IMG_29_08_2019_JKDS_Cosmophasis micarioides_Sparkling Northern Jumping Spider_Cairns area varient_Male copy
Mar, 2023Views
202
Likes
Awards
Contender in the Photography Awards
Picture Perfect Award
Top Ranks
Top 10 rank
Top 20 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 20 rank week 2
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
The photographed subject is a Cosmophasis micarioides, commonly known as the Sparkling Northern Jumping spider, and this species is endemic as a Cairns area variant. This specimen was photographed amid my plant collection in Cairns, Queensland, where several generations have successfully reproduced.Time
On a late August afternoon at 4:30 pm, the spider approached me while I was watering my plants, and I immediately raced to get my camera to capture this miniature spider while in view. It was jumping so fast that I knew I only had seconds to capture the beauty of this species in the late afternoon before the sunlight faded.Lighting
The late afternoon sunlight is relatively weak at this time of year, so I used a Canon 430EX III-RT speedlight as a slave flash below the spider amongst the plants and another Canon 430EX III-RT speedlight as the master on the camera. The two synchronised speedlights allowed enough light to aluminate the colours of this beautiful species amongst the shadows of the natural afternoon lighting.Equipment
The camera used was a Canon EOS RP with an EF to R adapter, mounting a Tamron 90mm Canon SP AF F2.8 VC Macro lens. With the subject being so small (approximately 8mm or 0.315 if an inch), I utilised a Neewer Aluminium Alloy 158cm Camera Tripod to steady the shot. The tripod also allowed me to use the slave speedlight as a remote trigger to control the camera. The Aperture was set @ f/11, ISO was set @ 100, and a Shutter speed of 1/15sec was enabled using the tripod with the speedlights synchronised at high speed to the white balance set on flash to capture the correct colours.Inspiration
One of the main inspirations to take this photograph was to try and capture the beautiful colouration of this species. I have always been fascinated by arachnids, particularly when magnified through macro photography, which details the amazing characteristics of something so small yet beautiful in the eyes of the beholder.Editing
I tried not to change any of the colourations, but there was a lot of noise which was reduced in post-processing along with a heavy crop to reduce the image size from the original Canon raw format to a jpeg.In my camera bag
My camera of choice at present is my Canon EOS RP combining either a Tamron 90mm Canon SP F2.8, LAOWA 25 mm F2.8 ULTRA MACRO LENS 2.5x5X-R mount, LAOWA 15mm Macro 1 to 1 Wide Angle Lens with Shift, Canon RF 35mm F1.8 IS STM. I still regularly use the Tamron SP AF60mm F/2 Di II LD [IF] MACRO 1:1 Model G005, the lens used to take this photo. The Canon RP is used with a battery grip, and I carry four extra Canon LP_E17 batteries for longer trips. There may be four Canon 430EX III-RT speedlights in my camera bag at one time with twelve Eneloop pro, 1.2 V, 2450 mAh, and high capacity rechargeable batteries for them. I carry two VILTROX DG-EOS R 12 and 24 mm extension tubes for the RF mount lenses and three Promaster for Canon EF/EFS 12, 20, and 36 mm Extension tubes for EF lenses. A smaller, lighter 160 mm FOTOFANS macro rail often accompanies my camera on field trips with either a NEEWER or VANGUARD tripod. The most significant advantage of the Canon EOS RP is carrying a SPEKTA, USB dual battery charger with a solar power bank to recharge LE-E17 batteries out in the field. The Canon EOS RP can also be charged directly from the power bank too. And the final additions to my camera bag are an assortment of quality cleaning cloths for lenses or the camera, two different density brushes for lenses and transfer or charging cables for the camera.Feedback
My best advice for anyone interested in macro photography is to be patient with your progress and don’t expect perfect results with the first attempts. Keep all your best work so you can monitor your progress. Buy a few books on the subject, material or pdf and be willing to spend a little time learning the basics to advance from. Above all, be persistent with the learning experience; eventually, you will produce something to be proud of. Having a passion for the subject is an excellent drive to inspire further learning and make life more rewarding with every photograph you take.
