Lithuanian photographer Eugenijus Kavaliauskas won a prestigious award at the Nikon photography competition for capturing the magnified face of an ant, which left social media users fascinated as well as horrified thanks to its monster-like appearance. The wildlife photographer submitted his work under the “microscopic photography” category which exists to honour the craft that enables individuals to record details that the human eye cannot perceive.
The photo featured the microscopic, close-up image of an ant’s face with terrifying eyes and teeth, looking like something straight from the depths of Stranger Things’ Upside Down, which got the internet talking. The reason it garnered so much attention was not only due to its horror movie face, but because it was one of the rare occasions when the subject was properly captured, delivering photographic excellence.
With a panel of experts applauding the “innovation” of the subject and the minute details encapsulated by the photographer, the picture was rightly honoured as an “image of distinction,” chosen from a total of 57 entries.
While the photograph amassed acclaim both from the experts as well as social media users, several people expressed their horror on seeing it, and claimed to never look at an ant the same again. The Halloween-appropriate, creepy image went viral on the internet in just a couple of hours after its release and the topic was widely discussed among netizens.
Photographer @dantis_net initially posted the ant picture, which then was shared by entertainment, news and meme page @Pubity. The photos received hundreds of thousands of likes and several comments from flabbergasted viewers after being posted to Instagram.
Since then, many people are dying to find out more about Eugenijus Kavaliauskas and discover more of his works. According to Kavaliauskas, whose home is close to a forecr, catching an ant wasn’t difficult because of his natural surroundings. He claimed it is “boring” to take overdone pictures of ants moving around on the ground. So, with an aim to do something disruptive, he captured an ant and examined it under a microscope.
He said, “When I first started with microphotography, I, too, thought all beetles looked a little like monsters. But now, I’ve gotten used to it, and am surprised that there are so many interesting, beautiful, and unknown miracles under our feet.”
He used the reflected light technique, coupled with 5X (objective lens magnification) to click this astounding photo, as per the official website.
In the competition, the top prize was bagged by Grigorii Timin of the University of Geneva for capturing the image of the embryonic hand of a Madagascar gecko, according to reports.
“Masterfully blending imaging technology and artistic creativity, Timin utilized high-resolution microscopy and image-stitching to capture this species of Phelsuma grandis day gecko,” the organisers of the contest shared.
Are you never going to look at an ant the same way? Us too.
- Quick links
- photography
- Awards
- Art
