Photographer Captures the Energetic World of Chemical Reactions in Macro | PetaPixel

With a calculated blending of photography, science, and practical effects, photographer Scott Portingale captures and presents dynamic images of macro worlds and chemical reactions all within a square inch of a petri dish. In Portingale’s new experimental short film and image series titled Chemical Somnia, audiences are immersed in a hypnotic and vivacious macro setting that is also paired with music from an unconventional acoustic string synthesizer. In his garage-turned-laboratory and studio, the self-taught photographer attentively mixes elements to illustrate the dynamic nature of fluids and phase transitions, that were expressed in his film and images. “In Chemical Somnia my original intention was to explore many more aspects of chemical reactions. It did not take long before I realized the safety issues associated with turning my garage into a lab and opted to keep it safe and manageable to not become the Wile. E. Coyote of experimental cinematographers. A lot can go wrong when you are an untrained chemist with a library of chemicals and a hair-trigger for experimentation,” Portingale says. Treading with caution and determination, Portingale dove into his experimental cinematography despite the failure of past projects. “I never intentionally set out to make experimental films initially. My experimental
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