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The oldest and most respected competition of its kind, Nikon Small World celebrates the world's best photomicrographers, who successfully find the intersection of art and science under the microscope by using a variety of sophisticated microscopy techniques.

Portrait photographers are responsible for a lot of happiness among a wide variety of people, because well-done family pictures grow more valuable yearly. They usually portray infants, seniors, friends, and relatives, though sometimes portraits are interpretations of unusual subjects. Thomas Balsamo knows this because he has 30 years of experience photographing families and children. His work has also led him to a personal project that originated when his good will and curiosity were extended toward individuals or groups who found their portrait sittings emotionally and psychologically unusual, as well as uplifting.

Set Pieces

Although Seffner doesn’t offer formal photography classes, Steven, who is a senior at the school, added to his self-taught skills by joining the school’s photo club, which his father, Joe, instructs. “But what got me started in photography,” Steven says, “was the photography merit badge in Boy Scouts, which my dad also teaches.”

Steven’s been on the school’s yearbook staff for two years as a photographer and editor, and he’s won several first prizes in the Florida State Fair youth photography competition.

The documentary style and strong compositions that mark his black-and-white, toned, and muted-color photos attracted our attention. Steven says he’s definitely drawn to the carefully arranged, carefully thought-out image. “When I was first getting into photography…I saw the work of Ansel Adams, and he did a very good job of making sure that everything in his pictures was exactly the way he wanted it. I always thought that’s the kind of thing I want to try to imitate.