MicroGreen2
An abstract image of a historical but forgotten botanical slide from the 1920's.
An abstract image of a historical but forgotten botanical slide from the 1920's.
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Apr, 2012Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at my home, in fact on my dining table! Due the the nature of the subject matter a studio wasn't necessary. All that was needed the was a ready prepared microscope slide from the 1930's, microscope, tripod and camera.Time
I'd chosen a day, making sure I was ready prepared. As I'd collected 2 boxes of pre-prepared botanical slides I knew I had a lot of work to do and many slides to get through, to find which ones would be most effective for my degree project.Lighting
No studio lighting was required here, just a the light from a standard compound microscope to illuminate the slide itself. This is a plus side of photomicrography! hahaEquipment
This image was taken a while ago, whilst I was study for my BA Photography, therefore a pretty poor student. So with not much money for new equipment, my old Canon 10D was used. The camera was 'joined' to the microscope with a badly fitted adaptor(of which I'd purchased two and neither would fit correctly, so I improvised). I used my tripod to get the correct angle for the adaptor attached to my camera, to fit snuggly against the circumference of the the microscope viewing tube. I had to ensure that there were no light leaks at this connection in order to get a clear image. Then, looking through the viewfinder the microscope itself was used as the focussing device, there were no lenses involved except those on the microscope itself. Focussing this way took some getting used to....Inspiration
After returning to university to finish my degree I was looking for something to re-ignite my passion for photography. I'd always loved taking macro images and wanted to have a go at micro. It was just the subject matter that I wasn't sure about, when I came across these old botanical slides being given away on a recycling site. I wanted to create something aesthetically beautiful but with a scientific/historic interest behind it.Editing
All my images from this set were imported into Lightroom, as this was the easiest way to view them all together and compare what worked. It was also a great way to remove dust spots collectively, which due to the magnification of the subject was necessary. Some slight sharpening and brightening here and there where needed was also applied.In my camera bag
Things are a little different now as then my kit was quite old and a little more basic. Now I'm continuing with further art projects along the same lines but am also working in weddings and portraiture, so presently in my bag is: Canon 5Dii, 50mm 1.4, 100mm 2.8, 24-105mm 4 2 x Canon 600ex-rt Speedlights, 3 x radio triggers as well as various memory cards, batteries etc.Feedback
As you've read my set-up was quite basic but you can still achieve great results with this. It would help if you could find an SLR - Microscope adaptor that fits, unlike myself haha So, and SLR is fine to start, no lenses, a sturdy compound microscope, a SLR to microscope adaptor and a good tripod are all you need to get going. Obviously most important is your actual subject matter, as if this is not interesting to look at, then I can imagine you might get pretty bored with this project. However, I have to say, there are some wonderful things to be seen and photographed, so it's unlikely you won't find anything. Start with collecting things around you and outside and remember, it needs to be thin(or able to be cut thin) so the light can pass through it. Definitely something worth trying if you've not done it before, be prepared to be amazed!
