In the early 21st century, light sheet microscopy was introduced to the biological sciences and is now accepted as the new standard for fast and gentle 3D fluorescence imaging in living multicellular specimens. The core of our lab evolves around custom-built light sheet microscopy technology for challenging biological multiscale imaging projects. To streamline custom microscope development we developed Flamingo, a powerful and modular microscope framework that is also compact enough to be quickly deployed in collaborators’ labs. Over the last two years, the Flamingo has enabled novel biological experiments not only inside, but also outside our optics lab. As a significant part of the scientific community continues to struggle to get access to a light sheet microscope tailored to their individual needs, the Flamingo gives more researchers the chance to utilize this powerful technology for their research. In this workshop, we will introduce the concept of shared custom microscopy technology and demonstrate the modularity of Flamingo. We will provide you with insights into light sheet microscopy and give you hands-on time with the microscope to gain a deeper understanding of both the optics and the modes of operation. We will explain the relevant optics, discuss opportunities and challenges in light sheet microscopy, illustrated with image data recorded on the Flamingo. Live zebrafish embryos and larvae will be available to demonstrate and test Flamingo’s capabilities in living specimens.