In mid-July, the judges of the Nikon Small World microphotography competition began to choose the winners (and at the time of the publication of the article they had not yet chosen). In the meantime, Bird In Flight talked to three scientists from the USA and Russia about how microphotographers become, how samples are painted for shooting, and where photography of the microworld can come in handy.

Thomas Dierink

One of those who inspired me in my youth was the Swedish microphotographer Lennart Nilsson. His work, which depicted what was then considered unphotographable biological objects, changed the outlook on life for many people, including me. Also, my father was an amateur astronomer, which in many ways resembles a microcopy. After I passed special education, Dr. Mark Ellison, one of the pioneers and enthusiasts in the field of microscopy, hired me at NCMIR.
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_16.jpg", "text": "Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly). Scanning electron microscope")

Here I have access to the world's most sophisticated light, X-ray and electron microscopes, which can cost up to $5 million. If you think about it, a microscope is just a specific kind of camera. One of my favorites was designed by my colleague, Dr. Roger Tsien, who won the 2008 Nobel Prize for his work on genetically engineered fluorescent proteins. This is a femtosecond multiphoton laser microscope. Its principle of operation is difficult to explain outside of professional terminology, but the bottom line is that it uses a powerful laser and special optics to excite fluorescent molecules that we introduce into cells and tissues.

Each microscope has its own sample preparation requirements and these can vary greatly. For example, sometimes we use multi-colored molecules genetically built into key cell structures in combination with selective chemical staining - such patterns are very difficult to make. Other techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy, require only minimal sample preparation beyond simple chemical fixation, drying, and metal plating.

Sitting in front of a microscope that can magnify more than a million times, I feel like a discoverer of other worlds.

Preparation, which can take days or even weeks before shooting, is one of the guarantees that a visually vivid image will be obtained through a microscope. I work a lot on brain imaging, sometimes it requires the use of the most advanced techniques. I usually need to preserve the specimen with a series of chemical treatments, then cut it into thin sections with a special machine. After that, I mark different components of the cell with special fluorescent spots that will light up as soon as a laser beam falls on them.
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_11.jpg", "text": "Mouse retinal layer. Vessels in blue, glial cells in green, DNA in orange, axons in red. Multiphoton fluorescent microscope")

Sitting in front of powerful microscopes, some of which can magnify over a million times, I feel like I'm discovering other worlds. The beauty and wonder of nature is not limited to our imperfect vision, but extends down the so-called mesoscale: from what is only slightly hidden from view, to almost atomic magnitudes. Even things you wouldn't consider beautiful are fascinating, from bacteria dancing intricately on a silicon wafer to HIV emerging from a cell.

I have the opportunity to work with many outstanding scientists. For example, with Dr. Michael Karin - an expert in the field of cancer, inflammatory diseases and metabolic disorders. In the course of his research, he created a transgenic Drosophila that lacked a protein that prevents premature aging. The study of this substance opens up the possibility for us to reduce the number of age-related diseases in the future. The work was going to be published in the journal Science, and he needed a stunning photo of this fruit flies to put on the cover. Setting up a scanning electron microscope for such an image was not easy - the sample was no larger than a millimeter, while I wanted to give it the appearance of a live fly in flight. I had to apply a few tricks, but in the end I was pleased with the result.
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_12.jpg", "text": "Mouse cerebellum. Purkinje neurons in green, glial cells in purple, DNA in blue. Multiphoton microscopy"),
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_13.jpg", "text": "HIV particles lie on the cell surface. Scanning electron microscope"),
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_14.jpg", "text": "Immortal (cancer) HeLa cells stained blue (microtubules), red (actin) and purple (DNA) . Multiphoton fluorescent microscope"),
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_15.jpg", "text": "E. coli bacteria (E. coli) on a silicone pad. Scanning electron microscope")

Igor Sivanovich

Born in Krakow, now lives in the USA. For the past several years, he has been studying dragonfly neuroanatomy at the Janelia Research Campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Ashburn, N.V. Multiple winner and prize-winner of the Olympus BioScapes and Nikon Small World microphotography competitions.

I have been fascinated by nature ever since I can remember. My parents are biologists and I grew up surrounded by science books. I enjoyed looking at illustrations and photographs long before I could read. At the age of 26, I bought my first camera and started photographing nature myself, focusing on macro photography. I quickly realized that microscopy would be the perfect complement to my hobby. Six years ago, after I left protein chemistry for neuroscience, I finally got access to confocal (high contrast. - Approx. ed.) microscope.

The confocal microscope is a high-class piece of scientific equipment, in basic configuration costs about $100 thousand, so if you are not doing research in the field of cellular or neuroscience, your chances of using it are very small. Of course, you don't have to use this particular type of equipment to get breathtaking images - a typical light microscope will cost a few hundred dollars, and you can find adapters that will allow you to connect any type of camera.

To make cellulose or chitin visible, I use dyes that were originally used in the textile industry.

Different samples and imaging techniques require different processing methods. Fluorescent techniques (as in confocal microscopy) in most cases require the use of dyes or conjugated antibodies that adhere to certain components inside or outside the cell. To make visible cellulose (which makes up plant cell walls) or chitin (arthropod exoskeletons), I use two dyes: Congo Red and Calcofluor White. Both were originally used in the textile industry due to their ability to bind to cellulose fibers.

Microphotography has the same principles as other visual arts: composition, light, contrast, and color all contribute to how the image affects the viewer.

The result is most often surprising, because the microscope "sees" the sample in a completely different way than a person, and the ability to display tiny details is not everything. The microscope's sensitivity to both short and long wavelengths far exceeds our capabilities, so the result is an image that looks nothing like what can be seen with the naked eye. The effect is almost impossible to predict, but almost always it delights and amazes.
( "img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_17.jpg", "text": "Part of the front leg of a swimming beetle. The leg is covered with many suction cups that the male uses to hold the female during mating."),
( "img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_18.jpg", "text": "Dragonfly eye.),
( "img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_19.jpg", "text": "Rotifers around single-celled green algae."),
( "img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_20.jpg", "text": "Open trap of carnivorous pemphigus plant with single-celled organisms inside."),
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_21.jpg", "text": "A glomerulus of spore-filled sporangia and protective hairs called paraphyses in a fern."),
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_22.jpg", "text": "Eye of the blue dragonfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)")

Anna Ignatova

I deal with rare materials - stone casting, synthetic mineral alloys. Contrary to expectations, melting stones is not so difficult: the temperature is needed a little higher than for steel. Such a non-metallic melt is similar to volcanic lava. The structure of these materials is diverse, like the world of minerals in natural environment. When I started working in this direction, I did not expect that the microstructure would turn out to be so interesting - before that I was only familiar with metals, but you will not see this there.

In our work, my colleagues and I use optical (up to 500×) and electron (20,000-30,000×) microscopy. The quality of the image depends not so much on the equipment, but on the quality of the preparation of the samples themselves. For example, for optical microscopy, you first have to grind the material to the state of a thin transparent film. Then this film is glued to the glass and observed through the eyepiece of the microscope. The saturation of the image is largely dependent on the thickness of the sample: the thicker the better. In electron microscopy, the sample has to be sputtered with carbon, otherwise, due to the poor conductivity of the material, we simply cannot see anything.

For me, microphotography is like a heart-to-heart conversation with something that, by definition, cannot say anything.

But the perfect photo is obtained when both the equipment is good and the sample is properly prepared. In optical microscopy, I like to use equipment with German optics, and in electronic I like the result obtained using Japanese technology.

In fairness, it must be said that professionalism in handling equipment plays an important role, so a photo is always the result collective labor: those who create the sample, those who process it, and those who set up the equipment for shooting.

For me, photography is not just a part of the study, but an acquaintance with the material. It's like a heart-to-heart talk with someone who, by definition, can't say anything. From the structure you can see what was done with the material, from the appearance of the fragments you can determine exactly how it collapsed.
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_01.jpg", "text": "Metallurgical slag and mineral rock alloy"),
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_02.jpg", "text": "Synthetic fluorophlogopite"),
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_03.jpg", "text": "Synthetic fluorophlogopite"),
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_04.jpg", "text": "Accumulation of crystals around a pore in a silicate alloy"),
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_05.jpg", "text": "The structure of crystalline material from dolomite and gabbro"),
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_06.jpg", "text": "Crystal in silicate alloy"),
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_07.jpg", "text": "Crystal in silicate alloy"),
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_08.jpg", "text": "Crystalline formations in silicate alloy"),
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_09.jpg", "text": "Crystal in silicate alloy with "shell""),
("img": "/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/micro_10.jpg", "text": "Epidote crystal (mineral constituent in silicate alloy")

Michael Perez loves to photograph tiny things in the world around him. A professor of biomedicine at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Pérez specializes in photographing these intricate details with a microscope. In this article, he shares his experience.

I became interested in photographing tiny things 40 years ago when I was in medical school. I plunged into this fascinating world invisible to man, learning how to distinguish muscle tissue from connective tissue using a light microscope. I was involved in every new item, have been doing this for many years, and I continue to be amazed at how everything is interconnected.

I love photographing snowflakes, flowers and other natural objects. I started sharing my work on Instagram in March 2014 and was amazed at the number of followers around the world who are interested in my images.

Above you see a photomicrograph of a snowflake about 1 mm in size. Snowflake shot at -10°C. This type of snowflake is called a stellar dendrite.

Item search

The search for a good subject begins with curiosity about the world around you. From my point of view, it is very important to be open to the emergence of potential objects. The other day, after walking my dog, she came home covered in thorns. I cleaned as best I could, and then I looked at one of them under a microscope. It was a simple weed, but under the microscope it turned out to be elegant and complex.

Hepatica flower. Fiber optic light was used for illumination. The photomicrograph includes the stamen and pistil of the flower. In this picture, they are enlarged by about three times.

Detection and preparation of small objects is the lion's share of the success of the process. Damaged specimens or artifact elements will look visually different than whole objects, it is important not to allow defects to become the center of the photo. Finding good samples is the first priority for my type of shooting. But you can’t say that the subjects for my photos are perfect, it’s not.

There are two things that I think about when preparing a sample for shooting - it is dissection and isolation, which of these I will use depends on the subject and its magnification. When I photograph flowers, I usually cut off the petals with scissors to improve the visibility of the structural elements.

When photographing organisms living in water, I try to isolate them in the water under a coverslip. Each subject presents unique challenges and requires different approaches to be small, flat or thin enough to photograph.

I have also purchased ready-made biological specimens, such as sections of plants or animal tissue, which are very difficult to prepare without high-precision equipment.

Equipment for microphotography

When photographing microscopic objects, the key elements of my equipment are microscopes, fiber optics, reflex camera, macro lens, macro bellows and tripod. When I'm photographing snowflakes, flowers, or other things found in nature, I spend a lot of time in the garage; I always keep my microscope and glasses clean and have a piece of black velvet ready to use as a background. I also have a lot of needles, tiny brushes and cotton buds that I use to move the samples around and clean up the area around them.

I usually use the microscope's built-in light for photography. Illuminated microscopes are very common and easy to find commercially. They can be expensive or relatively cheap: a student microscope can cost around $250, while a high-end research microscope can cost as much as $200,000. A fairly good mid-range microscope can be found for $5,000.

The microscope magnifies objects with two lenses. The first stage of magnification is performed by the objective and the second stage is performed by the eyepiece. The objective in a microscope is the same as the traditional photographic objectives used in reflex camera.

For this kind of photography, working distances are very small - a typical magnification range for a light microscope might be 2x, 4x, 10x, 20x, 40x, 60x or even 100x. I choose the microscope objective according to the magnification requirement for the sample. Magnification affects depth of field (DOF), so for a large thick sample (0.5 cm) a small increase is beneficial, while flat objects can be magnified more.

When using a light microscope, you can take photos with a smartphone or a camera with a fixed lens. Then the lens must be placed in the eyepiece of the microscope, at a distance of about 1 cm. To do this, you can take a piece of paper, which is located at a distance of about 1 cm from the eyepiece of the microscope. A very small spot of light will be visible on the paper - this is the focal point of the lens, where it should be directed. In order to secure the camera, it does not hurt to have a small tripod available. Also, as for a technical photographer, fabric adhesive tape (scotch tape) is often mine. best friend, it protects my phone from various unwanted elements of the system during filming.

While a smartphone or camera with a fixed lens may be sufficient, I like to use a Nikon D300s or D800 where I remove the lens and mount the camera over the eyepiece of the microscope using a tripod. I also use macro rings or macro bellows to limit ambient light from entering the camera which creates blowouts and lowers image contrast. The reflex camera also needs to be focused on the small spot of light coming out of the eyepiece of the microscope.

To get a microscopic image, I adjust the sensor of my camera to the eyepiece of the microscope at a distance when the light spot coming out of the eyepiece of the microscope is of sufficient area to completely cover the sensor, without traces of a circle at the edges of the frame.

You can check the coverage of the matrix with a light spot on the LCD display of the camera by turning on the LiveView mode. Be careful to position the camera in such a way as to keep it at a safe distance, otherwise the microscope eyepiece could be damaged by moving it close to the sensor.

Photo studio in Michael Perez's garage

Lighting for microphotography

I mainly use microscopes with built-in illumination and add fiber optic illumination as well. When I look at a sample for the first time, I visualize it in a photograph and get to work.

I make a lot of tiny adjustments to the position of the light source, which greatly affects the results of the shooting. Some of the photographic subjects may be one or two millimeters in size, or even smaller. How much light should be filled in the background or how to set the correct angle of light incidence, - right decisions must be taken immediately before shooting. My tactic is basically to understand how light interacts directly with a given sample. The three lighting styles I use the most are Kohler, Darkfield and polarized light.

Kohler Lighting

When I photograph a prepared "thin section" like a squid, I try to create a neutral and even backlight, called Kohler. This type of illumination allows the microscopist to maximize the contrast and resolution of the image, as well as to obtain a sharp outline of the object, by setting the illumination behind the specimen.

This photomicrograph shows a squid, an immature Loligo. Here it is enlarged by about eight times. This is a selected sample that I bought. Its length is approximately 1 mm.

Darkfield Lighting

I also use Darkfield lighting, which allows the object to glow against a dark background, thus creating an astronomical glow. Darkfield lighting is used when shooting transparent objects, which are translucent by reflected light.

This lighting style gives a dramatic look; the downside is that everything will be illuminated, including things you don't want to highlight, such as dirt, scratches, or air bubbles.

This photo was taken from a specimen that shows the development of a human bone. Darkfield lighting. Micrograph showing maturation of bone cells and cancellous bone, magnified approximately 75 times.

polarized light

When I photograph specimens that exhibit birefringence when illuminated, I use polarized light. When an object is illuminated with polarized light, the object may or may not “decompose” the light into the colors of the rainbow.

Samples that include hairs, fibers, chemicals, minerals, the wings of some insects, and many synthetic objects will appear in rainbow colors when exposed to polarized light.

Polarized light is used to reveal internal information in these samples that cannot be shown otherwise.

This photo is of the Merck® drug Foradil, which is prescribed to treat asthma. The photomicrograph was taken using polarized light and shows crystals that were formed as chemical clumps dried into hard tablets soluble in hot water. This photo also contains the edge of the coverslip I used in preparation, which is 15mm thick. Colors match different chemical components. The picture is enlarged by about 15 times.

Focusing in microphotography

To bring the zoomed image into focus on my DSLR, I remove the lens and project the image directly onto the sensor itself. The microscope controls are then used to focus the image. Sharpening is sometimes difficult. The viewfinder of a DSLR does not compare in detail with the eyepiece of a microscope, so objects look a little rougher through the viewfinder than in reality in the photo. Ultimately, I consider the image already in the RAW file.

You will need practice to understand how the image in the photo will look. It is also possible to focus in LiveView mode. This is especially useful for precise focusing in a dimly lit room.

If you are using a smartphone that is located above the eyepiece of the microscope, then you can focus the image displayed on the phone's display by manipulating the microscope's focus knob.

Processing of received photos

One of the biggest challenges in photo editing is creating contrast and structural definition of internal details, and I try to do hard work during filming. When I photograph, I work slowly step by step to eventually achieve good results using optics and light.

I process images very carefully. In post-processing, I'm most interested in tone control, setting white or black dots, and removing unwanted dirt. I shoot in RAW, open the RAW file in Photoshop, focus on the structural details that are present but often not very noticeable in the file. On the this stage I also do some minor retouching and sharpening. After a little tone adjustment in Photoshop, I apply a high band pass filter to improve the sharpness.

I believe that photographs do not have to be completely flawless. There is no limit to perfection, and I think that if the photo is too perfect, then it may seem computer generated.

My goal in this work is to show how to create a scientific photograph in a non-scientific setting that will allow people to increase their knowledge of the world in which we live. My photographs actually show real things and real life, although these areas are subtle and out of focus.

Photo for the article: Michael Perez

Source: http://www.popphoto.com/tips-pro-microscopic-photography

Take pictures through microscope objects of animate or inanimate nature can be done in two ways, and which one to put into practice is up to the user to decide, because a lot ultimately depends on the budget that can be allocated for an additional accessory.

Smartphone adapter connection.

This procedure is quite simple and is suitable primarily for those who see microbiology as a kind of scientific entertainment, an easy and relaxed activity for the whole family, or who wants to distract the child with something useful. Obviously, in the age of intensive development of electronic technology, almost everyone has a cell phone. The adapter allows you to actually "hang" the mobile device on the microscope at the back focus point, so the image is displayed on the screen. Further, by activating the appropriate functions, you can take photos or shoot videos of your own research, saving files in the gallery.

Digital camera.

Instead of an eyepiece, a video eyepiece is inserted into the eyepiece tube, it displays the observed picture on a personal computer, laptop or tablet. It has sufficiently sensitive photocells, so the quality of the image broadcast in real time remains at an acceptable level and is almost as good as what the observer would see with his own eyes. Communication with peripherals takes place via the USB port. Before starting the program, you need to install the disk, which is usually included in the package and contains drivers for several operating systems. Even a student can learn to take pictures on a microscope using a video eyepiece elementary school, since the interface is very similar to a webcam. The cost of this device is higher, the greater the number of megapixels. For home use, it is optimal up to 3 MP (maximum), while there are no analogies with the usual matrix resolution for cameras, since other technologies are involved.

The described methods operate within the framework of compliance with the necessary rules of work: top illumination is used to view opaque objects - this applies, for example, to coins, solid insects, paper or plastic products. And if a preparation that transmits light is being examined, for example, a drop of water or sections of plants, then the lower illuminator is turned on. The only difference is that when focusing, you need to look not at the optics, but at the display, and adjust the clarity based on the characteristics of the monitor.

Camera selection

Fujifilm X-A1 is a copy of the X-M1 model. The only difference is that it has a matrix with a standard Bayer filter and a low-pass filter (AA filter), while in all other fuji cameras a sensor is installed under the sonorous name X-Trans. In the meantime, marketers say that this very X-Trans is better, sharper, clearer, brighter, cooler and generally incredible on the Internet, you can find notes that in fact the difference is not very noticeable and it’s not at all clear which one is better (while the X-A1 costs $200 less than the X-M1).
So for the price, the X-A1 delivers a great picture, has a handy menu and pretty handy controls on the body, a hot shoe, a good screen, and a great kit lens. And also the remains of a retro design from the X-M1.

Formulation of the problem

Remote Control

I'm a little ashamed of appearance remote control, so I'll hide his photo ...

...here

Microscope

Model code

$fn=120; rotate(a=-30, v=)( union ()( translate(v=)( difference()( cylinder(h=3,d=39,center=true); cylinder(h=3,d=37, center=true); )) translate(v=)( difference()( union () ( difference()( cylinder(h=1,d=41,center=true); cylinder(h=1,d=39, center=true);) ) union () ( rotate(a=30, v=)( translate(v=[-15,17,0])( cube(, center=true);) ) rotate(a=120 +30, v=)( translate(v=[-15,17,0])( cube(, center=true);) ) rotate(a=240+30, v=)( translate(v=[-15 ,17,0])( cube(, center=true);) ) ) )) union ()( translate(v=)( cube(, center=true);) rotate(a=120, v=)( translate (v=)( cube(, center=true);)) rotate(a=240, v=)( translate(v=)( cube(, center=true);)) ) translate(v=)( difference( )( cylinder(h=16,d=42,d2=28,center=true); cylinder(h=16,d=36,d2=22,center=true); )) translate(v=)( difference( )( cylinder(h=1,d=28,center=true); cylinder(h=1,d=22,center=true); )) translate(v=)( difference()( cylinder(h=17, d=30,center=true); cylinder(h=17,d=26,center=true); )) translate(v=)( difference( )( union ()( translate(v=)( cube(, center=true);) rotate(a=120, v=)( translate(v=)( cube(, center=true);)) rotate(a =240, v=)( translate(v=)( cube(, center=true);)) ) union () ( cylinder(h=40,d=29,center=true); translate(v=)( cylinder(h=16,d=41,d2=27,center=true);) ) )) ))

Not the most beautiful code, as well as its design, and I didn’t write comments, but I don’t recommend using it, except perhaps as an example. If you are going to use it for your own purposes, then I recommend making the mounting protrusions (I don’t know what they are called correctly) a little thicker and longer by a few millimeters, and the distance between them and the main part is a little (half a millimeter?) Less. Also, be careful, this is a Fujifilm x-mount mount, for others you will have to change the size (shape)!

The next step was to find a way to print the model. Roboforum.ru helped me with this, where it is possible to find people who could print your model. Gavzi helped me with printing, making two pieces in a day with excellent quality, printing them in different positions (as in the picture below).

Bonus photos or how to take macro photography

Via whale lens not get a good enough macro, but there is an easy way to take a macro photo. Just flip the lens! For this, there are even revolving rings that are screwed into the filter thread on one side, and on the other side are attached to the camera mount. I just leaned the lens against the camera and took a couple of photos with my hands. Of course, the quality is not high, and a small depth of field is not needed in macro, but it was interesting to try. There are other ways to get macro.

Small subtleties that I did not take into account immediately showed up, namely horizontal protrusions. When printing, sagging and bumps formed there - in different positions on different surfaces. In general, this does not interfere with their use. Also, when attaching to the camera, I found quite expected backlashes, but in general, these turned out to be quite working specimens. In order to fix the adapter to the tube, I decided to simply use the screws.

In the photographs, the center is illuminated due to the fact that the mirror in the microscope is concave.

Eventually

Here's what happened

Human tibia:

Printing with a laser printer:

Telescope

Microphotography is a special field of photography that involves capturing minute objects at high magnification, usually with the help of a microscope's optical system. Microphotography today is used not only for purely scientific purposes to study the structure of objects and identify individual details, but also opens up wide prospects for ordinary photography enthusiasts. After all, an infinitely small world is fraught with a lot of beauty and wonder - unusual combinations of lines, shapes, colors and textures.

But what about macro?

When it comes to high magnification photography, macro photography comes to mind, which has become very popular in recent years. In the line of almost every self-respecting optics manufacturer, there is always at least one macro lens. What then is microphotography and how does it differ from macrophotography? In fact, both belong to the category of shooting with magnification, and the border between these two types of shooting is determined only by the value of the magnification itself and the size of the objects being photographed.

Macro is photography of small objects, providing for their magnification by a maximum of ten to forty times. Such shooting can be compared to looking at an object through a magnifying glass, where the role of the latter is played by a special macro lens. Sometimes additional attached lenses are used, which make it possible to see the structure of small objects. But in any case, they do not resort to the help of microscopes when shooting macro.

Microphotography, on the other hand, involves the use of the optical system of a microscope, which, in fact, replaces a conventional camera lens here. In this case, shooting of objects can be carried out with a tenfold magnification and up to the maximum limit, determined by the capabilities of one or another optical device. Thus, it is an immersion in an even smaller world of objects, revealing unexpected beauty for researchers and photographers. Microphotography allows you to take pictures of small scales on the wings of a beautiful butterfly, living cells or small grains of sand. Such enlarged images are often of scientific interest, but at the same time they are beautiful in their own right.

Microphotography Equipment

To capture the smallest objects of the surrounding world, it is necessary to create a microphotographic installation, the main part of which, of course, should be a microscope. In principle, a microscope can be of any design and optical qualities, but it must provide the possibility of a reliable and light-tight connection to the camera. The connection is provided by a special nozzle, which, on the one hand, is connected to the optical microscope in place of the removable eyepiece, and on the other hand, through a threaded connection to the camera. Today, almost any optical microscope can be equipped with a digital photo attachment.

Of course, when conducting scientific research, complex and large-sized micro-photographic installations are used, which provide a huge increase in objects. However, traditional “biological” microscopes, which are well known to every schoolchild and are available for sale in a fairly wide variety, can be adapted for microphotography if desired by purchasing a special adapter. After all, even microscopes that are primitive in design make it possible to obtain dark images on a light background (bright field method), or bright images on a dark background (dark field method), opening up access to the consideration of structural features of various objects. And if you use interesting mineralogical or biological samples for shooting, you can get photographs with really unexpected shapes, lines and colors.

When choosing a microscope, one of the most important factors is the range of magnifications available. It all depends on what you plan to shoot. For example, two hundred times magnification is required to capture paper fibers. An increase above nine hundred - a thousand times does not make much sense, since very small details will still not be considered by the wave nature of light.

Chasing the possibility of a very large increase is not worth it for the reason that the larger the increase, the smaller the depth of field. This means that when photographing any “non-flat” objects, it will be very difficult to achieve sharp images. Therefore, not every object is good for viewing at a significant increase. Once again, we repeat that you need to focus on the size of the objects that you are going to shoot. Modern microscopes may have their own features and additional features, but remember that you will have to pay extra for each option, so the choice of a specific configuration is a purely individual matter.

How to microphotograph

Often in microphotography, sections of various objects are examined in order to make them sufficiently thin. To make such cuts, simple razor blades can be used. For example, cutting off a very thin part of the fruit peel. Next, the object under study is placed on a table with a glass slide and a microscope connected to a camera. If the object does not adhere well to the glass, it is slightly moistened with water. If necessary, cover the specimen with a cover slip.

Perhaps one of the most significant factors in obtaining good photomicrographs is lighting. An incandescent lamp can be used as a lighting device, but a bright LED, which heats up less, is better. Depending on the characteristics of the object being photographed and the goals pursued, you can shoot in reflected or transmitted light. If you want to “play with light” a little, you should choose a microscope that provides for the installation of additional equipment - a dark field condenser, polarizers, etc.

What to shoot

The skin of fruits and berries can also be a subject for microphotography, but you will have to work hard to first make it thin enough to study and photograph. And the most accessible objects for microphotography are the leaves of various trees, grass and green algae, which can be found in every body of water. Starting with a simple one and gradually gaining experience, you can later expand the class of objects under study.