Nature scares me. It scares me simply because it still has too many mysteries, plants, bacteria, insects that I don’t know how they are made. What do the wings of a butterfly look like? What does a louse look like? What does a mold look like? I mean, what are they like really?
The only way to clarify some of the mysteries of nature is to look at it through a microscope, and at that point thanks to a lens a world of colors and shapes opens up, which in many cases only increase the fear for every tiny insect. The frightening charm of these micro-photographs is celebrated every year by the Nikon Small World Photomicrography, the photographic contest now in its 47th edition and organized by Nikon, which in recent days has unveiled the best photos of 2021.
The winner was the image of an oak leaf, created by superimposing two hundred photos then edited in post production, to bring out a surface, which looks like the ground of a lost planet millions of light years away from us, but more likely it is above your head, in the backyard.
“Nikon Small World was created to show the world how art and science come together under the microscope. This year’s first place winner could not be a better example of that blend,” said Eric Flem, Communications Manager, Nikon Instruments.

Here are some of the most beautiful photos of 2021.