![Peripheral blood smear](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/2f/a2f276d2-f752-11ee-8d0f-1f6208486e2e/6616b68b5ab86.image.jpg?resize=150%2C101 150w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/2f/a2f276d2-f752-11ee-8d0f-1f6208486e2e/6616b68b5ab86.image.jpg?resize=200%2C135 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/2f/a2f276d2-f752-11ee-8d0f-1f6208486e2e/6616b68b5ab86.image.jpg?resize=225%2C152 225w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/2f/a2f276d2-f752-11ee-8d0f-1f6208486e2e/6616b68b5ab86.image.jpg?resize=300%2C203 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/2f/a2f276d2-f752-11ee-8d0f-1f6208486e2e/6616b68b5ab86.image.jpg?resize=400%2C270 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/2f/a2f276d2-f752-11ee-8d0f-1f6208486e2e/6616b68b5ab86.image.jpg?resize=540%2C365 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/2f/a2f276d2-f752-11ee-8d0f-1f6208486e2e/6616b68b5ab86.image.jpg?resize=640%2C432 640w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/2f/a2f276d2-f752-11ee-8d0f-1f6208486e2e/6616b68b5ab86.image.jpg?resize=750%2C506 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/2f/a2f276d2-f752-11ee-8d0f-1f6208486e2e/6616b68b5ab86.image.jpg?resize=990%2C668 990w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/2f/a2f276d2-f752-11ee-8d0f-1f6208486e2e/6616b68b5ab86.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C699 1035w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/2f/a2f276d2-f752-11ee-8d0f-1f6208486e2e/6616b68b5ab86.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C810 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/2f/a2f276d2-f752-11ee-8d0f-1f6208486e2e/6616b68b5ab86.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C900 1333w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/2f/a2f276d2-f752-11ee-8d0f-1f6208486e2e/6616b68b5ab86.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C997 1476w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/2f/a2f276d2-f752-11ee-8d0f-1f6208486e2e/6616b68b5ab86.image.jpg?resize=1752%2C1183 2008w)
Peripheral blood smear – A/O Light Microscope, Konica nT3 and Microscope Adapter.
![Daughter’s eye](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/94/0945b0d4-f753-11ee-83df-e7904552516c/6616b722131d4.image.jpg?resize=150%2C223 150w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/94/0945b0d4-f753-11ee-83df-e7904552516c/6616b722131d4.image.jpg?resize=200%2C297 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/94/0945b0d4-f753-11ee-83df-e7904552516c/6616b722131d4.image.jpg?resize=225%2C334 225w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/94/0945b0d4-f753-11ee-83df-e7904552516c/6616b722131d4.image.jpg?resize=300%2C446 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/94/0945b0d4-f753-11ee-83df-e7904552516c/6616b722131d4.image.jpg?resize=400%2C594 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/94/0945b0d4-f753-11ee-83df-e7904552516c/6616b722131d4.image.jpg?resize=540%2C802 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/94/0945b0d4-f753-11ee-83df-e7904552516c/6616b722131d4.image.jpg?resize=640%2C951 640w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/94/0945b0d4-f753-11ee-83df-e7904552516c/6616b722131d4.image.jpg?resize=750%2C1114 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/94/0945b0d4-f753-11ee-83df-e7904552516c/6616b722131d4.image.jpg?resize=990%2C1470 990w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/94/0945b0d4-f753-11ee-83df-e7904552516c/6616b722131d4.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C1537 1035w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/94/0945b0d4-f753-11ee-83df-e7904552516c/6616b722131d4.image.jpg?resize=1181%2C1754 1200w)
Daughter’s eye – Nikon F3P, 55mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor, Kodachrome 64 Scan with VueScan on Epson V850.
Lake Forest
![Feather from down comforter](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/da/2da5804e-f753-11ee-b02c-3b4032750212/6616b778ae65b.image.jpg?resize=150%2C100 150w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/da/2da5804e-f753-11ee-b02c-3b4032750212/6616b778ae65b.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/da/2da5804e-f753-11ee-b02c-3b4032750212/6616b778ae65b.image.jpg?resize=225%2C150 225w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/da/2da5804e-f753-11ee-b02c-3b4032750212/6616b778ae65b.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/da/2da5804e-f753-11ee-b02c-3b4032750212/6616b778ae65b.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/da/2da5804e-f753-11ee-b02c-3b4032750212/6616b778ae65b.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/da/2da5804e-f753-11ee-b02c-3b4032750212/6616b778ae65b.image.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/da/2da5804e-f753-11ee-b02c-3b4032750212/6616b778ae65b.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/da/2da5804e-f753-11ee-b02c-3b4032750212/6616b778ae65b.image.jpg?resize=990%2C660 990w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/da/2da5804e-f753-11ee-b02c-3b4032750212/6616b778ae65b.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C690 1035w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/da/2da5804e-f753-11ee-b02c-3b4032750212/6616b778ae65b.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/da/2da5804e-f753-11ee-b02c-3b4032750212/6616b778ae65b.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C888 1333w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/da/2da5804e-f753-11ee-b02c-3b4032750212/6616b778ae65b.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C984 1476w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/da/2da5804e-f753-11ee-b02c-3b4032750212/6616b778ae65b.image.jpg?resize=1763%2C1175 2008w)
Feather from down comforter – Nikon Z8, 105mm f/2.8MC, Aperture Priority f/3.3, 1/40 sec., EV = -0.7, ISO 200, 30 images Focus stacked with Affinity Photo.
![Hepatic cell, electron micrograph](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/a3/6a355d86-f753-11ee-bd46-d73f8c3e510c/6616b7d9a7f05.image.jpg?resize=150%2C191 150w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/a3/6a355d86-f753-11ee-bd46-d73f8c3e510c/6616b7d9a7f05.image.jpg?resize=200%2C255 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/a3/6a355d86-f753-11ee-bd46-d73f8c3e510c/6616b7d9a7f05.image.jpg?resize=225%2C287 225w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/a3/6a355d86-f753-11ee-bd46-d73f8c3e510c/6616b7d9a7f05.image.jpg?resize=300%2C382 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/a3/6a355d86-f753-11ee-bd46-d73f8c3e510c/6616b7d9a7f05.image.jpg?resize=400%2C510 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/a3/6a355d86-f753-11ee-bd46-d73f8c3e510c/6616b7d9a7f05.image.jpg?resize=540%2C688 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/a3/6a355d86-f753-11ee-bd46-d73f8c3e510c/6616b7d9a7f05.image.jpg?resize=640%2C816 640w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/a3/6a355d86-f753-11ee-bd46-d73f8c3e510c/6616b7d9a7f05.image.jpg?resize=750%2C956 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/a3/6a355d86-f753-11ee-bd46-d73f8c3e510c/6616b7d9a7f05.image.jpg?resize=990%2C1262 990w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/a3/6a355d86-f753-11ee-bd46-d73f8c3e510c/6616b7d9a7f05.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C1319 1035w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/a3/6a355d86-f753-11ee-bd46-d73f8c3e510c/6616b7d9a7f05.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C1529 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/a3/6a355d86-f753-11ee-bd46-d73f8c3e510c/6616b7d9a7f05.image.jpg?resize=1275%2C1625 1333w)
Hepatic cell, electron micrograph – RCA EMU 3 series electron microscope, Kodak Micrograph Glass plate negative.
![Oil bubbles](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/49/a49a8456-f753-11ee-931b-3b31b4df7565/6616b83b7c695.image.jpg?resize=150%2C100 150w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/49/a49a8456-f753-11ee-931b-3b31b4df7565/6616b83b7c695.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/49/a49a8456-f753-11ee-931b-3b31b4df7565/6616b83b7c695.image.jpg?resize=225%2C150 225w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/49/a49a8456-f753-11ee-931b-3b31b4df7565/6616b83b7c695.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/49/a49a8456-f753-11ee-931b-3b31b4df7565/6616b83b7c695.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/49/a49a8456-f753-11ee-931b-3b31b4df7565/6616b83b7c695.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/49/a49a8456-f753-11ee-931b-3b31b4df7565/6616b83b7c695.image.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/49/a49a8456-f753-11ee-931b-3b31b4df7565/6616b83b7c695.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/49/a49a8456-f753-11ee-931b-3b31b4df7565/6616b83b7c695.image.jpg?resize=990%2C660 990w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/49/a49a8456-f753-11ee-931b-3b31b4df7565/6616b83b7c695.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C690 1035w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/49/a49a8456-f753-11ee-931b-3b31b4df7565/6616b83b7c695.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/49/a49a8456-f753-11ee-931b-3b31b4df7565/6616b83b7c695.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C888 1333w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/49/a49a8456-f753-11ee-931b-3b31b4df7565/6616b83b7c695.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C984 1476w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/49/a49a8456-f753-11ee-931b-3b31b4df7565/6616b83b7c695.image.jpg?resize=1763%2C1175 2008w)
Oil bubbles – Nikon Z8, 105mm f/2.8MC, 11 and 16 Extension Tubes stacked, Aperture Priority, f/4, 1/4000 sec., ISO 1600, Sesame oil in water.
![Microphone](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/49/d49777b8-f753-11ee-9b4a-5b503f68b8b8/6616b88c0cd63.image.jpg?resize=150%2C225 150w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/49/d49777b8-f753-11ee-9b4a-5b503f68b8b8/6616b88c0cd63.image.jpg?resize=200%2C300 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/49/d49777b8-f753-11ee-9b4a-5b503f68b8b8/6616b88c0cd63.image.jpg?resize=225%2C338 225w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/49/d49777b8-f753-11ee-9b4a-5b503f68b8b8/6616b88c0cd63.image.jpg?resize=300%2C450 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/49/d49777b8-f753-11ee-9b4a-5b503f68b8b8/6616b88c0cd63.image.jpg?resize=400%2C600 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/49/d49777b8-f753-11ee-9b4a-5b503f68b8b8/6616b88c0cd63.image.jpg?resize=540%2C810 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/49/d49777b8-f753-11ee-9b4a-5b503f68b8b8/6616b88c0cd63.image.jpg?resize=640%2C960 640w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/49/d49777b8-f753-11ee-9b4a-5b503f68b8b8/6616b88c0cd63.image.jpg?resize=750%2C1125 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/49/d49777b8-f753-11ee-9b4a-5b503f68b8b8/6616b88c0cd63.image.jpg?resize=990%2C1485 990w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/49/d49777b8-f753-11ee-9b4a-5b503f68b8b8/6616b88c0cd63.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C1553 1035w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/journalstar.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/49/d49777b8-f753-11ee-9b4a-5b503f68b8b8/6616b88c0cd63.image.jpg?resize=1175%2C1763 1200w)
Microphone – 60 images focus stacked, Affinity Photo, Nikon Z8 105mm f/2.8S MC, Manual Mode, 1/800sec., f/4.5, ISO 14400. Red and Blue gels on continuous light source.
I didn’t get my start in photography shooting portraits, weddings and commercial photos, but rather doing macro photography – of sorts.
My first published photo was of the ultrastructure of placental microvilli taken with a Carl Zeiss Transmission Electron Microscope (EM) on Kodak glass plates. I quickly moved up to an RCA EMU three-series EM, similar to the jump from a cell phone camera to a mirrorless professional camera! I photographed human hepatic (liver) and kidney cells and decalcified middle ear ossicles (bones) from bats.
My darkroom experiences led to an interest in black-and-white photography, followed quickly by more “colorful” subjects, everything from peripheral blood smears to … yes, weddings and portraits. The technical knowledge came first, opening the floodgates for what has become a lifelong love of photography, but forever remembering those roots in capturing images of tiny subjects – microscopic AND close-up. Macro photography!
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Electron microscopes and even regular light microscopes are both “cumbersome” and prohibitively expensive, and certainly not practical for close-up work. There are, however, several ways to get images of up to 10 times life size without breaking the bank. A set of four screw-in close-up filters, with magnifications of 1, 2, 4 and 10 diopters, are an easy way to get good quality close-ups using existing lenses.
The downside of close-up filters is they limit the focus distance while attached to a relatively short distance and must be removed to get the full range of focus. Extension tubes are placed between the camera body and the lens, extending the distance from the optics to the sensor or film, and increasing the magnification. As there are no glass elements, image quality doesn’t suffer while magnifying the subject. Extension tubes can also be stacked for even more magnification. Bellows focusing attachments work much like extension tubes but allow for more incremental adjustments between the camera and the lens.
Finally, most major camera manufacturers and third-party vendors offer high-quality macro lenses, specifically designed to focus from 1:1 reproduction (and some greater) all the way to infinity, making them extremely versatile for all types of photography. For the best-quality images, macro lenses are hard to beat. And for cell phone photographers, there are clip-on macro lenses for close-up photography.
Without having to leave the comfort of your own home or apartment, you can easily explore the world of close-up photography. Subjects from oil droplets in a basin of water to feathers to coins make for interesting studies. Lighting can be from a variety of sources: flashlight, incandescent lights, speedlights or even available light. Colored filters can add a little pop to the image. Even composition plays a role in macro photography, and it’s far easier to arrange your subjects when you have all the time in the world.
So, dive in, get up close and explore the fascinating world that’s right before your eyes … and close to them!
Dr. Photo – aka John Keller – operates a full-service photography studio, #5, and art gallery in the Mission Arts Building at 124 S. Ninth St. in Lincoln. He teaches introductory and advanced courses in digital photography, cell phone and tablet photography and editing/post-processing and scanning slides, negatives and prints at Doane University in Lincoln, Southeast Community College Continuing Education, and is a former volunteer instructor for the OLLI at UNL Program. He also offers private and group digital photography lessons. Email your digital photography and computer questions to: doctorphoto1@gmail.com.