1. A method for identifying reticulocytes within a blood sample, comprising the steps of: depositing the sample into an analysis chamber adapted to quiescently hold the sample for analysis; admixing a supravital dye with the sample, which dye is operable to cause reticulin within reticulocytes within the sample to fluoresce when excited by light of one or more predetermined wavelengths; imaging the sample using light that includes the one or more predetermined wavelengths that cause reticulocytes within the sample to fluoresce; imaging the sample using light at one or more predetermined wavelengths that is absorbed by hemoglobin to produce values of optical density on a per image unit basis; and identifying reticulocytes within the sample using the image of the sample created with light at the one or more predetermined wavelengths that causes the dyed reticulin to fluoresce.