"Slow" marine animals show their secret life under high magnification.  Corals and sponges build coral reefs and play crucial roles in the biosphere, yet we know almost nothing about their daily lives. These animals are actually very mobile creatures. However their motion is only detectable at different time scales compared to ours and requires time lapses to be seen.

www.bioqueststudios.com.au
Don't forget to check out our new video with updated technology: https://vimeo.com/220289475

Make sure you watch the video on a large screen. This clip is displayed in Full HD, yet the source footage (or the whole clip), is available in UltraHD 4k resolution for media productions. 


The answer to a common question: yes, colors are "real" and not exaggerated by digital enhancement. We have only applied basic white balance correction. However, we used specialized lights to mimic the underwater ambient spectrum. When photographers use white light (artificial spectrum) on corals, they simply miss the vast majority of colours. Corals have spectrum-sensitive colouration due to fluorescent pigments.

The duration of sequences varied from 20 minutes to 6+ hours. 

=== Technical details ===

To make this little clip we took 150000 shots. Why so many? Because macro photography involves shallow depth of field. To extend it, we used focus stacking and deconvolution algorithms. Each frame of the video is actually a stack that consists of 3-12 shots.

Just the intro and the last scene are regular real-time footage. One frame required about 10 minutes of processing time (raw conversion + stacking + deconvolution in some scenes). Unfortunately, the success rate was very low due to copious technical challenges and we spent almost 9 long months to get it right.

Music: Atmostra III by Cedric Baravaglio, Jonathan Ochmann and Zdravko Djordjevic.


=== Sharing/Use ===

Inquiries/licensing/press: find our contact details http://bioqueststudios.com.au/

More information about using our videos:
http://bioqueststudios.com.au/image-and-video-use/


Please support the Great Barrier Reef conservation efforts http://www.marineconservation.org.au/pages/donate.html

Slow Life

We've been on a pretty big timelapse kick this week, spotlighting an [amazing nature video](http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/stunning-firefly-timelapse-proves-nature-looks-amazing-lit-up) filled with stunning lightning bugs. There's one more we can't help but shouting out, though, due to its general awesomeness. PhD student [Daniel Stoupin](http://www.microworldsphotography.com/) made an incredible macro video called _Slow Life_ that's filled with deep sea glory&#x2014;coral reefs, sponges, the works.

To make this awe-striking timelapse, Stoupin took over 150,000 photographs which he edited down to this final watery gem. This work gives us appreciated flashbacks to the _Natural History Redux_, the oceanic odyssey [we premiered earlier this month](http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/show/trailer-natural-history-redux-coral-morphologics-remixed--remastered-oceanic-odyssey).

Watch Stoupin's gorgeous video above, and see some stills from the timelapse below.

 (via [Kottke](http://kottke.org/14/03/slow-life))

[@zachsokol](https://twitter.com/zachsokol)

creators

Film

Entertainment

Daniel Stoupin's "Slow Life" macro timelapse brings us on another oceanic odyssey. 

FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Deep Sea Motion: Watch A Timelapse Of A Coral Reef Made From 150,000 Photographs

FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Deep Sea Motion: Watch A Timelapse Of A Coral Reef Made From 150,000 Photographs

ONE EMAIL. ONE STORY. EVERY WEEK. SIGN UP FOR THE VICE NEWSLETTER.