Monday

Microscope Photography

Pencil under the microscope
Yes, I know, being a female I'm supposed to want perfume, spa vouchers or diamond rings for Christmas, but what I really wanted last Christmas was a microscope. I wanted a model that would connect to my computer so we could all see the images on screen and capture them for printing. 

I found exactly the one I wanted, so to save my husband lots of time, I sent him a link, and the address of the business stocking it. I might have put the address into his car GPS.  It was a lovely surprise on Christmas morning that he'd bought me exactly the present I wanted. 

So here are some of the first images captured by my little digital microscope. 

Tiny weed under microscope
Papyrus seed
Nasturtium stamen













There is a connection to photo competitions with this happy tale of Christmas surprises. Each year Nikon runs a Photomicrography (= photographs taken through a light microscope) competition which reveals a whole micro world you won't see through your normal camera lens. I have to admit the winning images are a bit more sophisticated than my attempts at photomicrophy.

However, the general principles of good photography also apply when photographing the micro world, so even if you don't have a microscope, as a photographer you'll appreciate the beauty of previous winning images. 


Take a look at the Nikon International Small World Competition Previous Winners' Galleries. You can see winning entries back to 1977. The winning entry for 1984 reminds me a little of a Turner painting (British Romantic landscape painter born in 1775).


Deadline:  End of April each year


Open to: photographers over 18 years worldwide, amateur and professional (see Contest Rules for a few exceptions)

Prizes:
All prizes are funds to put towards the purchase of Nikon equipment
1st - $3,000
2nd - $2,000
3rd - $1,000

Gallery Exhibition
Winning images are exhibited in a number of museums and science centres across the US and also at Science World in Vancouver.

Website:  Nikon International Small World Competition 

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for this information. Please keep up the great work. I will be coming back lots.
    Fine Art Nature Photography

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