TED2017
Levon Biss: Mind-blowing, magnified portraits of insects
萊文比斯: 令人驚艷的昆蟲放大照片
Filmed:
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攝影師萊文比斯在尋找不凡的新題材。一天下午，他和小兒子在顯微鏡下觀看一隻步行蟲，自此打開了昆蟲的奇妙世界。比斯將他對於攝影的知識用在只有 5mm 長的題材上，創造一個拍攝昆蟲的流程，拍出不可思議的顯微細節，每張成品圖片都是用八千到一萬張個別照片組成的。他也分享一個靈感來自意想不到之處的故事。
Levon Biss - Photographer
With his "Microsculpture" series, Levon Biss photographs the incredible details of insects. Full bio
With his "Microsculpture" series, Levon Biss photographs the incredible details of insects. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
So, I had been a photographer
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我當攝影師
已經十八年了。
00:15
for 18 years
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00:17
before I began the Microsculpture Project.
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這是在我開始微雕塑計畫之前。
00:19
And in that time,
I had shot global ad campaigns,
I had shot global ad campaigns,
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那時我拍過全球的廣告活動，
00:23
I had the opportunity to photograph
some of my generation's icons,
some of my generation's icons,
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有機會拍過我那個世代的偶像，
00:27
and I was traveling the world.
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也環遊過世界。
00:29
I got to a point in my career
that I dreamed of getting to,
that I dreamed of getting to,
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我已達到了夢想要達到的目標，
00:33
and yet, for some reason,
I still felt a little bit unfulfilled.
I still felt a little bit unfulfilled.
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但不知為何，內心仍感到些許空虛。
00:36
Despite the extraordinary things
I was shooting and experiencing,
I was shooting and experiencing,
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儘管我拍攝過、
經歷過許多不凡的事物，
經歷過許多不凡的事物，
00:41
they'd started to feel
a little bit ordinary to me.
a little bit ordinary to me.
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卻開始覺得它們有點平凡了。
00:44
I was also getting concerned
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我也開始擔心
00:45
about how disposable photography
had started to feel in the digital world,
had started to feel in the digital world,
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在數位世界中，人們對於
過目即逝的照片有什麼感受，
過目即逝的照片有什麼感受，
00:49
and I really wanted to produce images
that had a sense of worth again.
that had a sense of worth again.
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我也真的想再創造出
一些有價值感的影像。
一些有價值感的影像。
00:53
And I needed a subject
that felt extraordinary.
that felt extraordinary.
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我需要感覺不凡的題材。
00:57
Sometimes I wish
I had the eyes of a child.
I had the eyes of a child.
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有時我希望能有孩童的眼睛。
01:00
And by that I mean,
I wish I could look at the world
I wish I could look at the world
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意思是我希望現在還能用
01:02
in the same as I did
when I was a small boy.
when I was a small boy.
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小時候看世界的方式來看世界。
我認為隨著長大，會有一種危機，
01:05
I think there is a danger,
as we get older,
as we get older,
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01:07
that our curiosity becomes
slightly muted or dulled by familiarity.
slightly muted or dulled by familiarity.
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熟悉度會讓我們的好奇心
變得有些抑制或遲鈍。
變得有些抑制或遲鈍。
01:13
And as a visual creator,
one of the challenges for me
one of the challenges for me
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身為視覺創作者，我的挑戰之一，
01:15
is to present the familiar
in a new and engaging way.
in a new and engaging way.
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是用新的、吸引人的方式
來呈現熟悉的東西。
來呈現熟悉的東西。
01:20
Fortunately for me, though,
I've got two great kids
I've got two great kids
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不過，我很幸運有兩個很棒的孩子，
01:23
who are still curious about the world.
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他們仍然對世界感到好奇。
01:25
Sebastian -- he's still curious
about the world, and in 2014, in spring,
about the world, and in 2014, in spring,
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賽巴斯汀仍然對世界感到好奇。
在 2014 年春天，
01:31
he brought in a ground beetle
from the garden.
from the garden.
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他從花園裡帶回了一隻步行蟲。
01:34
There was nothing particularly special
about this insect --
about this insect --
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這隻昆蟲沒什麼特別的地方，
01:36
you know, it was a common species.
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是一種常見的品種。
01:38
But he was still curious,
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但他仍然感到好奇，
01:40
and he brought it up to my office,
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他將這隻蟲帶進我的辦公室，
01:42
and we decided to look at it
under his microscope.
under his microscope.
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我們決定用他的顯微鏡來檢視牠。
01:45
He had a little science kit for Christmas.
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他在聖誕節時得到了
一小套科學裝備。
一小套科學裝備。
01:48
And this is what we saw.
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這是我們所看到的。
01:51
Now, when I first saw this,
it blew me away.
it blew me away.
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第一次看到這影像時，我好驚艷。
01:53
Up here -- this is the back
of the ground beetle.
of the ground beetle.
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上面這裡－這是步行蟲的背。
01:56
When I first saw it,
it reminded me of a galaxy.
it reminded me of a galaxy.
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初次看到它時，我聯想到銀河。
01:59
And all the time, this had just
been outside our window.
been outside our window.
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而這影像其實一直都在我們的窗外。
02:02
You know, I was looking
for this extraordinary subject,
for this extraordinary subject,
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我當時在尋找不凡的題材，
02:05
and it took Seb's eyes and curiosity
to bring it in to me.
to bring it in to me.
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結果是賽巴斯汀的眼睛和好奇心，
把它帶到我面前。
把它帶到我面前。
02:09
So I decided to photograph it for him,
and this is what I produced.
and this is what I produced.
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我決定為他拍這隻蟲，
而這是我拍出的成果。
而這是我拍出的成果。
02:13
I basically asked myself
two simple questions.
two simple questions.
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基本上，我問自己兩個簡單的問題。
02:16
The first one:
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第一：
02:17
Could I take all my knowledge and skill
of photographic lighting
of photographic lighting
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能不能把我對於攝影光線的
所有知識和技巧
所有知識和技巧
02:21
and take that onto a subject
that's five millimeters long?
that's five millimeters long?
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用在只有 5mm 長度的題材上？
02:24
But also: Could I keep
creative control over that lighting
creative control over that lighting
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還有：我能把燈光的創意控制
好好的用在這種尺寸上嗎？
02:27
on a subject that size?
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02:29
So I practiced
on some other found specimens,
on some other found specimens,
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所以我找了一些標本來練習，
02:32
and I approached the Oxford University
Museum of Natural History
Museum of Natural History
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我也聯絡了牛津大學
自然歷史博物館，
自然歷史博物館，
02:36
to see if I could have access
to their collection,
to their collection,
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看能不能讓我用他們的收藏
來進展計畫。
02:39
to progress the project.
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02:41
And I went up there for a meeting,
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我去那裡開了一場會，
02:43
and I showed them some of the images
that I'd been shooting,
that I'd been shooting,
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讓他們看些我拍攝的作品，
02:46
and they could see
the kind of detail I was able to get.
the kind of detail I was able to get.
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了解我能追求到的細節。
02:49
I don't think they'd ever really seen
anything quite like it before,
anything quite like it before,
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我想他們未曾看過類似的東西，
02:53
and from that point forward,
they gave me open access
they gave me open access
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從那之後，
他們就開放了所有收藏供我使用，
02:55
to their entire collection
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02:56
and the assistance of Dr. James Hogan,
their entomologist.
their entomologist.
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還讓他們的昆蟲學家
詹姆士霍根博士來協助我。
詹姆士霍根博士來協助我。
03:02
Now, over the next two-and-a-half years,
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接下來的兩年半，
03:04
I shot 37 insects from their collection.
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我拍攝了他們收藏中的 37 隻昆蟲。
03:07
And the way I work
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我的做法基本上是
把昆蟲分為幾個部份，
把昆蟲分為幾個部份，
03:09
is that I essentially split the insect
up into multiple sections,
up into multiple sections,
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03:13
and I treat each one of those sections
like a small still life.
like a small still life.
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把每一部份都當作
一個小型靜止的生命來看待。
一個小型靜止的生命來看待。
03:17
So for example, if I was photographing
the eye of the insect,
the eye of the insect,
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比如，如果我要拍昆蟲的眼睛，
03:21
which is normally quite smooth
and dome-shaped,
and dome-shaped,
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它通常很平滑且是半球形的，
03:24
then I'd use a light source
that is large and soft and diffuse,
that is large and soft and diffuse,
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我選用的光源就是
大型、柔和、擴散的光源，
大型、柔和、擴散的光源，
03:28
so I don't get any harsh hot spots
on that surface.
on that surface.
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不讓表面上出現任何刺目的熱點。
03:33
But once my attention
turns over to a hairy leg,
turns over to a hairy leg,
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一旦我的注意力轉向有毛的足部時，
03:35
that lighting setup
will change completely.
will change completely.
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光線的設定就會完全改變。
03:38
And so I make that one tiny section
look as beautiful as I possibly can,
look as beautiful as I possibly can,
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盡可能讓每一個小部份
都看起來非常美麗，
都看起來非常美麗，
03:42
and I work my way across the insect
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然後我繼續在昆蟲全身這樣做，
03:44
until I have about 20 or 25
different sections.
different sections.
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直到我完成 20 或 25 個
不同的部份。
不同的部份。
03:48
The issue with photography
at high magnification
at high magnification
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高倍放大的照片有個問題，
03:52
is that there is inherently
a very shallow depth of field.
a very shallow depth of field.
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就是本質上景深很淺。
03:55
So to get around that, what I do is,
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為解決這個問題，
我的做法把相機放在軌道上，
03:58
I put my camera on a rail
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03:59
that I can automate
to move 10 microns in between each shot.
to move 10 microns in between each shot.
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在拍攝兩張照片之間
自動移動十微米，
自動移動十微米，
04:03
That's about one-seventh the width
of a human hair.
of a human hair.
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約是人類頭髮寬度的七分之一。
04:06
And then that provides me
with a deep stack of images.
with a deep stack of images.
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那給了我厚厚一疊的影像。
04:10
Each has a tiny sliver of focus
all the way through.
all the way through.
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一路下來的焦距有微少的差距。
04:13
And I can squash that down
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我可以把它們壓在一起，
04:15
to produce one image
that is fully focused from front to back.
that is fully focused from front to back.
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產生一張從前面到後面
完整焦距的影像。
完整焦距的影像。
04:18
So essentially, that gives me
25 sections that are fully focused
25 sections that are fully focused
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基本上，我有 25 個焦距完整、
04:22
and beautifully lit.
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燈光漂亮的局部影像。
04:25
Now, each one of my images
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此時，我的每一張影像
04:26
is made up of anywhere
between 8- and 10,000 separate shots.
between 8- and 10,000 separate shots.
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都是大約八千到一萬張照片組成的。
04:31
They take about three-and-a-half
weeks to create,
weeks to create,
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要花三週半的時間才能完成，
04:34
and the file sizes on average
are about four gigabytes.
are about four gigabytes.
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平均的檔案大小約是 4GB。
04:38
So I've got plenty of information
to play with when I'm printing.
to play with when I'm printing.
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我有很多資訊可以在列印時擺弄。
04:41
And the prints at the exhibition
are around the three-meter mark.
are around the three-meter mark.
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展覽用的列印成品大約是三公尺長。
04:45
In fact, I had a show
in Milan two weeks ago,
in Milan two weeks ago,
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事實上，兩週前我在米蘭有場展出，
04:47
and we had some prints there
that were nine meters long.
that were nine meters long.
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有些列印出來的展品長達九公尺。
04:52
But, you know, I realize
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但我了解
04:53
that these images still have to work
in the digital world.
in the digital world.
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這些影像仍需要用在數位世界裡。
04:56
There's no point in me putting
all my blood, sweat and tears
all my blood, sweat and tears
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如果我投入血、汗和淚水的圖片
04:59
into these pictures
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只呈現在 500 像素的螢幕上，
實在沒有意義。
實在沒有意義。
05:00
if they're only going to be showing
500 pixels on a screen.
500 pixels on a screen.
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05:03
So with the help of Rob Chandler
and Will Cookson,
and Will Cookson,
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所以，在羅勃尚德勒和
威爾庫克森的協助下，
威爾庫克森的協助下，
05:07
we developed a website
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我們開發了一個網站，
05:09
that enables the viewer
to immerse themselves
to immerse themselves
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讓觀者能夠沉浸到
完整的 4GB 檔案當中，
05:11
into the full four-gigabyte files,
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05:14
and they can explore
all that microscopic detail.
all that microscopic detail.
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他們能夠探索所有的顯微鏡細節。
05:17
So if you have the time,
and I encourage you,
and I encourage you,
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如果你們有時間，
我鼓勵你們造訪 microsculpture.net，
05:19
please visit microsculpture.net
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05:21
and go and have a play.
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去玩看看。
05:23
It's good fun.
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很有趣。
05:26
I first showed the work at Oxford,
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我最初是在牛津展出，
05:28
and since then, it's moved on
to the Middle East.
to the Middle East.
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接著，就開始前進中東。
05:30
It's now back in Europe
and goes to Copenhagen this month.
and goes to Copenhagen this month.
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現在回來歐洲，
這個月在哥本哈根展出。
這個月在哥本哈根展出。
05:34
And the feedback has been great.
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我得到的回饋都很棒。
05:36
You know, I get emails, actually,
from all over the world --
from all over the world --
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我收到來自世界各地的電子郵件，
05:41
from teachers, at the moment,
who are using the website in school.
who are using the website in school.
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多半來自在學校
用那個網站的老師們。
用那個網站的老師們。
05:44
The kids are using them on the tablet.
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孩子們用平板電腦來上網站，
05:46
They're zooming into the pictures
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把圖片放大，
05:48
and using it for art class, biology class.
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用在美術課、生物課。
05:50
And that's not something I planned.
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那不在我的計畫之中，
05:52
That's just a beautiful offshoot
of the project.
of the project.
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只是這個計畫的美麗衍生物。
05:56
In fact, one of the things
I like to do at the exhibitions
I like to do at the exhibitions
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事實上，我喜歡在展覽會場
看孩子們的反應。
看孩子們的反應。
05:59
is actually look at
the kiddies' reactions.
the kiddies' reactions.
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06:01
And, you know, standing
in front of a three-meter insect,
in front of a three-meter insect,
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他們站在三公尺大的昆蟲前面
很可能會嚇壞。
06:03
they could have been horrified.
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結果沒有。
06:05
But they're not. They look in wonder.
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他們驚異敬佩地欣賞著。
這個小傢伙一動也不動地
站在那裡足足五分鐘。
站在那裡足足五分鐘。
06:07
This little chap here, he stood there
for five minutes, motionless.
for five minutes, motionless.
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06:10
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
06:12
And at the end of the day, actually,
at the end of the day at the exhibitions,
at the end of the day at the exhibitions,
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在那天結束時，在展覽那天結束時，
06:16
we have to wipe down
the lower third of the big prints --
the lower third of the big prints --
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我們得要擦拭大型展品的
下面三分之一那部份。
下面三分之一那部份。
06:19
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
06:20
just to remove
all those sticky handprints,
all those sticky handprints,
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擦掉那些黏黏的手印，
06:22
because all they want to do
is touch those big bugs.
is touch those big bugs.
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因為他們想摸那些大昆蟲。
06:27
I do want to leave you
with one final image, if that's OK.
with one final image, if that's OK.
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如果可以的話，
我想給各位看最後一張影像。
我想給各位看最後一張影像。
06:29
This has to do with Charles Darwin.
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這和達爾文有關，
06:32
One of the recent images
that I photographed
that I photographed
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是我近期所拍攝的影像，
06:35
was this one here.
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就是這張。
06:37
I'm talking about the creature
in the box, not my cat.
in the box, not my cat.
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我說的是盒子裡的生物，
不是我的貓。
不是我的貓。
06:40
And this is a shield bug
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這是樁象（臭蟲），
06:43
that Charles Darwin
brought back from Australia
brought back from Australia
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是達爾文在 1836 年搭小獵犬號
06:46
on the HMS Beagle in 1836.
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從澳洲帶回來的。
06:49
And when I got it home,
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當我回到家，
06:51
I stood in my kitchen
and stared at it for about 20 minutes.
and stared at it for about 20 minutes.
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我站在廚房裡，
盯著牠看約二十分鐘。
盯著牠看約二十分鐘。
06:54
I couldn't believe I was in possession
of this beautiful creature.
of this beautiful creature.
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我無法相信我擁有
這隻美麗的小生物。
這隻美麗的小生物。
06:58
And at that moment, I kind of realized
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那一刻，我了解到，
07:00
that this validated the project for me.
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牠為我認可了這個計畫。
07:02
The fact that the museum
was willing to risk me playing with this
was willing to risk me playing with this
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博物館願意冒險讓我拍攝牠，
07:06
kind of showed me
that my images had worth --
that my images had worth --
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某種程度就表示我的影像有價值，
07:08
you know, they weren't disposable.
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並不是一次即丟的。
這就是我製作的影像。
07:10
That's the image that I produced.
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看著這個影像時，我仍然常會好奇：
07:12
I often wonder, still,
when I look at this:
when I look at this:
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07:15
What would Charles Darwin
make of these images?
make of these images?
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達爾文對這些影像會有什麼看法？
07:17
Do you think he'd like his picture
of his shield bug? I hope so.
of his shield bug? I hope so.
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你認為他會喜歡他的樁象的照片嗎？
我希望會。
07:21
So --
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所以...
07:22
(Applause)
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（掌聲）
07:26
You know, I think it's strange in a way.
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有件事我覺得蠻奇怪的。
07:28
I'm a visual person,
I'm a creative person,
I'm a creative person,
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我是個視覺性的人、有創意的人，
07:30
but I still needed the eyes of a child
to find my extraordinary subject.
to find my extraordinary subject.
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但我仍然需要孩童的眼睛
來找到不凡的題材。
來找到不凡的題材。
之前就是這樣。
07:35
That's the way it was.
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所以我能說的就是，
07:36
So all I can say is,
thank you very much, Sebastian;
thank you very much, Sebastian;
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非常謝謝你，賽巴斯汀；
07:39
I am very, very grateful.
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我非常感恩。
07:40
Thank you.
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謝謝。
07:41
(Applause)
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（掌聲）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Levon Biss - PhotographerWith his "Microsculpture" series, Levon Biss photographs the incredible details of insects.
Why you should listen
Levon Biss is a British photographer who works across many genres, including reportage, sport and portraiture. His passion for nature and photography have come together to create Microsculpture. For the project, a unique photographic process composites thousands of images using multiple lighting setups to create the final insect portraits. Each specimen was mounted on an adapted microscope stage, allowing close control over the position of the specimen in front of the camera lens. Most insects were photographed in about 30 sections, each section lit differently with strobe lights to accentuate the microsculpture of that particular area of the body. Each insect portrait is created from more than 8,000 separate images. In between his insect projects, Biss continues to photograph humans.
Levon Biss | Speaker | TED.com