Close-up CRITTERS: New photo tech shows skin-crawling amount of detail
THESE INSECTS are certainly ready for their close-up.
The Macropod throws a whole new angle on an ordinary wasp
A series of horrifyingly detailed macroscopic pictures reveal dozens of creepy crawlies in never-before-seen detail.
No matter how gross we think something is, it's always fascinating from an alternate perspective
The stunning new pictures are close enough to show INDIVIDUAL strands of hair on the bug-eyed face of a tiny jumping spider and every detail of the jet-black eyes of a wasp.
The impressive gallery of critter photos are all made possible by the Macropod – a portable 3D high-resolution device.
It captures the skin-crawlingly detailed pictures using a technique called photo stacking.
This means the Macropod takes multiple images of each bug which are then processed and combined using special software to create one very detailed image.
Beady green eyes of a jumping spider at a terrifying 5x magnification
The high resolution camera closes in on the face of a small, jumping spider
A human eye is put under the high-resolution Macropod camera
By combining multiple shots into one final image – the machine captures details that cannot be seen with the human eye.
Speaking of, the Macropod has been used to examine the iris of a 25-year-old man – showing each individual swirl of colour around his pitch-black pupil.
The Macropod was built by professional photographers and is designed for scientific and educational purposes.
Co-founder of Macroscopic Solutions Mark Smith said: "I've been a macro photographer since I was 16 years old and I'm surprised by my own discoveries.
"I was given a caterpillar chrysalis which had been parasitised by a wasp and was filled with larvae. These larvae live in the chrysalis and feed from the un-developed butterfly.
"I was asked to image the larvae and I just about gagged; however, to my astonishment, these creatures are so much more impressive than I previously realised.
"No matter how gross we think something is, it's always fascinating from an alternate perspective."
- For more information about the Macropod visit macroscopicsolutions.com