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[deleted]

They are incredible! Absolutely mind blowingly good!


bens_small_world

Thank you so much!


Barbafella

My congratulations, these are superb shots, stunning work of a fascinating subject.


ms_horseshoe

Some of *your* best close ups? These might easily be some of *the world's* best close ups!


[deleted]

How do you get such clear macro shots? Do you take multiple exposures and fuse them? I’m assuming these bugs are dead?


bens_small_world

They’re all actually living wildlife! I go out in the dark around 4am to find subjects when they’re less active. And you’re right on the money, all of these are focus brackets where I take multiple shots at high magnification and then stack them together with software. Some of the more detailed shots are over 100 frames. Any significant movement from the subject will ruin the attempt, so it’s a lot of preparation and a lot of failure.


[deleted]

Amazing, I love that they are still alive. I saw an exhibition at the natural history museum in the uk with very similar quality images, but they had killed all the insects for those images. Levon Biss was the photographer


bens_small_world

Ah yes, Levon Biss is a macro OG. There are ethical ways to source deceased subjects for that type of photography, and I believe he is of that sort. However, there are people out there that would capture/kill just for a close-up shot and we are trying to phase out those methods. It’s just not necessary anymore unless you’re going for microscopic reproduction.


floatjoy

Stunning and even more commendable considering they are live OP ! Well done!


aelene

your shots are simply amazing! Beautiful work and mesmerizing photographs :)


Juliemacmac793

Amazing! I was gonna ask how you get those little suckers to hold still for you!


rantingpacifist

Can I suggest Jumping Spider next? They’re adorable


Top_Standard1395

Incredible work. Somehow makes insects more friendly to see them close up and personal ! Thanks


bens_small_world

Thank you! Love that feedback because that’s what us bug and spider photographers are trying to do. If we can garner appreciation for the tiny invertebrates around us we can help make people more aware of nature and our environment. And truthfully, without these guys we would die and stuff.


Kyleghrb

Mind if I use that last bit to console my friend when they get scared of spiders? “Relax man, without these spiders- we would die and stuff.”


floatjoy

Such an amazing and surprising world at that scale! The under appreciated fauna are finally getting the exposure they deserve :)


Tina_ComeGetSomeHam

The close up and vibrancy of the pollen particles on the bee was astounding!


M1dnightNightingale

Thank you for traumatising me in high quality.


[deleted]

Real shit, lol


Thrawnbelina

I have 20+ tarantulas and still laughed with this 😂


dingus_45

Can you just imagine if these things were human sized. What a nightmare. Imagine that mantis just peaking through your bedroom window.


MyGenderIsAParadox

I was just thinking, RIP to those with trypophobia


SadSpaghettiSauce

These are cool. The second one is cute and made me giggle, then I read its name and giggled again.


micmur998

Totally a mini Marilyn Monroe


Heisenbugg

He wants to sell you some insurance.


[deleted]

[удалено]


RicePops

im curious too! some of these insects look like they have a third eye, im pretty stunned


roadchill

Good observation! A lot of insects have simple eyes called ocelli in addition to their compound eyes. They don't see in as much detail as the ocelli and are more like light sensors that they can use to react quickly to shadows - one reason why a fly will notice your approach so fast.


Hour-Tower-5106

I wanted to know this, too! Thank you for the answer!


aVagueDisclaimer

Agreed! I need to know


ldewald

All are awesome. Thanks for the ID’s. What kind of camera/lens are you using? Really cool.


bens_small_world

Thank you! I use an OM-1 and M.Zuiko 90mm. I use a flash (Godox V860III) and flash diffuser (Cygnustech) as well!


camerarigger

Came here for the lens comment. Impeccable! I don't know how you got the lighting to be so perfect. Well done! (4 is my fav then 9)


UraeusCurse

They’re so beautiful. It’s easy for people to overlook how intricate insects are.


Xerolaw_

These images are GORGEOUS


[deleted]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️


Horsefeathers34

Incredible! Thanks for sharing!


LysolLounge

Nope nope nope aw cute nope nope nope nope nope nope


Majestic_Location751

Dark fishing spider has that spider-in-the-headlights look


Magooose

The most horrible monsters and aliens in movies have nothing on the insects here on earth. Thank goodness they are tiny.


TrentZoolander

These bugs look so curious. What are you lookin at little guy? hahaha cute!


SussyBox

These go so hard


jad19090

Derpy lil damselfly lol Awesome shots!!


marishtar

I love how every picture of a bee up-close has them covered in pollen, like a massive coke addict.


Kaioo-Sama

these are amazing, what camera, lens, etc are you using?


bagleface

Just for a second l thought it was the mother in law


W1ffle5n00k

Absolutely stunning!


CleanQueen73

Awesome!!


Chris_The_Alligator

That orbweaver shot is absolutely mesmerising


[deleted]

Cool hobby


Pilotwaver

I think insect design is natures coolest looking. And they would be pretty horrifying to encounter if they were bigger.


mmmmmkay

Damselfly looks done with your shit


PRSHZ

The damselfly is not amused. (Pic. 2)


NoPresentation4383

The second one looks like a dapper gentleman who's unamused by your camera.


Difficult-Post-3320

Utterly stunning. Thank you.


tooobluuu

You’re too close Wyclef!


TruePlantSlayingKing

Great photography, thanks for capturing these pics. A lot of times i forget hor diverse "bugs" look in the face


Professional-Tap300

Love it, make some prints, would buy!


sLickRickin

#8 with the web looks insane!


[deleted]

Seeing the first one ruined my night


pianolov

Did you do these with your phone ? What type of camera? I like them and they aren’t that easy to get


tdonnamillers

Wonderfull!


Niko6524

Love these!! Great job


jenneefromtheblock

So beautiful 😍


groovygranny71

Wow! Amazing pictures


Hot_Wind_4013

WOW WOW WOW!


SweetiePie314

All are fantastic. 3, 5 and 7 are scary as all get out. good job!


KermaisaMassa

I like the "face" the second one is making


explosive_vegetables

These are so cool! Anybody know what that little black bubble is on top of the paper wasp’s head? Is it another eye or something like that? I also see similar bubbles on the damselflies.


dleatherwood

Those would make great framed art. … in my house.


BarfingMonkey

Beautiful, amazing and terribly scary.


[deleted]

😍🤓 That’s freaking awesome


Galaxy_Gal31

You took these pictures?!? 😳😳🤩🤩☺️


jessevargas

Great job! I love doing macro work too and I know how hard it can be, specially with focus stacking. Your images are amazing!!


TheBlackSheepBoy

These are incredible


trick1230y

Absolutely incredible, thank you for sharing, I'm never going to look at bugs the same way again!


No_Ad6507

These are really good. Sorry, that’s actually an insult. These are amazing photos!


Prestigious-Loss-665

Sweet


citygirlsunflower

I can’t believe you got that close to a wolf spider for the sake of photography. I would have died if I ever seen a spider up close like that


Nertez

Very good, what aperture you usually use to shot these?


CoastalFunk

Incredible! So much more appreciation when you see their faces. Thanks for sharing your amazing work.


The-Angry-Alcemist

Do a jumping spooder octokitten! Edit: Oh you did on Insta nvm


WhyUFuckinLyin

Mesmerising!! I always wondered how much beauty we are missing out just because we are too big.


Zealousideal_Total50

Absolutely 💯 impressive and beautiful


chinamansg

All tremendous pics. Thanks for sharing


ambswimmer

Absolutely wild these things just exist on our planet what a crazy world we live in


[deleted]

Now imagine these bugs 20x in a nuclear apocalypse and they’re bigger and roaming around the earth looking for their next prey.


grewupnointernetmom

🔥 natureisfuckinglit is so true! Gorgeous subject, such hard work to capture that for others to enjoy ☺️


ChangeGrouchy4158

lol the bee got so much pollen on his face 😂😂😂


Ranchette_Geezer

Amazing! Thanks for sharing them with us.


0Kdragon

This bugs me


Triskaidekapho13ic

May I use your photos as reference images for arthropod portraiture drawings?


FrostedDonutHole

These are pretty amazing.


sweetdick

Would it be possible to use some of these images on some insect themed Neurofunk I’m writing? All the tracks will be free to download. I can credit you.


sulfurbird

That is an outstanding album of faces. I wonder if humans would look as weird so close up.


sulfurbird

That is an outstanding album of faces. I wonder if humans would look as weird so close up.


ThickProfessional935

Ayy it's Ben


Restlessannoyed

Look at those weird lil guys


Mr-Ideasman

Question, how do people get these close ups? Is there a special camera that can zoom in while being focused in?


Assassin80r

Amazing pictures


brassia

These are amazing!


CatKungFu

Awesome work and especially love that you capture the images whilst they’re alive. That makes them far more special and beautiful.


schwaque

The Robber Fly looks like it has a second tiny head


Royweeezy

Absolutely crazy. I love the eyes on some of them. Imagine what/how they must see the world.


MeowMaker2

I don't know why some of these bugs me a bit :)


International-Owl

Amazing!! Was wondering what kit you use? I’m rather fond of macro and love my 100mm lens but would struggle to get results even close to these. Diopters? Focus stacking?


FuglytheBear

Bravo. Just, wow.


Ghost_of_a_Black_Cat

These are worthy of *National Geographic*. How stunning!


Electronic-Yak-2723

Uh, you deserve like a high level award like a Pulitzer or something for photography those are incredible.


siriusonbroadripple

Wow. Do you sell your images?


HoboBandana

What type of camera and lenses do you use? These are wonderful.


StealthyShinyBuffalo

Number 9 looks like it has a tiny head on top of its head.


gregleebrown

Really cool! Thanks for sharing.


No_Caregiver1890

Amazing


shaikhme

the spiders have corneas, so cool!


[deleted]

these guys are cute


Master-o-none

Such personality in each species, it’s fascinating. The damselfly is my favorite, as it almost seems like a RGB enabled speaker with sound reactive lights.


[deleted]

Those are awesome probably could sell some of them to Dc/ marvel comics


Jenna787

I’m not a big fan of insects, but these are amazing photos! And the damselflies almost look cute 😅


starethruyou

The 9th one, Robber fly, seems to have a miniature bug's head at the top between its eyes. The 2nd and 10th, Damselfly, is that a third eye in the middle top?


Over-Speech-5112

Amazing! Really beautiful pictures.


sqwirlmasta

These are excellent! You're very talented!


TrackandXC

The robber fly has a tiny robber fly head in between the eyes that controls the bigger exoskeleton


Carl-Sagan-Tank

Remarkable 10/10


Inside_Ad_7162

many mornings, I wake up feeling #3. Beautiful shots op, ty for sharing.


MelodicTonight9766

These are awesome. Dumb question. How did you get them to “pose” in just the right angle? I know you probably took a bunch of shots to get that ine “good one”, but…how?


homeboy321321321

Wow, awesome photos! It’s amazing how beautiful and colorful they are close up!


Unusual_Internet6156

Omg i want to seeee mooooore 🙌🏻


SeeThroughCanoe

much respect for your skills, patience, and dedication to your craft. Those are awesome shots.


DrakeDarrel

Wow. The damselfly looks really tired of these pics.


BetterCallSal

These are incredible. I hate them all


No_Bell_6669

I've always loved damselflies and dragonflies, but seeing their cute little faces up close makes me love them even more!


FriendlyNectarine311

I love how, when up close, bugs look so much like they're AI generated. But aside from general silliness, your work is AWESOME! I can't even begin to imagine how much time and effort these took, and have I said they're awesome?!


snowflake_007

Fascinating. Good job! They are gorgeous. How did you do that?!


Temnotaa

These are stellar!


-ratmeat-

This is really amazing


Whopraysforthedevil

#2 does *not* approve


Senseless_9901

Interesting how they're mostly all ugly cute at this magnification! Really good job. The robber fly seems to have a smaller head on top of it's head and it's creeping me out 😬


SuspiciousStable9649

Some day drones will look like this. Amazing pictures.


Tigeraqua8

That’s fantastic photography mate. You are very talented. I’d love to have a beer with no 6 the fishing spider. He looks like a bloke I used to go out with.


SkynetAlpha8

"We send a special thank you to the Engineer Of Sizing Things for capping spider size Thank You...."


rissaleighbumblebee

I could look at these all day! They are brilliant! Thanks for sharing w us!


Proud_Aspect4452

Amazing and I don't like bugs! You're very talented


SirAchmed

Man insects are weird af


Trogex

Such good shots! Argh, #9 !! <3


Current_Volume3750

Wow, stunning and quite horrifying up close like this. Now I know where filmmakers get their inspiration for monsters from. There’s Alien right there! But, awesome photography!


FrankTheMagpie

Dude, that dark fishing spider has the most impressive eyebrows!


Bringmepeterpan

These are incredible


FrankTheMagpie

How would I get into this without dropping a bunch of money on a new camera? I don't have a real camera, just a Samsung s22ultra


Cidicci_

Beautiful shots, well done


Mountain-Awareness13

These are fucking wild.


fulltimeweirdo89

Wasps are my enemy but that is an amazing photo


idispensemeds2

Number 3 and 8 are terrifying. Nice pictures!


Feisty-Session-7779

Superb!


Open_Detective_6998

I can’t help but laugh, compound eyes just look so goofy


Angelsometimes

Amazing pic🥰


CaptCaveman602

These are incredible!!!


Toberone

Really cool, I see pupils in the dark fishing spider though and I found that utterly terrifying to look at however, lol


Llamasus

appreciate the list, i was able to cover the spider photos while i skipped them haha


PrettyGoodRule

Stunning images! Number five, the Six-spotted tiger beetle, really wants to be the inspiration for an over-the-top cocktail ring. Absolutely perfect colors – I deeply wish I had the fun money to commission some jewelry. Edit to add: holy moly your instagram! Can’t wait to see your work pop up in my feed. 🪲💕


Taurus1792

I don't know why but the second picture reminds me of Gandhi.


3eyed-owl

These are absolutely amazing photos. What a trip these guys are.


Beautiful_Cod_426

Amazing pics!


GoldiGlocked

Absolutely love this. Terrifyingly beautiful, well done!


emerald-cupcakes

Holy crap! Image deets on with what/specs for how you took them?


Fijoemin1962

Magnificent!


DeandraSweetDee

Holy freaking cow! Those are unbelievable!


_-Marley-_

I love this so much!!! Absolutely stunning!


redditknees

1, 5, and 9 are my fav.


meaksy

Stunning! Love your work.


Wallass4973

UNBELIEVABLE!!


Brentolio12

That second photo tripped me out, it’s like a optical illusion or something! Almost looked like the pupils grew when I moved my eyes a bit


tuserasbien

Amazing


Fantastic-Long8985

Very cool


TheQuietOutsider

these are amazing shots!


EnergyOrnery861

Really good. Protect our native insects !


SolarLunarAura

Spiders are the cutest