Microcosmic Nature

My microscopic investigations of organic forms explore the color, pattern, texture, and form used by animals and plants in their strategies of mating and camouflage. I am fascinated by the process of natural selection and the adaptive mechanism of living organisms in their struggle to survive in their environment. My fascination with the microscopic biological world developed in the late 90's when I removed the lens from my large format view camera and replaced it with a child's microscope. This process created the possibilities to photograph living multicellular life forms onto large format film. The photographic prints from these negatives transformed the small details of these forms into something monumental and symbolic. My interest in capturing microscopic structures continued into the darkroom. I projected microslides embedded with life forms in the color enlarger to create color photograms. The light from the enlarger passed through the microslide and projected the forms onto photographic paper, which in turn, inverted the colors creating an x-ray appearance. The transition in photography from analog to digital in the early 2000's offered new photographic possibilities. I was able to utilize a film scanner that captured both sides of the microslide at the same time. The plant and animal matter was thereby sandwiched in the light, giving the image a translucent appearance. My most recent technique involves a digital camera attached to a trinocular microscope. I am now able to capture a form in multiple sections and then stitch it back together digitally to create large photographic prints. These magnified photographs reveal an unseen, hidden world of complex forms, textures, and bright, vibrant colors.