comment: view from a microscope

the microscopy and histology core facility at the university of aberdeen’s institute of medical sciences offers a wide variety of microscope imaging and sample preparation techniques to researchers and handles a diverse range of biological samples.

i have worked in the microscopy field for over 35 years. starting out as a histology technician in the university’s department of anatomy (where i first developed my interest in electron microscopy), i have also worked in plant science and zoology. during this time i have acquired a breadth of knowledge across various disciplines and seen many changes.

i became interested in photography in the early 1980s, taking black and white images with the light microscope and the transmission electron microscope. in these pre-digital days, this was a lengthy and complex process: developing exposed film in chemical baths, fixing, washing and drying the film, using an enlarger to project the negative image onto photographic paper, processing the paper prints – and all in the darkroom. there was an element of trial and error, waiting to see the final prints before you could determine whether the sample was in focus or taken with the correct exposure.

nowadays, the entire process is digital. we don’t even have a darkroom in the institute – there’s just no need. images can be captured and viewed instantly and any that don’t meet requirements are quickly identified and discarded. the only downside to these technological advances is the resulting file size of some of the datasets being captured, leading to issues with data storage. in the past, of course, we didn’t have this problem – physical prints and negatives could be easily stored!

there was something almost magical about the old darkroom processes. perhaps, if the ability to capture and process images digitally had been around when i started, i may not have developed an interest in photography at all…

scientific imaging has increasingly become an integral part of my job. in fact, i must have spent hundreds of hours capturing images over the years for various research projects. recently, however, i have been fortunate to have some of my images selected for the wellcome image awards (2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015) and it’s great to see these images now being shared – for everyone to see. this year my image of a greenfly’s eye is on display at various locations across the uk.

i’ve never really considered myself to be an artist, but over the years i’ve developed an instinct for spotting a good image. sometimes, it may simply be a naturally balanced composition that draws my eye; other times, an interesting shape or contrasting texture.

but mostly, i think it’s a matter of luck. and it does seem that beauty is in the eye of the beholder as often it’s not my personal favourites that win awards! or perhaps it’s just that i spend so much time looking at them that i stop ‘seeing’ them…

what most people might not realise is that images captured on an electron microscope are actually black and white. false colour is added later to enhance the image, using image editing software such as photoshop. whether the resulting image is purely scientific or an abstract ‘piece of art’, it always takes me far longer deciding how best to enhance the image and what colour (or colours) i should use, than it took me to capture it in the first place!

i always keep an eye open for interesting samples – something (anything!) that i haven’t looked at before. i keep sample holders and preservative at home, and even take them with me on holiday, just in case i stumble across something unusual. several years ago, i was unlucky to experience the pain of a small kidney stone; but what a perfect sample! the image i subsequently captured and false coloured was a wellcome image award winner in 2014.

so what does the future hold for digital, scientific imaging? the facility has recently purchased a slide scanner that can capture the whole area of a slide at a magnification of x20 and produce a single, merged image that you can view directly on your computer screen. i believe that, very soon, all microscopes will have no eyepieces and everything will be done via the computer screen or even streaming the image direct to your mobile device. and after that? who knows what the next revolution will be or where we will be in 10 years’ time.

kevin mackenzie

microscopy and histology core facility, university of aberdeen, institute of medical sciences, foresterhill, aberdeen ab25 2zd, uk
[email protected]

further reading

microscopy and histology. university of aberdeen. last accessed 8 june 2015.

microscopy and histology core facility located in the institute of medical sciences, aberdeen on facebook.

wellcome image awards. last accessed 8 june 2015.