Looking Closer

• Photographer
  Bevil Templeton-Smith, United Kingdom
• Website
  https://www.bevilts.art
• Instagram
  @bevilts

These photographs are the result of a quest to find beautiful shapes and patterns in crystals - photographed in polarised light, on my 1970 Leitz Orthoplan research microscope. The subjects although only millimetres in size are all entirely real and physical things. Their mesmerising shapes and colours are created by the angle of each crystal relative to cross polarised filters. A wave plate produces a rainbow of colour. Attaching my camera to my 54 year old microscope - a challenge in itself - has allowed me to explore an endless set of beautiful and captivating views of shape and colour.

I have been photographing for more than 20 years. I am drawn to making photographs of things that are challenging or difficult to capture (astrophotography, extreme macro, ferrofluid structures etc).

During the lockdowns I bought several old research microscopes. Configured with polarising filters, and cobbled-together photo tubes and adapters, with my camera I have captured a series of wonders of the shapes, patterns and wild colours of crystals of various substances in polarised light.

16 of these were selected for inclusion in a successful exhibition called Polychromo in March 2023

Awards • International Photography Awards (IPA) 2023 - Winner of non professional Fine Art Photographer of the Year
• IMACRES Awards - 12/11/23 - Honorable Mention in Fine Art photography
• The Artist Gallery awards - Honourable mention
• ND Awards 2023 - 19/11/23 - Honourable mention
• Close up photographer of the year (CUPOTY) 2023 - Shortlisted
• Motifcollection Symmetry - Shortlisted
• Chromatic Awards - 18/12/23 -Honorable Mention
• Minimalist Photography Awards 2023 - Honourable mention in Abstract
• Annual Photo Awards - 18/02/24 - Honourable mention in Abstract
• One Eyeland - 01/03/24 - Columna Reborn ranked as finalist
• Fotofestival Lenzburg - 30/03/24 - Columna Reborn one of 54 winners
• Fine Art Photo Awards - 07/04/24 - Columna Reborn ranked as Nominee
• Refocus Awards - 23/04/24 - Honorable Mention in abstract, and Nominee in Fine Art
• 1839 Awards - 11/06/24 - Nominee
• Px3 Prix de la Photographie Paris - 16/08/24 - Honorable Mention
• Vienna International Photo Awards VIEPA 2024 - 25/09/24 - Honorable Mention
• European Photo Exhibition (EPEX) - 25/10/24 - 3 x Honorable Mention
• Budapest International Photo Awards - 04/12/24 - Gold
• Chromatic Awards 2024 - 22/12/24 - Second Place in Professional - Abstract
• ND Awards 2024 - 24/11/24 - Third place in professional Fine Art Abstract
• Tokyo International Foto Awards - 06/01/25 - Gold
• Fine Art Photography Awards 2025 - 13/04/25 - Nominee
• BeStillMedia Prompt #25 - 01/05/25 - Finalist
Circle Foundation - 16/06/25 - Honorable Mention