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Science Photography
WINNER - Blast Wave
Photography - It's a Blast!
What does the blast from an explosion travelling at the speed of sound look like? Or a single human blood cell infected with malaria? Or a dinner plate filled with rainbows?
The answer is strangely beautiful, other-worldly - and prize-winning!
Photographs that show these three images have won the top prizes in the New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography, awarded to an Australian photographer of 18 years or older for a single photograph that most effectively communicates an aspect of science.
This prize is part of the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, the Oscars of Australian science. Coveted among science prizes, the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes were announced at a glittering event in Sydney on 19 August attended by a ‘who's who' of Australian science, government, academia and industry.
"These photographs inform us about science. But, more than that, they make science enticing and accessible. For instance, even when we are looking at a blood cell affected by malaria, it is strangely beautiful," says Australian Museum Director, Frank Howarth.
First place and $5,000 went to Phred Petersen, Senior Lecturer in Scientific Photography at RMIT, whose photograph shows the blast wave from the percussion cap on the tip of a toy rocket. The exposure time for the event was just five microseconds. That speed is too fast for either a photographer to press a button or for a mechanical camera shutter. Instead, Phred Petersen attached a microphone to the point of impact, to act as the trigger for an electronic flash.
Petersen claims he was a mediocre chemist who became interested in photography as a way to learn about the world. "It was the curiosity to see things we otherwise wouldn't see," he says.
He is fascinated by shock waves and fluid dynamics, saying there is scientific appeal as well as a highly visual aesthetic. So does he aim to take a good scientific picture or a beautiful image? "I'm motivated by both. I just have to be choosy with my timing. One millisecond later and the entire event would be over. You would see nothing," says Petersen.
Last year's joint winner, Steven Morton, has taken out second place and $3,000. He is a scientific photographer with Monash University's School of Physics. His photograph appears to be large eruptions in a sea of red lava. It is, in fact, a microscopic malaria-infected human red blood cell.
The ‘eruptions' are actually knob-like structures on the surface of the human red blood cell. In Morton's words, "They are part of the lethal renovations that a malaria parasite makes to its new home when it moves in during infection." Morton manipulated raw imaging data from an atomic force microscope and pseudo-coloured to produce the final image.
Third place and $2,000 went to Katrina Putker, a student at the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE, for her work ‘Birefringence Binge'. Birefringence refers to the double refraction of light passing through a mineral, creating a rainbow effect.
In a studio, Katrina composed a table-setting of plastic plate and cutlery. She photographed these using polarising filters both under the objects and in front of the camera. The two filters react to give the dinner setting a rainbow-hue; or, as Katrina says, "a rainbow-hued comment on science as part of our staple diet."
An exhibition of the top 25 entries in the New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography will be touring nationally. You can see the exhibition now at the Australian Museum. More detail.
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Sponsor
The New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography is sponsored by New Scientist.
Description
The New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography is awarded to an Australian/s over the age of 17 for a single photograph taken in the past 2 years that most effectively communicates an aspect of science.
prize
1st: $5,000
2nd: $3,000
3rd: $2,000
Purpose
The New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography recognises and rewards outstanding science photography.
New Scientist, the world's leading science and technology news weekly, is renowned for its accessibility and insightfulness. It has been called a celebration of science.
In that spirit, the New Scientist Eureka prize is awarded for a single photograph that most effectively communicates an aspect of science.
This photograph might be a startling image that captures the essence of scientific discovery. It may illustrate the workings of nature or the beauty of science. It may show something never seen before. It may illustrate scientific data. It might give fresh insight into a scientific phenomenon or an emerging technology.
The definition of 'science' is, for the purpose of this prize, a comprehensive one. It includes the natural, physical, applied or life sciences (including agricultural sciences); environmental issues; biodiversity issues; flora and fauna; medicine; astronomy; information technology; technological innovation; engineering and health science; as well as work that addresses the social or economic consequences of science.
Entries are invited from both amateur and professional photographers.
Entries are encouraged from working scientists, and postgraduate and undergraduate students.
Judging Criteria
Judging criteria:
a. technical excellence (20%)
b. aesthetics (30%), and
c. creativity in communicating a science concept or idea (50%).
Conditions of entry
Entries close 5pm AEST Friday 2 May 2008.
Entrants must be Australian citizens or Australian residents.
Entrants must have been at least 18 years old when they took the photograph.
The photograph must have been taken no more than 24 months prior to the closing date for entries.
An individual can submit only one photograph entry per year (this includes any photograph submitted with another person). A photograph entered in one year may not be re-entered in a subsequent year. Photographs entered must be the original work of the entrant.
Photographs entered may not have been used in, or prepared for use in, promotional or advertising campaigns.
Entries can be produced using a range of techniques including but not limited to standard or specialist photographic techniques; high speed/stroboscopic/time-lapse photography; macro lens; or using scientific techniques such as microscopy, x-ray, satellite or astronomical photography, magnetic resonance imaging etc.
Editing and/or digital manipulation of photographs is permitted. However, entrants are required to disclose details of significant editing/digital manipulation etc in their entry. Such editing/manipulation does NOT disqualify an entry as long as this work has been disclosed and as long as any material, images etc used in this process are the photographer's own work.
It is the responsibility of the entrant to ensure that they have complied with all copyright requirements relating to their entry and that they have obtained any and all permissions, including releases from any person capable of being recognised in an entry and/or copyright owner's permission to have the image judged, displayed or published.
Copyright of photographs remains with the photographer.
Entrants authorise and grant to the Australian Museum and to New Scientist the limited right to use all or any part of their entry solely for publicity and promotional purposes relating to this prize. This includes exhibiting and displaying entered photographs in public venues as part of an exhibition of entries in the New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography and using all or part of the entry in publicity or other material relating to this exhibition. The name of the photographer will be printed clearly with their image each time the image is reproduced by the Australian Museum or New Scientist.
The work entered/nominated for this prize may not be entered/nominated for another Australian Museum Eureka Prize.
The deliberations of the judging panel remain confidential. All recommendations and decisions taken are binding and final and no correspondence will be entered into on such matters.
Information provided by the entrant(s) in relations to the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes (including photos), may be used by the Australian Museum for promotional/publicity purposes.
Personal information provided in connection with the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes will be used only by the Australian Museum and only in connection with the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.
How to enter
Complete the online entry form, including a description of the photograph and upload the photograph by 5.00pm AEST on Friday 2 May 2008.
Upload images must be no larger than 5 MB.
