Up-Close Bee’s Eye Takes Nikon Imaging Top Prize

More than 2,000 photographers submitted images to the 2015 Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition, but just 20 of those images were chosen as winners.

If honey bees were publicity hounds, this one might have stars in its eyes. The judges were specifically fascinated by his adept style in capturing the image stack.

The winning photograph was captured by Grimm in four hours as he was carefully mounting the eye on a microscope while dealing with the focusing and lighting obstacles. The finished product was indeed an attestation of Grimm’s scrupulous work.

A photo contest that pays tribute to the tiny wonders of the world has a particularly buzzworthy winning image this year: a close-up of a bee’s eye, covered in dandelion pollen.

More than its visual appeal, the winning photo also emphasized how little the public know of these wonderful insects.

Grimm, a high school teacher and former beekeeper, said that, in light of the ongoing collapse of bee colonies worldwide, he hopes his image is a reminder of the important role these pollinators play in local ecosystems.

“I am scared of the possibility that the decline of the honey bee may be the first indication or global warning of many more species beginning to decline as our city-expansive and environmentally destructive habits on this Earth shamelessly continue”, Grimm told The Huffington Post, “My bee eye in a way is a message to all people on this Earth to take ‘a closer look'”. In fact, 12 entrants were given honorable mentions and Nikon’s panel of judges has titled 56 as “Images of Distinction”.

In a press release, Eric Flem, communications manager of Nikon Instruments said, “Each year we are blown away by the incredible quality and quantity of microscopic images submitted from all over the world, from scientists, artists, and photomicrographers of all levels and backgrounds”. He said that this year is not an exclusion. Nikon has always updated the images that have received first prize in the photomicrography competition and they have been doing it since 1976.