14 DAY TRIAL // Photography contests usually invite photographers to submit their artistic takes of the macro world. But the micro world which is mostly invisible to the naked eye can be just as fascinating.
And with the right photo gear, photographers can access this mysterious realm that seems to be governed by laws entirely different from what we see at the macro level.
Iconic camera manufacturer Nikon has set up a photo contest to honor all things tiny entitled Nikon Small World and this year’s competition winner gives us a view of the mouth of one of smallest animals on the globe.
The rotifers win Nikon's photo contest
The species is called rotifers (or commonly known as wheel animals) and they are pseudocoelomate animals of microscopic and near-microscopic variety.
Most rotifers are around 0.1-0.5 mm / 0.0039 - 0.019 inches long and are commonly found in freshwater environments throughout the world. There are also a few saltwater species. So considering how tiny these creatures are, imagine how absolutely teeny their mouth is.
The winning image has been captured by Rogelio Moreno from Panama, who is a programmer by formation, but also a microscopist enthusiast. His photo shows the open mouth of a rotifer which is surrounded by a heart-shape corona that’s actually a crown of cilia that are responsible for feeding water to its maw.
Snapping the photograph was no easy job, because these little creatures don’t tend to open their cavities too often. So Moreno had to patiently sit, watching the rotifer for hours on end, waiting for the moment when he could finally capture an image of it with its mouth open.
Moreno describes the moment of taking the photograph as a truly unique experience. He claims he virtually fell in love with the rotifer’s movement. He virtually couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Moreno hopes that the photograph will help inspire curiosity in others about the wonderful mysteries of science.
Nikon released a top 10 of the images from the 2014 Nikon Small World Contest, but as you can see, not all winners looked to the animal kingdom for inspiration.
For example, the second prize went to the University of Pisa graduate student Alessandro Da Mommio, who snapped a close-up of a calcite crystal lattice which revealed a geometrical pattern of such complexity, that one might have a hard time believing its nature's doing.
Winner number three was also inspired by animals
The third prize went to a Connecticut photographer who snapped a close-up of the eyes of a jumping spider specimen – which is famous for having good vision. The photograph is both creepy and compelling, as the animal’s expression seems genially interesting.
Check out the top 10 winners in the gallery below.
