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Welcome to the Molecular Expressions Art in Photomicrography website. Using multiple-exposure techniques in classical film photomicrography (photography through a microscope) we have succeeded in constructing a series of unusual photographs that we have termed Microscapes. These photographs are intended to resemble alien and/or surrealistic landscapes.

The basic construction of these images is discussed in our Photo Primer under the subsection on Creative Photomicrography and involves the classical microscopy techniques of brightfield and cross-polarized illumination, assisted by basic visible light color-filtering processes. Microscapes consist of multiple exposures (so far from 2 to 9) fashioned on a single frame of 35mm transparency film.

The Microscape links below describe the name of the image and the chemicals used for construction.


Ascorbic Acid, Idaho - Constructed with crystals of vitamin C, xanthan gum, protein, and stretched polyethylene.

Baghdad, after the storm - Constructed with petrographic thin sections of Moon rocks, and hardened epoxy, the microscope field diaphragm, and acetate gel filters.

Black Hole in Space - Constructed with crystals of vitamin C, protein, and the microscope field diaphragm.

Blue Mountain, Montana - Constructed with crystals of penicillin, vitamin C, the microscope field diaphragm, and stretched polyethylene.

Buddhist Prayer Flags - Constructed with crystals of penicillin, protein, and polyethylene.

Ceti Alpha 5 - Constructed with liquid crystalline DNA, protein crystals, a flue filter and the microscope field diaphragm.

Crystal Forest - Constructed with liquid crystalline gramicidin and blue/purple filters.

Del Ray Beach, Florida - Constructed with crystals of vitamin C, the microscope field diaphragm, and blue filters.

El Paso Del Norte - Constructed with crystals of vitamin C, xanthan liquid crystals, Cibachrome bleach, and filters.

Firestorm - Constructed with crystals of sulfur and aspirin.

Hindsite - Constructed with crystals of vitamin C, protein, the microscope field diaphragm, and blue filters.

Katmandu - Constructed with crystals of ampicillin, protein, and stretched polyethylene.

Liquid Crystal Land - Constructed with liquid crystalline DNA and xanthan, protein, and the microscope field diaphragm.

Lover's Leap - Constructed with crystals of sulfur, stretched polyethylene, and the microscope field diaphragm.

Martian Sunset - Constructed with liquid crystalline gramicidin, hardened epoxy, and blue/purple filters.

Mayday - Constructed with liquid crystalline DNA, ethidium bromide crystallites, and the microscope field diaphragm.

McDonalds on Mars - Constructed with crystals of Cibachrome bleach, protein, and the microscope field diaphragm.

Mount Meatloaf - Constructed with crystals of penicillin, vitamin C, the microscope field diaphragm, and polyethylene.

Nebraska - Constructed with crystals of vitamin C, the microscope field diaphragm, and polyethylene.

Nuclear Sunrise - Constructed with crystals of vitamin C, hardened epoxy, the microscope field diaphragm, and magenta filters.

East Reykjavik, Iceland - Constructed with crystals of ampicillin, the microscope field diaphragm, and blue filters.

Sioux City, Iowa - Constructed with crystals of vitamin C, the microscope field diaphragm, and stretched polyethylene.

Space Birds - Constructed with crystals of vitamin C, protein, and the microscope field diaphragm.

The Stand - Constructed with crystals of vitamin C, protein, and the microscope field diaphragm.

Star Wars - Constructed with crystals of vitamin C, protein, and the microscope field diaphragm.

Space Station Mir - Constructed with crystals of vitamin C, protein, and the microscope field diaphragm.

Sulfur Canyon - Sulfur, Constructed with crystals of protein, a blue filter, and the microscope field diaphragm.

Sunny Jupiter - Constructed with crystals of sulfur and aspirin.

Tornadoland - Constructed with crystals of vitamin C, liquid crystalline xanthan and DNA, Cibachrome bleach, and blue filters.

Sea of Tranquility - Constructed with liquid crystalline DNA, the microscope field diaphragm, and stretched polyethylene.

Westworld - Constructed with hardened epoxy, the microscope field diaphragm, and purple/blue filters.

Icestation Zebra - Constructed with crystals of ampicillin, the microscope field diaphragm, protein, and stretched polyethylene.

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