Will Strathmann took this photo in Krabi, Thailand. “[I] heard that the bioluminescence [was] beginning to peak under the new moon … While this photo doesn’t come close to the actual experience, I am proud I was able to capture and share this magical moment.”
"Slow" marine animals show their secret life under high magnification. Corals and sponges are very mobile creatures, but their motion is only detectable at different time scales compared to ours and requires time lapses to be seen. These animals build coral reefs and play crucial roles in the biosphere, yet we know almost nothing about their daily lives.
Learn more about what you see in my post: http://notes-from-dreamworlds.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/slow-life.html
This clip, as well as stock footage, is available in 4k resolution. Make sure you watch it on a large screen! You won't be able to appreciate this clip or see individual cells moving in a sponge on a smartphone. If you have a full-HD screen, when you enter full-screen mode, please press on "view actual size" next to the HD icon to improve sharpness.
To make this little clip I took 150000 shots. Why so many? Because macro photography involves shallow depth of field. To extend it, I used focus stacking. Each frame of the video is actually a stack that consists of 3-12 shots where in-focus areas are merged. Just the intro and last scene are regular real-time footage. One frame required about 10 minutes of processing time (raw conversion + stacking). Unfortunately, the success rate was very low due to copious technical challenges and I spent almost 9 long months just to learn how to make these kinds of videos and understand how to work with these delicate creatures.
I am glad that I abandoned the idea of making this clip in 3D (with two cameras) - very few people have 3D screens and it doubles processing time.
Gear:
- Canon 7D (died at the beginning of the project as I had overused it in my research), Canon 5d Mkiii (90% of footage is done with it)
- Canon MP-E 65 mm lens
- adjustable custom-spectrum lamps (3 different models)
- several motorized stages including StackShot for focus stacking
- multiple computers to process thousands of 22+ Mpx raw images and perform focus stacking (an old laptop died on that mission after 3 weeks of continuous processing).
Edited in Sony Vegas, Adobe Photoshop CS6, Zerene Stacker, and Helicon Focus.
Visit my website to see more cool stuff: www.microworldsphotography.com
(consideration to buy a print from my website or to use the tip jar below the video is always welcome)
Inquiries/licensing/press: find my contact details here: http://www.microworldsphotography.com/About
Please do not share this clip to promote or endorse marine aquarium industry. Do not misunderstand this statement: I have no problems with aquarists or the industry. I simply want people to admire life, but not to be told to buy stuff.
More about using my videos:
http://www.microworldsphotography.com/Image-Use/Video-Use-and-Licensing
Breathtakingly Vibrant Close-up Timelapse of Coral and Sponges
Daniel Stoupin has made this stunning timelapse of what he refers to as "slow" marine creatures — coral and sponges whose wild movements are barely perceptible on our timescale.
This is definitely one to hit the FULL SCREEN on the video.
Fish Tornado in La Reserva Marina de Cabo Pulmo in Mexico by Octavio Aburto
Photographer and Research Scientist at Scripps Institution Octavio Aburto has captured these absolutely stunning and fascinating images from La Reserva Marina de Cabo Pulmo, Mexico, of fish swirling together in these massive tornado like structures.
FUNDEA 2008. Dirección Octavio Aburto, Camarógrafo Alfredo Barroso, Asistentes Brad Erisman y José Cota, Divemaster David Castro. Con apoyo de Comunidad y Biodiversidad A.C. y The Walton Family Foundation.
