Dr Strobe: the man who stopped time and electrified photography – in pictures

If you could stop time, here is what you might see: a bullet being shot through an apple, an egg being cracked into a fan, or a play-by-play of Pancho Gonzales's famous serve. MIT professor Harold Edgerton invented the strobe flash in the 1930s – and his stroboscopic photography captured amazing moments that would otherwise be missed in the blink of an eye

• Dr Harold Edgerton: Abstractions is at Michael Hoppen Gallery in London until 2 August

Bullet through the Apple, 1964
Bullet through the Apple, 1964
Pancho Gonzales Serves, 1949.
Pancho Gonzales Serves, 1949
Dropping an egg into a Fan!, 1940.  Best & HEE, MGM Academy Award Quicker 'n a Wink.
Dropping an Egg Into a Fan!, 1940, before …
Best & HEE, MGM Academy Award Quicker 'n a Wink, 1940.
… and after. This image is from the Oscar-winning short film about stroboscopic photography, Quicker'n a Wink
Cows and Flare at Stonehenge Ruins, 1944.
Cows and Flare at Stonehenge Ruins, 1944
Bubble Through a Helium Bubble ,1971.
Bubble Through a Helium Bubble, 1971
Child's Catapult, 1975.
Child's Catapult, 1975
Bubble Chamber, 1967.
Bubble Chamber, 1967
Rex Taylor cracking the whip, 1965.
Rex Taylor Cracking the Whip, 1965
Pete Desjardin Diving, 1940.
Pete Desjardin Diving, 1940
Bullet Through Plexiglass, 1962.
Bullet Through Plexiglass, 1962
Foil Salute, 1938.
Foil Salute, 1938
Aerial views of the Stonehenge Ruins, 1944.
Aerial Views of the Stonehenge Ruins, 1944
Fire Cracker, 1975.
Fire Cracker, 1975. Photographs: Harold Edgerton Archive at MIT/Michael Hoppen Gallery

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