Microbes, smile for the picture: protocol and guide for capturing images and processing of microbial cultures with...

Photography has revolutionized science by enabling the documentation and analysis of phenomena, including microbial cultures, where high-quality images are essential for research. However, certain inherent qualities of objects, such as the reflective surfaces of Petri dishes and the characteristics of fungal colonies, often compromise image quality. This highlights the need for accessible, low-cost solutions. Here, we present "Microbes, smile for the picture" (MSFP), a practical, portable, and affordable protocol using smartphones and a handmade photo studio equipped with a ring light, enabling standardized, high-quality images of microbial colonies for scientific and outreach purposes. The aim of this work is to describe the procedure for constructing the photograph studio and a protocol for obtaining high-quality photos. We believe that images captured using our studio and protocol can enhance scientific reproducibility and improve image quality for research, illustration, and science communication. Additionally, this protocol has the potential to be applied in other fields, generating high-quality images for educational and science popularization purposes.