Chris Perani is a photographer who specializes in seeing the unseen. Known for his extreme macro photography, he captures butterfly wings and other minute natural subjects at a level of detail invisible to the naked eye. His images reveal dazzling mosaics of iridescent scales and textures that appear more like stained glass, sequins, or cosmic landscapes than fragments of an insect’s anatomy.
To overcome the razor-thin depth of field inherent in microscope lenses, Perani employs a meticulous stacking process. Using a 10× microscope objective mounted on a 200 mm lens, he shifts his camera forward in microscopic increments—sometimes as little as 3 microns per exposure. Each section of a wing might require 350 individual images, and a complete final work can demand more than 2,000 separate shots. These frames are then digitally merged into a seamless whole, revealing a complexity that even scientists rarely view in such clarity.
Perani’s often uses continuous LED lighting to prevent damaging delicate specimens, and he experiments with focus rails and custom rigs to refine his process. The results are photographs that are at once precise documentation and mesmerizing abstraction.
Through his lens, the microscopic becomes monumental, and the wings of a butterfly become an entire universe of color, pattern, and form that is waiting patiently for those willing to look closer.
To see more of Perani’s work, visit his website at chrisperani.com.
*All images and information are © Chris Perani unless otherwise stated.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Public Health Landscape or Valent BioSciences, LLC.