ITP and Canadian collaborators held two imaging webinars in 2021. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the International Seed Morphology Association, with help from ITP scientists, hosted "Imaging seeds for diagnostic purposes: building a virtual reference for seed identification" in July. ITP hosted the "Diagnostic Entomology Photography Workshop," with assistance from a scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, in October.

The workshops aimed to offer a wide swath of the seed testing, botany and entomology research, and plant pest regulatory communities a solid foundation of techniques and strategies to produce images of sufficient quality to facilitate identification of various organisms. High-quality photography is important for diagnostic purposes, since actual specimens for comparison are often unavailable, and remote identification using images is increasingly common.

The first workshop focused on tips and advanced techniques for photographing seeds, with an emphasis on ensuring images are useful for seed identification. Presenters covered selection of seed specimens and other considerations for ensuring images support the identification process, specific photography techniques and troubleshooting, helpful supplies and equipment, the importance of proper lighting, and more.

The entomology photography workshop, presented to over 200 participants from 18 countries, covered a range of topics, including specimen selection and preparation, important factors to consider such as target audience and background colors, as well as tricks for photographing immersed specimens like larvae. Presenters also covered imaging equipment in depth, along with tips for image processing and optimization.

Links to the recorded videos and a pdf of each presenter's slides, for both workshops, is available at https://idtools.org/imaging.php.

Feel free to contact ITP (itp@usda.gov) with any additional questions about seed or insect photography to support remote identification.