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Wendy Galietta
Photo editing on health and the environment
First place: eye of a Metapocyrtus subquadrulifer beetle. (Yousef Al Habshi)
Sometimes it can be easy to see the beauty of the natural world at the naked eye. Participants in 2018 The Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition knows that advanced imaging and microscope technologies can bring greater clarity and reveal the unexpected beauty of the world around us. The first place was awarded to photographer Yousef Al Habshi for his image that captures some of the compound eyes and greenish-green scales of the red palm weevil. This beetle is very small and measures less than half an inch. It is found in the Philippines.
Al Habshi considers the eyes as a window on works of art and research on insects. "Because of the diversity of colors and lines that appear in the eyes of insects, I have the impression of photographing a jewelry collection," said Al Habshi. "Not everyone likes small species, especially insects. Thanks to the microphotography, we can find a brand new and beautiful world that has never been seen before. It's like discovering what lies beneath the surface of the ocean. Although this insect has served as Al Habshi's muse for breathtaking photography, weevils pose infestation problems around the world and can often destroy crops.
Al Habshi's photographs helped advance the work of his partner, Professor Claude Desplan of New York University in Abu Dhabi. His laboratory and photos of Al Habshi have helped to better understand the red palm weevil and better control the population.
More than 128 images were stacked to create the winning entry, captured with the help of a thoughtful light technique. Mastering the contrast between the black eye of the beetle and its brightly colored scales was a test. According to Al Habshi, "the main challenge was to show the black body on the black background without overexposing the skin and scales." He managed to find the perfect balance by controlling the distance from the background to the subject and using clever lighting and sample positioning. .
In addition to the big winner, Nikon Small World has recognized 94 more photos from more than 2,500 photos of scientists and artists from 89 countries. The images of spider embryos, mold spores, amino acid crystals and a human tear become works of art.
Honorable mention: bubbles and single fiber (red) fabric on a rocky surface. (Walter Piorkowsk)
Sixth place: fovéola, the central region of the retina. (Hanen Khabou / Institute of Vision, Department of Therapeutics, Paris, France)
Seventh place: drop of human tear. (Norm Barker / Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Applied Art in Medicine)
Fifth place: Parasteatoda tepidariorum , spider embryo, colored in pink for the surface of the embryo, nuclei in blue and microtubules in green. (Tessa Montague / Harvard University, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology)
More on In Sight:
The beautiful images that won the 2017 Nikon Small World contest
Lauren Ko finds her passion in creating perfect geometric pies
Antony Cairns sees cities in a different light from London to Tokyo
In Sight is the Washington Post's photography blog devoted to visual storytelling. This platform presents fascinating and varied images of professional and independent photographers, news agencies and archives. If you would like to submit an article to In Sight, please complete this form.
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