A splash of seawater

Photographer David Liittschwager captured the little ecosystem of life contained in a splash of seawater magnified 25 times:

It’s the microscopic equivalent of the Hubble Deep Field image and worth seeing larger. Here’s part of the larger image:

Liittschwager took the photo for National Geographic, but it also might be contained in his book, A World in One Cubic Foot, in which he took photos in locations all over the world of the life that passed through 1 cubic foot of space in 24 hours.

For A World in One Cubic Foot, esteemed nature photographer David Liittschwager took a bright green metal cube-measuring precisely one cubic foot-and set it in various ecosystems around the world, from Costa Rica to Central Park. Working with local scientists, he measured what moved through that small space in a period of twenty-four hours. He then photographed the cube’s setting and the plant, animal, and insect life inside it — anything visible to the naked eye. The result is a stunning portrait of the amazing diversity that can be found in ecosystems around the globe.

Prints of this image are available at Art.com in sizes up to 64”x48”. (via colossal)

• A World in One Cubic Foot
• books
• David Liittschwager
• photography