Catalog

Making Science and Engineering Pictures: A Practical Guide to Presenting Your Work

Chemical Engineering MIT CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 39 lectures

In this course you will learn the basics of photography and gain an intriguing new perspective into the visual world. We will begin with a gentle introduction to the tools, and after that, we start in earnest. Although we will emphasize photographing science and engineering, most of the material will easily apply to other kinds of macro photography. The course's video tutorials will be accompanied by assignments using a camera, a flatbed scanner, and mobile devices. You will discover how subtle changes in lighting, composition, and background contribute to creating more effective images. You will also learn to think graphically and present your photographs for journal figures, covers, and grant submissions. We will also host interviews with notable image makers and art directors.  In 2026, Felice Frankel updated the course with a video where she discusses AI and its role in generating images. Felice brings our attention to the pitfalls and ethics of using generative AI models to document research and outlines the necessary guardrails to ensure the production of honest and communicative images.    About the Instructor {{% resource_link "6b35a5af-9c0b-497a-a81d-6bec097eea82" "Felice Frankel" %}} is an award-winning science photographer and research scientist in the {{% resource_link "cff9e868-f3ef-42c2-b2f5-b74b16acd102" "Department of Chemical Engineering" %}} at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Felice's images have been internationally published in books, journals, and magazines, including *The New York Times*, *Nature,* *Science*, *National Geographic*, and *Discover*. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Gugghenheim Fellow, has received awards and grants from NSF, NEA, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and was a senior research fellow in Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences.  Acknowledgements The production of these videos is supported by OpenCourseWare, MITx, the Center for Materials Science and Engineering and the following departments: Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.

Syllabus

  1. 1 A Conversation with Brian Hayes, Writer and Photographer
  2. 2 A Conversation with Christine Daniloff, Creative Director at MIT News
  3. 3 A Conversation with J. Kim Vandiver, Director of the MIT Edgerton Center
  4. 4 How-To-Do-It: Sharpen an Image
  5. 5 How-To-Do-It: Digitally Replace a Background
  6. 6 How-To-Do-It: Convert an Image from Horizontal to Vertical
  7. 7 How-To-Do-It: Set Your Scanner
  8. 8 How-To-Do-It: Fix Mobile Distortion
  9. 9 Video 1: Using a Flatbed Scanner
  10. 10 Video 2: Placing Objects on the Scanner
  11. 11 Video 3: Transmitted and Reflected Light
  12. 12 Video 4: Enhancing the Scanned Image
  13. 13 Video 5: Camera and Lens
  14. 14 Video 6: Setting the Exposure
  15. 15 Video 7: Aperture
  16. 16 Video 8: Composition
  17. 17 Video 9: Backgrounds
  18. 18 Video 10: Point of View
  19. 19 Video 11: An introduction
  20. 20 Video 12: Fluorescence
  21. 21 Video 13: Use Your Imagination
  22. 22 Video 14: Using a Smartphone
  23. 23 Video 15: Imaging with a Tablet Camera
  24. 24 Video 16: "Beautiful Chemistry"
  25. 25 Video 17: Looking at Videos
  26. 26 Video 18: Designing Graphics
  27. 27 Video 19: Time and Scale
  28. 28 Video 20: Cover Submissions
  29. 29 Video 21: Image Enhancement
  30. 30 Video 22: Speaking to the Public
  31. 31 Video 23: Liquid Battery Case Study
  32. 32 Video 24: Fuel Cells for Mobile Batteries Case Study
  33. 33 Video 25: A Solar Thermophotovoltaic System (STVP) Case Study
  34. 34 Video 26: Microneedles Case Study
  35. 35 Video 27: Soft Lithography Case Study
  36. 36 Video 28: Chemical Vapor Deposition Case Study
  37. 37 Video 29: Analytical Microreactor Case Study
  38. 38 Video 30: Stretchable Sensors Case Study
  39. 39 Video 31: Solar Cell Case Study

Course materials