Microsculpture: Portraits of Insects

“You will never look at a beetle or a moth the same way again.” —WIRED
“Art meets science to dazzling effect.” —Guardian
“You have never seen insects in such astounding detail before.” —New Scientist

Microsculpture is a unique photographic study of insects in mind-blowing magnification that celebrates the wonders of nature and science.

Levon Biss’s photographs capture in breathtaking detail the beauty of the insect world and are printed in large-scale format to provide an unforgettable viewing experience. Each image in Microsculpture is created from approximately 8,000 individual photographs. Segments of the specimen are lit and photographed separately using microscope lenses, then “stacked” to maintain sharp focus throughout. These images are then combined to create a single high-resolution file. From start to finish, each portrait takes approximately four weeks to create.

Microsculpture has been exhibited at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Xposure 2016 International Photography Festival in Sharjah, UAE. It has been viewed by over half a million people so far and has been touring museums around the world since 2017.

The entomology collection has significant cultural and historical value, containing the world’s oldest pinned insect specimen and many thousands of insects collected by pioneering Victorian explorers and biologists such as Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace.

Dr. James Hogan, entomology department curator of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, writes in his foreword, “This collection of photographs is a celebration of nature and photographic art, but it also shows how science and art can be effectively combined to produce something new and exciting.”

The vivid colors, unusual features, and never-before-seen details of the insects in this unique oversized coffee table book capture the true wonders of nature and science.