Renaissance

Transitioning to university introduced me to all sorts of new things, including a wide range of microscopy imaging techniques. Beyond optical methods such as laser scanning, super-resolution microscopy, and others, I also mean microscopes equipped with differential interference contrast (DIC), which combines phase-contrast and polarization techniques.

It was only at the Faculty of Science that I really had my first proper taste of documenting specimens using this system, and although I had some idea of what to expect, the results still amazed me. Since I had wanted this kind of light setup for quite some time, I ordered my own DIC equipment at the end of the summer.

And, well, it arrived yesterday, so the timing could hardly have been better. My photography strategy no longer needs Prague university; once I get this new addition up and running, I will soon be able to use DIC at home as well.

DIC opens up a whole new perspective on the visual appeal of the final image, which may also broaden the range of what I can share with you. Looking back at all my time spent wrestling with photomicrography, I have processed only a fraction of the material I have photographed and have had to let many of the organisms I encountered go undocumented altogether. Sometimes I simply was not satisfied with the photographs; other times, the limitations of my equipment prevented me from doing the subject justice.

So I hope that DIC will finally satisfy my eagerness to capture considerably more of the tiny life I encounter.