You’ve probably never seen an ant like this before: In a very close shot, Lithuanian photographer Eugenius Kavaliauskas Take a shot of an ant’s face that looks like a still image from a fantasy epic the Lord of the Rings.
The image was honored asExcellence image‘ In the 2022 Small World Microscopy Competition Run by Nikon, it’s easy to see why. The hijacker has also attracted a lot of attention and applause reddit.
The photo is a close-up of the lower jaw and antennae Kamponotos – subscriber carpenter ants. They make their nests within wood, mostly in forest environments, and snack on bits of dead insects, nectar, and aphids secreted by aphids.
There is some clever cropping going on in this photo. according to Washington PostThe parts of an ant’s face that look like glowing red eyes are actually the bases of their antennae, while what appear to be yellow teeth are tiny hairs that the ants use to sense their surroundings.
The image was actually taken with a microscope at 5x magnification, using the reflected light technology used to bring out the details of the ant’s appearance.
As Kavaliauskas said Washington PostHaving tried his hand at photographing birds of prey, he now focuses his attention on insects. You can see plenty of other great examples of his talent and eye for more details His Instagram page.
“I always look for details, shadows, and unseen corners,” Kavaliauskas said. from the inside.
“The main goal of photography is to be a discoverer. I am fascinated by the masterpieces of the Creator and the opportunity to see God’s designs.”
Another 56 photos were also rated as outstanding by the competition judges, all of which are worthy have a look at – we have macro images of rat embryos, butterfly scales, dinosaur bones, and much more.
overall winner From the competition showed the embryonic hand of the giant day gecko in Madagascar (Phlusoma Grandis), taken by Grigorii Timin and Michel Milinkovitch from the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
“Each year, Nikon Small World receives a set of microscopic images that showcase exemplary scientific and artistic technology,” Eric Flame saysDirector of Communications and CRM at Nikon Instruments.
“This year was no exception.”
If you think you can get a good shot like this – or at least want to try – you can actually start entering submissions for 2023 Small World Competition.