditional Kabuki Japanese mask, which is graphically astonishing.

What are the special techniques and/or challenges faced in creating this photomicrograph?

This picture was used for the creation of a guide about auxiliary fauna in crop cultures. To make the picture useful for the edited guide, it was necessary to compose the frame with a particular point of view, showing many different and specific body parts of this spider.

What is your primary line of work?

I am an entomologist and photographer. My mission is to produce photographic databases on pests and auxiliary arthropods in the Indian Ocean.

How long have you been taking photographs through a microscope? What first sparked your interest in photomicrography?

I have been doing macrophotography for more than 30 years and I have been passionate about photomicrography for about eight years, thanks to the acquisition of the NIKON AZ100 in my department. Photomicrography allows the public to see organisms that are often very small but have a significant influence on the ecosystems of our planet.

Do you tend to focus your microscopy toward a specific subject matter or theme? If so, why?

My main theme is photography of terrestrial arthropods. I also photograph mushroom seeds and spores to illustrate publications and books for CIRAD researchers.

Why did you enter the Nikon Small World Photomicrography competition? What do you think of the competition?

This is, to my knowledge, the only competition to show the infinitely small to a wide scale, using both scientific and graphical composition.