Scanning the Details

Using a powerful scanner designed for camera film, they were able to capture detailed pictures of moths.

Small moths present special challenges.

 "One twitch of the finger and there goes a wing," says Scheer.

"I try to drink less coffee when I'm working on [them]."

The scanner records so much information that a single moth can take 20 minutes to scan.

A scan of just two small moths fills an entire CD.

All that information means the size of the image can be increased 2,700 percent but still retain all the details and appear perfectly clear.

 You'd need a microscope to see the details shown in Scheer's prints.

Scheer's work is not only a new form of art.

He can also be congratulated for making a valuable contribution to the record of moths where he lives.

 He has helped identify more than a thousand different species. "Not from Alaska or the Amazon," Klingensmith says.

" All from one backyard."