Cosmophasis thalassina, the Sea-green Northern jumping spider.
Cosmophasis thalassina, previously identified as Cosmophasis micans is a species of jumping spider from the Family Salticidae that occurs in Africa, Southeast A...
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Cosmophasis thalassina, previously identified as Cosmophasis micans is a species of jumping spider from the Family Salticidae that occurs in Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia. Cosmophasis thalassina is endemic to Northern Australia and there is still some confusion about a number of similar species being variations of this species.
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Canon EOS 200D
Aperture f/6.3 ISO 100 Shutter 3/10 Focal Length 60/1 
Cairns, Queensland, AU
Mar, 2019Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This Sea-green Northern jumping spider was photographed on a leaf amongst my plant collection in Cairns, Far North Queensland, Australia.Time
The image was taken on a hot summer night after 9 pm once the spider settled for the night. I noticed the spider feeding among my plants at sunset and waited for the air temperature to drop in the evening so the spider would become less active. This enabled the opportunity to capture the image while the spider was less active and calm.Lighting
The image needed strong lighting to be captured in the dark hours and with only a fluorescent light overhead. Additional lighting used three Canon 430EX III-RT speedlights, two as slave units placed on either side of the subject and the master mounted on the camera.Equipment
The lens used was a Tamron SP AF60mm F/2 Di II LD [IF] MACRO 1:1 Model G005, mounted on a Canon 200D, utilising three Canon 430EX III-RT speedlights, with one of the Speedlights used for a remote shutter button. Exposure time was 1/3 seconds, Aperture f/6.3, ISO 100, Focal length 60 mm with manual White balance corrected for the shot using a grey card. The camera was mounted on a KINGJOY 4-way Macro focusing slide rail on a Vanguard Espod CX 204AP series tripod.Inspiration
I am a mature aged university student, and most of my subjects incorporate biology. The study of the natural world has been my passion since I was a child, so when finding such a beautiful arachnid subject, I became excited, and it becomes the centre of attention for me. There was more focus on the spider's behaviour and identification than forethought planned for the photograph although, once it was in the viewfinder I was fascinated with its beauty.Editing
There was very little post-processing of the photo prior to posting; it was a single image heavily cropped from 6000 x 4000 pixels down to 545 x 666 pixels on my computer using Windows Photos application.In my camera bag
Since taking this photograph, I have substantially upgraded my camera bag with a new Canon camera and macro lenses. Presently I usually shoot with a Canon EOS RP combining either a Canon RF 35mm F1.8 IS STM, 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, or regularly still use the Tamron SP AF60mm F/2 Di II LD [IF] MACRO 1:1 Model G005. The Canon RP is used with a battery grip, and I carry four extra Canon LP_E17 batteries for it on longer trips. There may be four Canon 430EX III-RT, speedlights in my camera bag at one time with twelve extra Eneloop pro, 1.2 V, 2450 mAh, 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 being able to carry 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 camera, two different density brushes for lenses and transfer or charging cables for camera.Feedback
My best advice for anyone interested in macro photography is to be patient with yourself and be persistent with the learning experience. It often takes many photos to get an image that is correctly focused when shooting macro 1 to 1 or less. With such a small depth of field in focus, there are two choices from the start; take lots of shots at a different depth of field and stack them together with software, or use the correct size lens for the subject. My rule with lenses is if the subject is tiny, say 5 mm, use ultra macro 25 or 30 mm lenses, If the subject is 1 cm then use 50 to 60 mm lens and subjects above 1 cm in size use 60 to 100 mm macro lenses. There are always exceptions to the rule and what works for one person may not work for another; only 'practice makes perfect'.
