Camera manufacturer Nikon has been runningthe International Small World Competitionsince 1975. Now over 40 years old, the competition celebrates the very best in photomicrography.
A photomicrograph is a digital image taken through a microscope to magnify an object several times to show close up features at a scale visible for us to see.
Anyone, anywhere canenter the Nikon Small World competition, with the subject matter left entirely open so participants can choose to take photos of whatever they wish. A panel of expert judges looks over all the entries before deciding upon20 winners each year.
We’re taking a look back at all the first prize winners dating back to the competition’s inception in 1975.
1975: James Dvorak, USA
James Dvoark has employed the use of polarised light in this image. Polarised light is formed by passing light through a polarising filter to transmit light in just one direction. Microscopes have two polarising filters, one above and one below the sample, these are called the polariser and the analyser respectively. Polarised light can help reveal the structure and composition of samples, which is clearly shown in James' image.
1976: Eric V. Gravé, New York, USA
Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) produces contrast by visually displaying the refractive index gradients of different areas of a specimen. It’s a relatively complex microscopy method, developed by Georges Nomarski in 1952.
James W. Smith, Independence, Ohio, USA
The 1977 winner of the Small World Competition used DIC to produce this image of a 305 times magnified look at Crystals of rutile and tridymite.
The 1977 winner of the Small World Competition also used DIC to produce the final image. The crystals in the image wouldn’t have been so colourful to the naked eye, so the bright colours have been produced using the DIC method.
1978: David Gnizak, Independence, Ohio, USA
This one shows vaporised gold shown at 55 times magnification. An impressive view of a precious metal.
DIC must have become a popular method for photomicrography fans as it produced yet another winner in 1978.
1979: Paul W. Johnson, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
This curious view shows a atalked protozoan attached to a filamentous green algae with bacteria on its surface.
1979 would see the last of a solid winning run for the DIC method, but only until 1981.
1980: James M. King, UC Santa Barbara, Marine Science Institute, Santa Barbara, California, USA
An extension tube is a component that fits between the camera and the lens, with the purpose of moving the lens away from the camera’s internal sensor. It provides a simple and cheaper way of getting closer to the subject without paying for an expensive macro lens.
1981: David Gnizak, Ferro Corporation Research Center, Independence, Ohio, USA
David Gnizak produced this incredible award-winning image of collapsed bubbles from an annealed experimental electronic sealing glass back in 1981.
We promised another Differential Interface Contrast photo winner in 1981 and here it is. This example by now multiple award winner David Gnizak is yet more proof that photomicrography can produce stunning works of art.
1982: Dr. Jonathan Eisenback, North Carolina State University, Department of Plant Pathology, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Brightfield is seen as the simplest form of photomicrography and involves light being passed through, or in some cases reflected off a specimen. This image shows a Silver berry scaly hair flowering plant, magnified 400 times.
1983: Elieen Roux, Bob Hope International Heart Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, USA
Darkfield microscopy is a method used to create contrast in unstained samples. The resulting images have a bright sample and an incredibly dark background.
Darkfield microscopy is a method used to create contrast in unstained samples. Resulting images have a bright sample and an incredibly dark background.
While not specified for this image, a fiber-optic ring light is the most widely used form of finer-optic illumination. It’s fixed in position and surrounds the entire microscope, meaning it can provide a consistent quality of light onto the sample.
