This Nikon photo finalist of a magnified ant's face has the internet freaking out
Nature is metal.
There are many things in nature that give us the heebie-jeebies just at the thought of them. There are endless undiscovered creatures under the sea and slimy creatures that we’d rather not touch.
But who would’ve thought that the common insects you brush away could look so, well insidious?
Lithuanian wildlife photographer Eugenijus Kavaliauskas recently became a finalist for the 2022 Nikon Small World Competition for proving just that.
In his entry titled "Ant (Camponotus)”,’ Dr. Kavaliauskas used Reflected Light and 5X Objective Lens Magnification to showcase the face of a common ant. And no, this isn’t a teaser for an upcoming Halloween movie.
Albeit menacing, the photo itself is a sigh to behold what with the ant's almost angry-looking jowl and blood-red eyes. But Kavaliauskas said that it's all part of the job as a "discoverer."
"I'm always looking for details, shadows, and unseen corners. The main goal of photography is to be a discoverer," Kavaliauskas shared. "I am fascinated by the Creator's masterpieces and the opportunity to see God's designs."
In response to questions about what the ant looked like under the microscope, Kavaliauskas said: There are no horrors in nature."
Despite this, the internet has been feeling downright horrified and "disturbed" by the literal face of an ant.
Image from a horror movie? Nope. That’s the very real face of an ant.
— Rebekah McKendry, PhD (@RebekahMcKendry) October 17, 2022
An ant.
Now you have to think about that all night. pic.twitter.com/HOWLTlnfJ1
Would you believe me if I told you this is the face of an Ant at 5x magnification…
— Skip (@0xSkip) October 19, 2022
I’m never going to look at ants the same again. pic.twitter.com/aICO4xWggR
Today taught me that no matter how my 30’s go, at least I’ll never look like the up close face of an ant
— ๐๐ฎ๐ช๐ฑ (@gangaweasel69) October 17, 2022
I was born in the wrong generation. I deserve to be in the one that didn't live to see the face of an ant
— เซฎ • ๏ป - แ (@BatInOzzysMouth) October 19, 2022
Kavaliauskas’s entry won the 2022 competition’s Image of Distinction. This year’s top spot and $3,000 (P180,000) cash prize went to the University of Geneva's Grigorii Timin and Michel Milinkovitch, who captured a Madagascar giant day gecko's front paw.
The Nikon Small World Competition is an annual photography contest for photographers who practice the craft through the light microscope. It began in 1975 and has been introducing interesting ways of seeing the world since.
Their 2023 edition is now open for submissions. You can register through this link.