The Microscapes Collection

Icestation Zebra


Interested in multiple exposure photomicrographs? Visit our new Microscapes Photo Gallery.

This unusual portfolio is composed of multiple exposure photomicrographs intended to resemble alien and/or surrealistic landscapes.


Westworld

These photomicrographs are constructed on a single frame of 35 mm film using a graduated reticle in the microscope oculars to determine precisely the positioning of the various exposures. A wide variety of chemicals and biochemicals are used to fabricate microscapes including drugs, vitamins, DNA, sugars, and amino acids.


Mount Meatloaf

The microscape illustrated on our banner is a microscape entitled Icestation Zebra and is composed of a multiple of 4 exposures with extensive masking of previously exposed portions of the film. The first exposure is of crystallites of the antibiotic ampicillin which were melt-recrystallized to form the ice cliff-like patterns in the foreground and the mountains in the background.


East Reykjavik

The second exposure is a section of polyethylene sandwich baggie stretched to align the polymer molecules to form a diffraction grating that generates the morning sky effect.


Baghdad, after the Storm

The stars in microscape photomicrographs are actually small spherulites of the liquid crystalline polypeptide polybenzyl-L-glutamate. The moon is the field diaphragm of the microscope defocused with a yellow filter in the lightpath.


Nebraska

By decentering the substage condenser, the "moon" can be placed in any desired position. The microscapes collection consists of about 500 different photomicrographs depicting a wide spectrum of surrealistic imaginary landscapes.


Space Birds

© 1995-2022 by Michael W. Davidson and The Florida State University. All Rights Reserved. No images, graphics, software, scripts, or applets may be reproduced or used in any manner without permission from the copyright holders. Use of this website means you agree to all of the Legal Terms and Conditions set forth by the owners.
This website is maintained by our
Graphics & Web Programming Team
in collaboration with Optical Microscopy at the
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.
Last modification: Wednesday, Feb 04, 2004 at 12:14 PM
Access Count Since September 19, 1995: 106451
Microscopes provided by:
Visit the Nikon website. Visit the Olympus Microscopy Resource Center website.