Chemical Education Today

1312 Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 78 No. 10 October 2001 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu

NCW 2001: Celebrating Chemistry and Art

Communicating Science through Photographyby Felice Frankel

A while ago, a colleague asked me why I was willing togive away my “secrets” in my upcoming book, EnvisioningScience (1). I remember giggling to myself. The guide forresearchers and students describing my techniques of mak-ing science images is filled with ideas to improve the visualcommunication of research, yet I would hardly consider anyof the ideas as secrets. There are no secrets in photography,just logical thinking.

For example, as you will see in the next pages, I sug-gest that the researcher and student take a bit more care inchoosing the samples they wish to photograph for journalsubmissions or for presentations. It makes more sense to usematerial that is in good condition. The first-time viewer willsee your picture as a whole—imperfections and all—and willnot mentally delete the imperfections, as you do. In addi-tion, although many researchers photograph actual samplesfrom their experiments, I’ve found that samples preparedspecifically for the photograph improve the visual expres-sion of the work, resulting in a simpler, clearer representa-tion of the science. Thinking about what to include in thatsample (and what is not necessary) will help you determinefor yourself which components are essential elements of theexperiment and may ultimately clarify your thinking aboutthe science.

Examples from Current Research

Three examples are presented here, each illustrating animportant point in the work of a research colleague andeach using a different technique. I have written a few wordsdescribing each scenario, but you will probably “see” thepoint from the photographs before you read the words.Three methods of photography serve as illustrations of my“thesis”. Each is illustrated in Envisioning Science: photograph-ing small things (from chapter 5), photographing through astereomicroscope (from chapter 6), and photographing witha compound microscope (from chapter 7).

Figure 1. Image A (top) by N. Abbott and Image B (below) by F.Frankel. Image B appeared as an illustration in “Manipulation ofthe Wettability of Surfaces on the 0.1- to 1-Micrometer Scale throughMicromachining and Molecular Self-Assembly” by Nicholas. L.Abbott, John P. Folkers, and George M. Whitesides, Science, 4 Sep-tember 1992, Vol. 257, pp 1380–1382. Image B appeared onthe cover of that issue.

Photo by Felice Frankel, copyright © 1992.

Photographing Small Things

Emphasize the Point of the WorkImages 1A and 1B (below) show two different samples

of patterned surfaces. In both images, the water “drops” wetthe hydrophilic surface until the drops reach the hydropho-bic-etched lines, where they stop spreading. The research-ers prepared the sample and photographed 1A. Then weredesigned the sample to produce photograph 1B. Theetched lines in 1B form a more interesting grid pattern and,by coloring the water with fluorescing dyes, we brought at-tention to the point of the experiment––the water dropsstop at the lines. The photograph succeeds on two levels: itis visually compelling (and not unimportantly, in focus) andit is a clearer representation of the chemistry.

Chemical Education Today

JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 78 No. 10 October 2001 • Journal of Chemical Education 1313

Figure 2. Image A (top) by P. Kenis and R. Ismagilov; Image B(below) by F. Frankel. Image B appeared as an illustration in“Microfabrication Inside Capillaries Using Multiphase Laminar FlowPatterning” by Paul J. A. Kenis, Rustem F. Ismagilov, and GeorgeM. Whitesides, Science, 2 July 1999, Vol. 285, pp 83–85. ImageB appeared on the cover of that issue.

Photo by Felice Frankel, copyright © 1999.

Photographing through a Stereomicroscope

Designing Your SampleIn image 2A shown above right, the investigators fabri-

cated and photographed a polymer-enclosed channel throughwhich flowed two fluids. The point of the investigation wasto show two inlets with different colored liquids, joining intoone zig-zagged channel, and maintaining a laminar flow.

To emphasize the phenomenon, I suggested fabricatinganother sample, which I photographed in image 2B (at right).We designed the sample with seven inlets, each flowing witha different color, finally joining into one channel. This pho-tograph is more compelling than the first attempt and dra-matically emphasizes the laminar quality of the flow.

There are no secrets

in photography,

just logical thinking.

Chemical Education Today

1314 Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 78 No. 10 October 2001 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu

NCW 2001: Celebrating Chemistry and Art

Figure 3. Images A, B, and C (left to right) by Felice Frankel, fromthe research of Kathleen M. Vaeth and Klavs F. Jensen published inAdvanced Materials, 1999, 11 (10), 814–820.

Photos by Felice Frankel, copyright © 1999.

Photographing with a Compound Microscope

Designing Your SampleBecause you are looking at a more magnified version of

your work, you might think you will have less opportunityto make compelling images, that your options for experimen-tation are more constrained. This is definitely not the case.In fact, with fewer forms to compose within your frame, youhave a better opportunity to communicate a particular idea.You can bring attention to the essential part of your investi-gation by creating an interesting sample.

When Kathy Vaeth was a graduate student at MIT,part of her thesis was to demonstrate the controlled gasdeposition of a polymer on a patterned surface (see coverof this Journal and Image C, below right). She first usedparallel lines of varying widths as her pattern (Image A). Atmy encouragement, she had more fun with her patterns andin the process made more visually interesting samples, stillcommunicating the ideas behind the engineering. ImagesB and C are the result. I took both images with Nomarskidifferential contrast, also known as Differential InterferenceContrast (DIC), a technique used in microscopy to empha-size surface structure.

Literature Cited

1. Frankel, F. Envisioning Science, MIT Press, January2002. See also Frankel, F.; Whitesides, G. M. On the Surfaceof Things, Images of the Extraordinary in Science, Chronicle:San Francisco, 1997; and Frankel, F. Envisioning Science—A Personal Perspective, Science 1998, 280, 1698.

Felice Frankel is a research scientist and Director of the En-visioning Science Project at MIT, 77 Massachusetts Avenue,Cambridge, MA 02139; felicef@mit.edu; http://web.mit.edu/edgerton/felice and http://web.mit.edu/i-m.

You can bring attention to the essential part

of your investigation by creating

an interesting sample.