A method of imaging phenomena that occurs on a surface of a substrate includes contacting a fluid with a top surface of the substrate, and imaging phenomena that occurs on the top surface of the substrate by observing the substrate through polarized light in the absence of a liquid crystal after the liquid has contacted the top surface of the substrate. The top surface of the substrate has an anisotropic topography, and the wavelength of the polarized light is larger than the anisotropic topography of the top surface of the substrate. A method for determining the presence of an analyte in a sample includes: contacting a sample with a first portion of a top surface of a substrate that binds the analyte, the top surface of the substrate having an anisotropic topography; viewing the substrate through polarized light in the absence of a liquid crystal after it has been contacted with the sample; and determining whether the analyte is present in the sample by ascertaining whether the first portion of the top surface that was contacted with the sample appears different than it did before it was contacted with the sample. The wavelength of the polarized light is larger than the anisotropic topography of the top surface of the substrate. A difference in the appearance of the first portion of the top surface before and after contact with the sample indicates the presence of the analyte in the sample.