2019 Photomicrography Competition

Artboard 1

15th Place

2019 Photomicrography Competition

Pregnant Daphnia magna (small planktonic crustacean)

Marek Miś

Affiliation
Marek Mis Photography
Suwalki, Podlaskie, Poland
Technique
Modified Darkfield, Polarized Light, Image Stacking
Magnification
4x (Objective Lens Magnification)

In Their Own Words

A Q&A with Nikon Small World winner Marek Miś.

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

The image presents a pregnant cladoceran Daphnia magna with a lot of embryos inside. I submitted it because of its beauty (details, colors) and the fact that it shows a mother with the next generation. It symbolizes the continuity of generations. The offspring are almost ready to leave their mother and begin their own life. The image also shows very good details of the cladoceran’s body with its muscles, antennae and other internal organs.

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

The color effect derives from two special illumination techniques: darkfield and polarized light. Additionally, darkfield was slightly modified to obtain such an interesting final result. The main challenge was to immobilize the subject. I used a high temperature for a very short time to take several images which were stacked with Helicon Focus.

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

I have been taking photographs through the microscope regularly for 10 years. But I took my first micrographs (black & white ones) in 1980. I want to show other people the beauty of the microworld. It also gives me artistic satisfaction because I try to portray the subjects as some kind of art.

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

No, I do not have focus on one specific theme or subject. I love the huge variety of the microworld and I photograph many subjects, ranging from air bubbles to various microorganisms, small animals body parts, and crystals of different substances.

14th Place

2019 Photomicrography Competition

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.

16th Place

2019 Photomicrography Competition

Housefly compound eye pattern

Dr. Razvan Cornel Constantin

Location
Bucharest, Romania
Technique
Focus Stacking, Reflected Light
Magnification
50x (Objective Lens Magnification)

Flies look at the world in quite a different way than we do. Their eyes are made up of thousands of individual visual receptors called ommatidia, each of which is a functioning eye in itself. Therefore, a fly’s vision is comparable to a mosaic, with thousands of tiny images that converge together to represent one large visual image. The more ommatidia a compound eye contains, the clearer the image it creates.

A fly’s eyes are immobile, but their position and spherical shape give the fly an almost 360-degree view of its surroundings. Fly eyes have no pupils and cannot control how much light enters the eye or focus the images. Flies are also short-sighted — with a visible range of a few yards, and have limited color vision (for example, they don’t discern between yellow and white).

On the other hand, a fly’s vision is especially good at picking up form and movement. Because a fly can easily see motion but not necessarily what the moving object is, they are quick to flee, even if it is harmless.

In Their Own Words

A Q&A with Nikon Small World winner Dr. Razvan Cornel Constantin.

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

It is a closeup of a housefly decaying eye. The image doesn’t just show the structure of a compound eye but also what happens when the eye dries and the individual “cells” start to change color. It’s always a challenge to shoot at high magnification, and I thought this is a result worth sharing. The pattern is also very photogenic.

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

For this picture I used focus stacking, which is challenging at high magnification because of the vibration of the camera and the rest of the equipment. At 50:1 the working distance is small for reflected light, so getting enough light onto the subject is always a struggle. Also, getting it diffused in such a way that the individual lenses on the eye reflect it in a pleasing way without losing detail was tricky.

What is your primary line of work?

I make my living as an automotive engineer, but when I get home and pick up my camera, that’s when the job stops and the passion begins.

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

I’ve been using microscopes for almost four years, gradually increasing the magnification as I got more experienced. I’ve always had a passion for wildlife, especially insects. As soon as I could afford it, I got a camera and macro lens. While shooting macro you always crave for more magnification and that’s why I got into photomicrography.

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

I can’t say that I have a specific subject, I find that almost any subject has at least a few interesting poses when put under a microscope at high magnification. As long as you can’t see it with the naked eye you always get that wow factor.