Hi, I'm Sam. The chickens run this place.
From cloud engineer to chicken filmmaker
I spent most of my twenties in tech. I was a software engineer in the Wyoming oilfields, then a cloud engineer in Seattle and Atlanta. It was a good career, and by 2018 it had completely burned me out.
So I came home to Valentine, Nebraska, with no real plan. I watched a video about how much social media mattered and figured I'd give it a shot. I'd picked up photography a few years earlier, and macro photography made sense: no travel required, and a single backyard holds more tiny subjects than you could shoot in a lifetime. For two years I photographed bugs every single day. That's where the name Pocket Macro comes from.
Then came the chickens
In 2019, my mom brought home six chickens because my dad wanted fresh eggs. Nobody warned me they'd like bugs too.
Every time I went out to shoot, the chickens followed me around, hunting the same insects I was photographing. Eventually I pointed the camera at them instead, and never pointed it back. By 2021, Pocket Macro was all chickens, all the time.
I never thought six backyard birds would change my life this much.
Meet the flock
The current star of the show is Gizmo, a rooster who sprints at the camera with his wings tucked like a tiny velociraptor. My comment section is permanently convinced chickens are dinosaurs, and honestly, they're not wrong.
He shares the spotlight with the rooster council of Sugar, Ceecee, Willie, and Buttercup, and the Silkie Squad: Daisy, Stella, and PeeWee, three of the fluffiest troublemakers you'll ever meet.
Why chickens?
Most people only think of chickens as food or livestock. But chickens are smart, funny, full of personality, and genuinely great to be around. I want more people to see that, and I wish they were treated better.
Every video I make is a small push toward that.
How it's made
I film with a Canon R5 Mark II on a custom handheld rig I've tweaked for years to keep up with birds that don't take direction. It's a full cinema setup pointed at a backyard flock in the Nebraska Sandhills, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
What happened next
Today, close to 800,000 people follow the flock across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. One of our videos passed 31 million views, and Will Smith shared it. That's pretty wild for a guy and some chickens in the middle of nowhere.
Bring the flock home
The 2027 Pocket Macro Calendar. A whole year of the flock on your wall. Order here, or pick one up locally at Salon Bliss on Main Street in Valentine.
The Nesting Box. Mailboxes are full of junk and bills. For $10 a month, I'll send you something better: an original photo of the flock and a handwritten letter from me.
Golden Chicken Guns. Tiny golden arms that make your chicken look like it's flexing. Each pair is 3D printed right here, so supplies are limited.
Apparel and more in the shop.
Join the flock
Follow along at @pocket.macro, and tag me when your own birds are showing off. Your chicken might just end up famous.
The internet is supposed to be fun. We're doing our part.