Lives Within a Drop of Water..

The slogan for the Nikon Small World competition is “Recognizing Excellence in Photography through the Microscope.” Feast your eyes on these images that record a different world so small that it fits into a drop of water!

The first Nikon Small World competition was in 1974. Since then, Nikon has recognized the efforts of those who turn microscope photography into art. 2011 is the 37th year for the competition, and around 2,000 photographs were entered. The judges decisions have been made, and the winners will be announced later this fall. However, you can place your votes among the 115 finalists for the Small World Popular Vote Award. It’s easy -just click a button to say you like a photograph, or skip to the next one. You can like as many as you like, really, but Nikon asks that you vote on each picture only once. Votes for the Popular Vote Award will be taken until 5PM EDT on October 31st.

Nikon was generous enough to give Neatorama readers a special close-up view of some of the entries in this year’s competition. This particular collection is called “Lives Within a Drop of Water.” It’s a chance to marvel at the world of microscopic life we would never be able to see with the naked eye. Other collections will follow in the days ahead.

Michael Shribak/ Dr. Irina Arkhipova

Marine Biological Laboratory

Woods Hole, Massachusetts

Philodina roseola (bdelloid rotifer), live specimen

Video-enhanced polychromatic polarized light

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Frank Fox

Fachhochschule Trier

Trier, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

Melosira moniliformis, living specimen (320X)

Differential Interference Contrast

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Dr. Jan Michels

Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel

Kiel, Germany

Temora longicornis (marine copepod), ventral view (10X)

Confocal, Autofluorescence and Congo Red Fluorescence

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Joan Röhl

Institute for Biochemistry and Biology

Potsdam, Germany

Daphnia magna (freshwater water flea) (100X)

Differential Interference Contrast

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Gerd A. Guenther

Duesseldorf, Germany

Nassula ornata (freshwater ciliate), conjugation, living specimens (630X)

Differential Interference Contrast

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Charles Krebs

Charles Krebs Photography

Issaquah, Washington, USA

Hydra sp. capturing water flea (40X)

Darkfield

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Dr. Andrew Gillis

University of Cambridge

Cambridge, UK

Chiloscyllium plagiosum (Whitespotted bamboo shark), embryonic pectoral fin

Stereomicroscopy with fiber optic lighting

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Dr. John H. Brackenbury

University of Cambridge

Cambridge, UK

Water droplet containing a pair of mosquito larvae

Laser-triggered high-speed macrophotography

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Wim van Egmond

Micropolitan Museum

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Leptodora kindtii (giant waterflea) eye; living specimen

Differential Interference Contrast

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Dr. Ralf Wagner

Düsseldorf, Germany

Daphnia sp. (water flea) and Volvox sp. (green algae)

Darkfield, flash

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Jonathan Franks

University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Algae biofilm

Confocal, autofluorescence

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Wolfgang Bettighofer

Kiel, Germany

Closterium lunula (green alga), living specimen from a bog pond

Differential Interference Contrast

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Dr. Carlos Alberto Muñoz

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus

Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

Alona sp. (crustacean) mounted in Canada Balsam with crystals and other artifacts

Nomarski Differential Interference Contrast

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