Deep Look
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Field Notes: Aphids
🕑 Added 2021-03-02 17:00:06 +0000 UTCIf you’ve tended a garden, chances are you’ve encountered aphids. They’re prolific pests who seemingly pop up overnight. Before you know it, they've multiplied into a full-on army that invades your plants through cloning and other relentless reproduction strategies.
Deep Look’s lead producer and cinematographer Josh Cassidy recently filmed aphids along with Ian Grettenberger, an agricultural entomologist at UC Davis. In addition to filming in Ian’s garden, Josh filmed pea aphids giving birth in a controlled environment, since even the slightest breeze could ruin the highly magnified shot.
Photo credit: Josh Cassidy/KQED
This episode premieres Tuesday, March 9, but Patreon supporters will get a sneak peek this Friday!
Top image photo credit: Ian Grettenberger / UC Davis
Comments
Deep Look
Hey Bill! Here's Josh's reply: "Hi Bill, I almost never shoot handheld footage precisely because it’s too shaky. I mostly just use a tripod or I’ll put the camera on a bean bag on the ground to get low angle shots. If I absolutely need to do handheld to follow an animal I’ll use image stabilization on the lens but I can’t get very magnified that way or it will shake. Happy shooting! Cheers, Josh"
Bill Cass
I like the camera setup! I was meaning to ask Josh and the camera crew something: When shooting macro subjects handheld instead of via a tripod, what do you do to keep the image steady? Does an extra handle on the camera rig help or is there some kind of gimbal that helps steady it enough for macro filming?
