I wrote this because like the rest of you I am in awe of Tom's work, I just thought it would be interesting to see what everyone here thought, everyone wants to know how he does it, so, let's hear your theories on how Tom Hicks "Does It". Have fun!!!
mdbassman wrote:
It would be very nice if Tom included how he took ( settings) the images so others can have a professional reference to gage their shooting.
Tom does include exif many times , but if someone actually thinks his work is about the gear then they will never arrive at the level he has achieved. His level of work isn't about the gear , it is about understanding ones prey, patience, attention to detail, steady suppot system, and being willing to throw away dozens of images to get to the good ones. There is not trick to being great , just a LOT of hard work , a lot of experimentation, and being willing to sit down in chigger infested grass to capture pictures of bugs , just isn't on most folks "to do list" . The dedication is what has set Tom apart , don't insult him by thinking it is about the gear
I dont think any insult was intended. I know personaly I sometimes wonder if I can really ever achive work as good as someone elses, for me seeing that they used this aprature and that lighting with this lens let me know hey... I have that lens.. I have that aprature etc. and keeps me encouraged to get it to the point that others have taken the same equipment.
I somehow don't think that mdbassman's comments were about gear, but they were about Tom's settings, which could be on any camera or rig, I do agree that Tom has a level of committment and work ethic that I (because of time restraints) am just not ready to give, but I think what mdbassman was trying to get at is that he wanted to know the settings so that he could practice the settings to try out different variables of exposure, Tom sure exposes his photos well, it makes me want to go take a photography class and buy a film camera so I can be more strict on myself!
Charles, - great stuff, wish I could come up with a line to match.
MDbassman - stick around and watch, Tom shares more then you know. He also believes you should work it a little. Experiment, try it out,.. but always use a tripod... and don't crop,... and don't show your failures as they are just transitory steps to the final piece.. and you create an image, don't capture it.
I suspect that if you saw Toms' kindergarten "work" all the crayon colours would be complementary and inside the lines...at least the work he would show you... thx sTom
JM, I don't think Tom would be insulted, maybe dissapointed, hopefully not unappreciated...
Ahhh, I thought of one,..
I am sure when Tom is "chigger"ing infested grass he is repeating a secret mantra,.. "be the bug,..be the bug,...be the bug,.." over an over. That's the secret.
Peter Prodger wrote:
Ahhh, I thought of one,..
I am sure when Tom is "chigger"ing infested grass he is repeating a secret mantra,.. "be the bug,..be the bug,...be the bug,.." over an over. That's the secret.
Thxs for sharing Peter
I love it!
Keep them coming, this is kind of my comedic way of paying tribute to all the help Tom gives here!
I must say I would love to know how he keeps the bugs still while he sets up. Spiders I can see but most bugs don’t like to stay in the same place for long and it’s frustrating to try and capture them on film. I have been trying shutter speeds of 1/350 and up hand holding with flash but am still not getting the nice crisp photos that I wish. I know it’s not the equipment and that it’s my own short comings but I still try my best. Maybe in time I can get as good as tom and I hope I will. It does not help that my back is thrown out at the moment ether. . I have more time to shoot then anyone could hope for just not the knowledge that I need yet to be good. I just ordered “macro photography: Learning from a master” and “john Shaw’s close-ups in nature” and hope that will help shed some light on why my photos are not what I would like them to be. I was thinking of setting up a 29gal fish tank in my home to photo bugs in if anyone has any suggestions about that It would be much appreciated. I was also thinking about going with 2 sigma 500dg super flashes instead of just the one on my macro rig to help up the shutter speeds and f stops I can use.
Unlike the vast majority of the rest of you, I've spent inordinate amounts of time shooting with Tom for the last couple of years. I've come to realize that I must be crazy. Consider that this is the individual I have been shooting with -
P.S. - I would like to point out that I absolutely HATE the 3-way pan/tilt head he is using in the previous image. I watched him drop about a gallon of sweat trying to work with that head to get a shot of this bug -
Further evidence that a bug will get his attention before larger subjects. In this shot he is lying flat on a caliche road, trying to get a shot of a robber fly while I am shooting the second image - literally shooting over the top of him, lying prone in the road -
As you might suspect, Tom is a good friend and a great photographer but he's not too full of himself even though he has taken thousands of technically perfect images (inside joke ) and continues to raise the bar on himself.
Man with friends like yall who needs Trey. thanks everyone . you know I bet if I wrote everything down I know about Macro It just might fill up half a 3x5 card .
Here is a pic that was modified by some more of my friends Last year , Lets see if I remember correctly it was Trey Neal and Gary Steel , another friend and wildman.
This has to be the funniest post I have seen on this macro forum in the short time I have been here, all of you are such good sports (especially Capt. Tom.. ) and I hope one day we can all get together and cause thousands of insects and flowers their worst harrasment they every had in their short lifespan!!!
Thanks for playing everyone and I see that I was correct the other day on my other post that Tom hypnotizes robber flies with his "baby blues".. (I knew it, but now I have photo proof, thanks!)
gbriney wrote:
Trey, thx for providing the inside dope on Tom. I do have a question though, about the TomAndCamel shot -- which one of them has an orange tongue?
) and continues to raise the bar on himself.
!!!