# Obeservation cells



## davholla (Aug 10, 2016)

Apologies for the long question
I recently read the book "Extreme close up photography and focus stacking"
Extreme Close-Up Photography and Focus Stacking by Julian Cremona, 9781847977199

One idea he had was to make glass observation cells and the results are quite good.
Obviously not essential for ground based inverts but for aquatic like this essential.
Ascellus water hoglouse backlit
(not my photo hence why I linked it)
However
a) I don't like the idea of making these
b) I often travel abroad to visit family.  This photo IMHO could have been a lot better if it had been in clear plastic/glass box.



IMG_9616_1dragonflynymph by davholla2002, on Flickr
However where I took it was 4 flights,2 buses and a 30 min jeep flight from my home and a glass box might not have survived the journey


So are there any plastic boxes that could be used?  What do people think about these ones? 
Giftboxes Crystal Clear 9.5 x 5.4 x 7.6cm (25 Pieces) [FPLB216] » BagsXL
Has anyone tried something like this in either glass or plastic and got any useful advice?

The ideal solution would be a plastic box that comes with some sort of food free, but I doubt that would be good enough quality.


----------



## Overread (Aug 10, 2016)

I've never done this  before and its an intersting bit of content in a macro book - many made these days are pretty basic and don't have many advanced or interesting methods within them - be interesting to hear your thoughts on the book's content.

Glass, well packed, should be fine in travel (your camera makes it). Though plastic can be lighter and easier; but on the flipside getting plastic which is clear and tough that won't warp or bend and which won't obscure the glass might be more difficult. 

I'm not quite sure how or what you've made to make this work but have you considered things like petri-dishes; the kind used for growing cultures. They might well be tough and small and easy to pack for this - however as I'm not 100% sure what or how you're doing this they might not work.


----------



## davholla (Aug 11, 2016)

The problem with petri dishes is that as they are round, surely any photos would look awful?


----------



## Overread (Aug 11, 2016)

If you're focusing on a tiny subject the shape won't matter because the image will be fully within the dish; that is assuming you can get the subject to stay in the middle rather than moving out to the edge.


----------



## davholla (Sep 9, 2016)

Here are my first attempts with photographic slides which I cleaned with bleach and then washed.



EF7A2324mosquitolarva by davholla2002, on Flickr




EF7A2396gnatlarva by davholla2002, on Flickr




EF7A2381wormv2 by davholla2002, on Flickr


----------

