Annie Cavanagh and Dave McCarthy

Annie Cavanagh and Dave McCarthy from the School of Pharmacy, University of London, have been producing wonderful images together for quite a few years now. Dave has been working in electron microscopy for 34 years; he prepares and photographs all the samples on his electron microscope. Annie, meanwhile, adds the brilliant colour onto his black and white images.

Annie started off doing plant photography and painting but also has a scientific background, which she feels is very important and underpins all the colouring work she does. She says this partnership works because "we both get on really well and have a deep respect for each other and it shows in our work".

She goes on to say: "I think it's really important to express science for the public in an artistic fashion so that they relate to something that they think is beautiful as well as scientific." Not only are striking images an excellent tool to convey the excitement of the science to the public, but they can also be of tremendous value to scientists as well. Annie says that "when you've got a graphic and you can actually see something three-dimensionally, it makes a big difference".

Both Dave and Annie clearly love what they do and, in Dave's words, see it as a "hobby we get paid for". "We take great pride and interest in making things look the best that we can," Annie adds.