Inverts on white backgrounds

Collecting photos of invertebrates on a pure white background (255, 255, 255) or close!

This technique was pioneered/popularized by photographers David Liittschwager & Susan Middleton. White backgrounds can be useful for isolating features and creating guides, and integrate well with web pages, etc. that also have white backgrounds. For this project, the images don't need to be perfect, but should have the potential to get to a white background with some light editing. For example, dust can be removed, white balance can be corrected, and light grays can usually be pushed to white. All invertebrates are welcome!

There are many ways to create images of inverts on white backgrounds, and can be as simple as photographing on a piece of paper or white plastic. One technique that produces an image mostly without shadows is as follows:

1) Elevate a piece of glass (preferably anti-reflective glass) 1-2 inches above a board of styrofoam, all in a white tub, then photograph with a flash.
2) When editing the photo, use a color-dropper tool to brighten/add contrast/levels/etc. as necessary until you reach a background of pure white (255, 255, 255) in all four corners.

See this excellent guide on Lily Kumpe's website as well: https://www.lilykumpe.com/technique

Other resources:
-Meet your Neighbors, a collaborative project to photograph all kinds of organisms on white: https://www.facebook.com/meetyourneighbours/ less ↑