When I got to the end of your film I realised 3 things - I was smiling, my fear of spiders had diminished and I can't wait to get out take some macro pictures! Inspiring stuff - thanks!
Wonderful, I was totally engrossed in the video and photographs. I've a pretty stressful day today and your voice really chilled me out, thank you for sharing.
Really nice video Thomas - your narration is quite soothing and gives the same feeling as wandering around looking for macro subjects. Your rig is proof that you don't need to spend the big bucks to get the big shots - patience patience patience is the important one :)
It's been a long time since I've watched a youtube video and been impressed on so many levels. Great production, great advice, great pictures, keep up the good work. Many Thanks!
I just happened upon your UA-cam Channel... wow Thomas, I am thoroughly impressed, both with your knowledge of the animal kingdom and image quality. Congratulations on your extraordinary work! Glad to subscribe to your channel!
I think I've watched this video about ten times. Much of the video is low resolution, and it starts off slow, but that makes it even better. The photographs are amazing, and your passion for nature is almost tangible. It's just calm, relaxing, and understated.
I don't say this too often but you inspire me to take on the hobby of macro photography. I love taking phones of small creatures, plants etc. You are definitely my inspiration. I love your artwork on insects. Truly amazing!
Thank you Thomas, this inspirational video was instrumental in my discovery of macro photography many years ago and your willingness to help others is truly wonderful. Hope all is great with you man.
PetaPixel said you're the Bob Ross of bug photography. I don't disagree, not one bit. Watching you doing your stuff, with your calm, soothing yet so deeply knowledgeable narration, is just so... relaxing.
the fact that I'm still struggling with getting focused and right composed photos, and you nailed it 10 years ago, just amazing, beautiful pictures btw!
I just uploaded a video to my channel with a very detailed setup for high magnification macro photography. You can buy all the parts for less than $230. Check it out!
Amazing pictures! I would love to see tutorials made by you! Maybe you could go a little more into detail about how you take these many images you need for stacking (how many do you use?) without a tripot and with a living animal in front of your lense.
These shots are INCREDIBLE!! thanks heaps for sharing :D I would also love to know exactly what you are using, and how you get shots so darn close, its like microscopic :D
Fantastic images; you proved that getting great images does not rely on the latest greatest super-expensive kit, but on fieldcraft, patience, passion and a lot of perseverance :-)
Hi ! Love your work, can you post some post processing video before and after editing in lightroom for macro photography,, it will be very helpful ,, thanks
I would like to see the amount of post production to achieve the final results, how much colour saturation, sharpening, selections, layers etc from the original file to finish. Thank you Thomas.
Tony Burgum There shouldn't be too much- with the use of flash/diffuser, it really helps capture sharp, fairly saturated shots- some of course is done pp- but you start with a very good foundation so less pp is needed- those spiders are quite colorful to begin with
Let's hope they aren't heavily photoshopped as a true pro knows what the outcome will be before he takes the snap. The rest piss about in Lightroom and Photoshop making the image look nothing like the pic that was taken. If I wanted to manipulate and alter my photos that much to get a good pic then I'd be wondering wether I'm a good photographer or a good photoshopper. And I've sold plenty of images right out of the camera because of my creativity
Depending on what type of photography you do, corrections made in Post can be really helpful though. Color correction, saturation/vibracy adjustments, etc Calling every photographer that edits things a shitlord is kind of far-fetched especially because most people focus stack for macro. Is that not post processing? You'll never get good DoF at magnifications like this even with f/11. As for general photography / portraits etc, post is still really important and straight up calling everyone that improves their images from amazing to breathtaking in post an amateur is kind of..... idiotic for lack of a better word. Or are you telling me that if you're in bad lighting doing a Photoshoot, for example shooting a wedding, and everything turns out Orange or composition is off because you had to prioritize capturing the moment over spending 5 minutes adjusting for everything in-camera, you'd rather toss the picture because you're a filthy casual that didn't do everything manually in-camera like a total pro rather than spending a bit of time in Post recovering colors, making everything look neat, making skin / whatever look great etc and ending up with a great picture?
If you've sold images right out of camera because of your creativity then I congratulate you for being (possibly) very original. But do you know what? Most likely you could've taken said out-of-camera images and improved them in post. Not changing the entire thing as if you're drawing instead of editing a picture, but just improving upon what great thing you already have
I have a Nikon d7100 and an 85mm macro lens. If I try to get too close to a subject, it'll go out of focus, so I can't get really close shot like these. I would have to zoom in and crop it, but then the quality is not as great. Also, a lot of my pictures are kind of burry. How can I take closer pictures without having to crop it like these pictures, where u can see the compound eyes so crisp and clear, and not have it blurry? Any advice? I'm new to photography and I really like to take pictures of bugs. Is there anything else I would need to get?
Subaru798 extension tube is just a tool to make ur minimum close distance lense closer to object...i think you can't get that sharp on a single shot..as far as i know there is a technique call stacking as in this video mention...so u can get high magnification of image like that...find more about stack focusing image...hope this help you
Depth of field and focus will drop as you get closer and closer to the subject, with extension tubes, you lose light as well. If you take 30-40 shots with the focus stepping from back to front or front to back, then use a processor like photoshop or helicon, you can stack the images into one crisp sharp image. I have done this for 24mm subjects with an iphone and clip on macro lens with pretty great success
So what you're saying is I don't have to spend over $1,000 for an insane super macro setup like an MP-E 65mm with ringlight? Amazing work BTW - It's incredibly inspiring! :D
+Chris Peterson I tell you what, 90% of the people are harness their lives for getting money and busy with life ballshit and stuff , and others busy trying to get girls and others busy trying to be famous .. like everyone is busy doing these casual things, but this guy on this video is the first guy I ever seen busy with nature and how beautiful these tiny creatures are and stuff its really rare to see people who left all what life can offer and went to the most basic thing which is nature am that kinda guy , in my house I have a tiny garden I spend most of my day in it , either planting or taking pictures for ants and butterflies etc
I want to throw my camera away now. Don't think I'll ever get a single shot that good. (I'll never be able to afford DSLR, so I'm limited to point-and-shoot.)
You can get some really good dslr now at a good price Like the canon rebel t3i they have it with the lens kit on sale on dslrcam.net/shop/canonrebelt3i for anyone else looking it is a super camera if you are getting into dslr professional photography then later you can upgrade the lenses. Canon has like so many cool lenses to fit your needs.
Way to bee all pessimistic and negative about life. You'll "NEVER" be able to afford a DSLR? Even if you worked at freaking McDonald's for a year you'd be able to buy more than just an entry level camera and a decent macro lens.
These are some really amazing photos. One tip I have for anyone starting: Use the highest aperture setting you can that'll give you enough light. The depth of field is always so narrow, so anything you can do to extend it makes a big difference in getting more of the subject in-frame. I've had a lot of ruined shots because the aperture was set too low.
amazing shots! thanks for uploading these. really emphasizes that you don't need the latest, and greatest, to achieve amazing photos, its the one behind the camera. keep up the good work!
Superb video, love the way you describe each creature, a fascinating engaging subject, on top of macro photography. Top draw pictures by the way. Simply awesome!!
dude your like the Bob Ross of photography
hahahaha that's what i was thinking!
Bob Ross, was a drill Sargent before We knew of him blew me away
Brian Bast happy little bugs.
Bugs on happy little trees.
I know right!
And when he talks about getting a "good" photo, he means a freaking awesome! photo.
Hell yeah!
You know you are a master photographer when you can see the individual hairs of a jumping spider reflected in its eyes.
Then you will like our channel
We have closeup 🐝 photos and slow mo video
Thanks for the info this was a great vid🎥
+ImprovisedSurvival ...or the camera lens into spider's eyes ;)
Amen!
I just wanted to pop in here to say that these old videos are still helping new macro wannabes like me. Thanks Thomas!
You are the type of guy that everybody loves:D
Kovács Bálint ikr!
your mum gay
@Kovács Bálint. Agreed.
I could listen to you talk forever.
Beautiful pictures, and a wonderful narrated clip, thank you !
I agree Murray:)
8 years later, this video is awesome! Thank you for taking the time to share!
When I got to the end of your film I realised 3 things - I was smiling, my fear of spiders had diminished and I can't wait to get out take some macro pictures! Inspiring stuff - thanks!
Wonderful, I was totally engrossed in the video and photographs. I've a pretty stressful day today and your voice really chilled me out, thank you for sharing.
Dear lord these are amazing photos. What talent. What patience. Wow.
I just love him. Great narration, explanation, and patience.
This was very very very relaxing and awe inspiring.
Well done Sir.
Really nice video Thomas - your narration is quite soothing and gives the same feeling as wandering around looking for macro subjects. Your rig is proof that you don't need to spend the big bucks to get the big shots - patience patience patience is the important one :)
This video is sooooooooo relaxing. I am blow away by these amazing images.I really like the macro video bit at the beginning too.
I am completely speechless at the incredible beauty of your pictures. Wow.
Beautiful world you created here, sir! Thank you for taking us there...
It's been a long time since I've watched a youtube video and been impressed on so many levels. Great production, great advice, great pictures, keep up the good work. Many Thanks!
I just happened upon your UA-cam Channel... wow Thomas, I am thoroughly impressed, both with your knowledge of the animal kingdom and image quality. Congratulations on your extraordinary work! Glad to subscribe to your channel!
Mr Thomas Shahan, what a macro photo collection....heart taking shots.....
I think I've watched this video about ten times. Much of the video is low resolution, and it starts off slow, but that makes it even better. The photographs are amazing, and your passion for nature is almost tangible. It's just calm, relaxing, and understated.
Absolutely stunning photographs and video Thomas! Truly inspiring. Gives me something to shoot for. Thank you.
this man is the reincarnation of bob ross. bless this man his soothing voice!
I thought the same thing!!
I don't say this too often but you inspire me to take on the hobby of macro photography. I love taking phones of small creatures, plants etc. You are definitely my inspiration. I love your artwork on insects. Truly amazing!
Thank you Thomas, this inspirational video was instrumental in my discovery of macro photography many years ago and your willingness to help others is truly wonderful. Hope all is great with you man.
PetaPixel said you're the Bob Ross of bug photography. I don't disagree, not one bit. Watching you doing your stuff, with your calm, soothing yet so deeply knowledgeable narration, is just so... relaxing.
Jumping spiders are like the supermodels of arachnids - But far more enchanting - so glorious - thanks for the uploading...
Spectacular shots. Relaxing music. Passionate commentary. Perfect video. Inspired me to revisit macro photography. Thanks Thomas.
Stunning images. Detail and clarity. I like the photographer's calm narration; natural speaking voice.
Incredible shots. You know your insects too.
I think you are way too humble. Incredible photos, and great narration!
Love your work Thomas... Absolutely magnificent
Your voice is so awesome in every video, born for narration. You're an old soul, my friend.
Absolutely mesmerizing.
This was very entertaining. Thanks for sharing.
great share
You can get some good macro lenses on photolg.com/lenses
Neat i watched video
Mind blowingly awesome!!! I appreciated what u say about not having to have the very best and latest gear, well done dude!!!
These pictures are absolutely stunning
the fact that I'm still struggling with getting focused and right composed photos, and you nailed it 10 years ago, just amazing, beautiful pictures btw!
Awesome stuff. Thanks for sharing your philosophy and techniques.
Fascinating ! A very nice video!
So stunning photos. Crisp and highly magnified.
This is literally the 2nd video from your channel I've watched, and your allready one of my favorites
1:22 FLAWLESS!
VICTORY! FATALITY!!
Beautiful photos. Would love some more tech details.
I just uploaded a video to my channel with a very detailed setup for high magnification macro photography. You can buy all the parts for less than $230. Check it out!
Thank you so much for showing the incredible beauty of our tinier universe. Your voice, the beautiful little creatures...really spectacular!
Stunning photos!
your voice is so soothing LOL its like youre the david attenborough of macro photography
Amazing pictures! I would love to see tutorials made by you! Maybe you could go a little more into detail about how you take these many images you need for stacking (how many do you use?) without a tripot and with a living animal in front of your lense.
Thanks for taking the time to spread your knowledge despite of the haters out there posting negative comments... you are awesome!
Your pictures are absolutely wonderful. Done with minimal setup. Well done.
These shots are INCREDIBLE!! thanks heaps for sharing :D I would also love to know exactly what you are using, and how you get shots so darn close, its like microscopic :D
great video...I've heard of reverse prime lenses...do you have a video describing it more in depth?
This Video is just an amazing piece of art. Such a beautiful and calm presentation and incredible captures. Thank you very much for this, Thomas.
Fantastic images; you proved that getting great images does not rely on the latest greatest super-expensive kit, but on fieldcraft, patience, passion and a lot of perseverance :-)
Hi ! Love your work, can you post some post processing video before and after editing in lightroom for macro photography,, it will be very helpful ,, thanks
I use this video to fall asleep.
+MeLeet I'm just the opposite. I woke up in the middle of the night to watch this video twice. It's interesting and inspiring.
Thank you for sharing these amazing photos.
I never thought I could have loved these insects as I do now, all with this one video! Thank you!
3:57 that moment wen you get scared ...
OMG, so sharp and beautiful. How in the hell does he get them so sharp.
Focus stacking😊
i have seen this clip a 1000 times and it still give me some joy and peace
i like his voice
Absolutely stunning!
Wow. What camera were the photos taken with?
Pentax
I would like to see the amount of post production to achieve the final results, how much colour saturation, sharpening, selections, layers etc from the original file to finish. Thank you Thomas.
Tony Burgum There shouldn't be too much- with the use of flash/diffuser, it really helps capture sharp, fairly saturated shots- some of course is done pp- but you start with a very good foundation so less pp is needed- those spiders are quite colorful to begin with
Thank you Nazareth434 I still have yet to see a jumper with my own eyes, stunning little critters though.
Let's hope they aren't heavily photoshopped as a true pro knows what the outcome will be before he takes the snap.
The rest piss about in Lightroom and Photoshop making the image look nothing like the pic that was taken.
If I wanted to manipulate and alter my photos that much to get a good pic then I'd be wondering wether I'm a good photographer or a good photoshopper.
And I've sold plenty of images right out of the camera because of my creativity
Depending on what type of photography you do, corrections made in Post can be really helpful though.
Color correction, saturation/vibracy adjustments, etc
Calling every photographer that edits things a shitlord is kind of far-fetched especially because most people focus stack for macro. Is that not post processing? You'll never get good DoF at magnifications like this even with f/11. As for general photography / portraits etc, post is still really important and straight up calling everyone that improves their images from amazing to breathtaking in post an amateur is kind of..... idiotic for lack of a better word.
Or are you telling me that if you're in bad lighting doing a Photoshoot, for example shooting a wedding, and everything turns out Orange or composition is off because you had to prioritize capturing the moment over spending 5 minutes adjusting for everything in-camera, you'd rather toss the picture because you're a filthy casual that didn't do everything manually in-camera like a total pro rather than spending a bit of time in Post recovering colors, making everything look neat, making skin / whatever look great etc and ending up with a great picture?
If you've sold images right out of camera because of your creativity then I congratulate you for being (possibly) very original. But do you know what? Most likely you could've taken said out-of-camera images and improved them in post. Not changing the entire thing as if you're drawing instead of editing a picture, but just improving upon what great thing you already have
Never get bored of this video Thomas. Amazing video!!
Stunning work.
reaaly just with a Reverse Lense?
I have a Nikon d7100 and an 85mm macro lens. If I try to get too close to a subject, it'll go out of focus, so I can't get really close shot like these. I would have to zoom in and crop it, but then the quality is not as great. Also, a lot of my pictures are kind of burry. How can I take closer pictures without having to crop it like these pictures, where u can see the compound eyes so crisp and clear, and not have it blurry? Any advice? I'm new to photography and I really like to take pictures of bugs. Is there anything else I would need to get?
I think extension tubes might help :)
Subaru798 extension tube is just a tool to make ur minimum close distance lense closer to object...i think you can't get that sharp on a single shot..as far as i know there is a technique call stacking as in this video mention...so u can get high magnification of image like that...find more about stack focusing image...hope this help you
add a tube and you;ll get closer
Depth of field and focus will drop as you get closer and closer to the subject, with extension tubes, you lose light as well. If you take 30-40 shots with the focus stepping from back to front or front to back, then use a processor like photoshop or helicon, you can stack the images into one crisp sharp image. I have done this for 24mm subjects with an iphone and clip on macro lens with pretty great success
Crazyfacemcgee can you use manual focus with phones?
How does anyone not like this??? These are amazing macro shots!!
Truly remarkable photos.
Amazing shots. Just Fantastic!! but how u can shot 10 images for stacking without a tripod?
Flash
And how did the fly stay still for that long?
And OMG! Watch @4:02 I swear it felt like that spider jumped onto my right eye. Haha
Thank you for these amazing shoots.
Incredible pictures! I like the fact that you built your own equipment to take on the 'macro photography' challenge. Thanks so much.
So what you're saying is I don't have to spend over $1,000 for an insane super macro setup like an MP-E 65mm with ringlight?
Amazing work BTW - It's incredibly inspiring! :D
He uses a 28mm Vivitar f2.8 ;)
Truly amazing work
Very cool pix, Thomas. One can see, you enjoy the little creatures. They are so beautiful once one takes a closer look.
2019 gang where u at
Which lens you're using now sir ?
+1 !! ¿?
Stunning images accompanied with stunning knowledge! Great unequalled footage, thank you sir for educating and amazing us!
The colors are just amazing
finally someone sees the life the way i do
+Ryu Gaming - I second that...
Marry him
Am a guy lol
+Ryu Gaming what does that have to do with it? Did you mean you are a straight male?
+Chris Peterson I tell you what, 90% of the people are harness their lives for getting money and busy with life ballshit and stuff , and others busy trying to get girls and others busy trying to be famous .. like everyone is busy doing these casual things, but this guy on this video is the first guy I ever seen busy with nature and how beautiful these tiny creatures are and stuff its really rare to see people who left all what life can offer and went to the most basic thing which is nature am that kinda guy , in my house I have a tiny garden I spend most of my day in it , either planting or taking pictures for ants and butterflies etc
I want to throw my camera away now. Don't think I'll ever get a single shot that good. (I'll never be able to afford DSLR, so I'm limited to point-and-shoot.)
You can get some really good dslr now at a good price
Like the canon rebel t3i they have it with the lens kit on sale on dslrcam.net/shop/canonrebelt3i for anyone else looking it is a super camera if you are getting into dslr professional photography then later you can upgrade the lenses. Canon has like so many cool lenses to fit your needs.
The bulk of the cost is not even in the body, though, it's in getting good glass.
nicodimus2222 Its not all doom and gloom, even lenses have become very affordable. Even the cheaper lenses are super high quality now a days.
You can get some amazing results from canon's 50mm 1.8 and it's very cheap.
Way to bee all pessimistic and negative about life. You'll "NEVER" be able to afford a DSLR? Even if you worked at freaking McDonald's for a year you'd be able to buy more than just an entry level camera and a decent macro lens.
Amazing shots, simply breathtaking..
These are some really amazing photos. One tip I have for anyone starting:
Use the highest aperture setting you can that'll give you enough light. The depth of field is always so narrow, so anything you can do to extend it makes a big difference in getting more of the subject in-frame. I've had a lot of ruined shots because the aperture was set too low.
arent you afraid the spiders might bite you?
+alphaphotoandvideo Watch his other videos, you will see how much he cares. Lets a black widow crawl on him.
+alphaphotoandvideo The jumping spiders in shown here are all super safe to handle. I've never mind having them crawl on me!
What superb photos.
Thomas thank you for sharing, your work is truly amazing!!
We need this song released on a video to enjoy it forever. Amazing photos n music!!
Oh my love your work.
Beautiful. Thanks about sharing your gear choices too.
Thomas, you are a man of letters with a very warm friendly convincing voice.
amazing shots! thanks for uploading these. really emphasizes that you don't need the latest, and greatest, to achieve amazing photos, its the one behind the camera. keep up the good work!
This video is art in so many ways.
Fantastic photos!! Really love them.
Excellent images, great narration and nicely edited video! A joy to watch!
Superb video, love the way you describe each creature, a fascinating engaging subject, on top of macro photography. Top draw pictures by the way. Simply awesome!!
Thomas, these images are beautiful. Great helpful video. STUNNING. Thank you for sharing your work.
great work and your love of the subjects really comes through in the commentary - nice!
Incredible photos
Thanks for sharing your photos. And well narrated as well.