# Meet the 2026 winner of Nikon’s Small World photomicrography contest

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/meet-the-2026-winner-of-nikons-small-world-photomicrography-contest/
- Published: 2026-10-22T19:34:40+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-22T20:15:44+00:00
- Original publisher: Ars Technica
- Original article: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/10/meet-the-2026-winner-of-nikons-small-world-photomicrography-contest/
- Topics: Europe, World

## Key points

- Ole Bielfeldt won Nikon’s 2026 photomicrography contest.
- His image freezes ink droplets above paper.
- A modified printer and flash captured the fast-moving process.

## Summary

German photographer Ole Bielfeldt won Nikon’s 2026 Small World photomicrography competition with an image showing ink droplets being deposited on paper by an inkjet printer. His photograph turns a familiar process into a vivid microscopic scene, illustrating how scientific imaging can also reveal artistic possibilities.

Bielfeldt, 25, was one of 1,803 entrants from 69 countries. He began experimenting with photomicrography during the COVID-19 lockdown, adapting an old microscope to his father’s camera. To capture the fast-moving droplets, he modified a printer so the paper moved beneath a stationary printhead, then used a flash in a dark room to freeze the action; he did not need expensive equipment or AI.

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