Do tears of joy look the same as ones of woe—or ones from chopping onions? In “The Topography of Tears,” the Los Angeles-based photographer Rose-Lynn Fisher explores the physical terrain of one hundred tears emitted during a range of emotional states and physical reactions. Using a Zeiss microscope with an attached digital camera, she captures the composition of tears enclosed in glass slides, magnified between 10x and 40x. “There are many factors that determine the look of each tear image, including the viscosity of the tear, the chemistry of the weeper, the settings of the microscope, and the way I process the images afterwards,” she says.

A masked Kashmiri protester shouts freedom slogan near burning tires set up as road blockade by protesters in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, July 19, 2016. The largest street protests in recent years in the disputed region, that left dozens of people dead and hundreds injured erupted more than a week ago after Indian troops killed a popular young rebel leader. (Photo by Dar Yasin/AP Photo)

Northeastern girls getting commando training at the Delhi Police Training Centre, Jharoda Kalan on September 4, 2017 in New Delhi, India. For the first time ever, Delhi Police are providing commando training to 40 young women from the Northeast. Once the commando training is over, these girls will be a part of the «Parakram Vans», an initiative taken by Delhi Police against terrorism. (Photo by Manoj Verma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

Heesco, Windsor. Born and raised in Mongolia and now living and working in Melbourne, Heesco is well known for his skill in rendering photo-realistic portraits. They speak to the viewer in a way that the subtext is enjoyable to decipher. Just what is the Blue Lady’s message? The sunglasses might mask the confronting gaze but her body language fills in the gaps. Heesco’s characters often wear traditional jewellery and clothing that remind us of his Mongolian cultural heritage. (Photo by Lou Chamberlin/The Guardian)

Personal trainer, Denise Austin, and Katie Austin arrive at the ESPY Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Wednesday, July 13, 2016, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Photo)

A woman plays around as she walks across a glass-bottomed suspension bridge in a scenic zone in Pingjiang county in southern China's Hunan province Thursday, September 24, 2015. The bridge, 300 meters (984 feet) long and 180 meters (590 feet), opened to visitors on Thursday for the first time since its conversion from a regular suspension bridge was completed. (Photo by Chinatopix Via AP Photo)

A woman is helped as she reacts on the floor amid anti-government protests after Peru's former President Pedro Castillo was ousted, in Lima, Peru on January 23, 2023. (Photo by Pilar Olivares/Reuters)

Pumpkins and a mock up skull are seen ahead of Halloween at Wilmersdorfer Strasse shopping street, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, in Berlin, Germany, October 26, 2020. (Photo by Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)