Weird Jumping Spider
Portia Spider hunting
Portia Spider hunting
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Jan, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photograph was taken in my garden in Kwa-Zulu-Natal, South Africa. I was trying out a new macro lens on an older body to see the effect and my son mentioned there was a weird bug in the bathroom. We managed to get the bug to leave via the window and I went outside and he was on a leaf outside the bathroom. It is a Portia SpiderTime
The photo was taken late afternoon early eveningLighting
I had to used the pop up flash as the light was getting low and the trees in the garden were creating quite a but of shade.I did not have time to get my off body flashes and other kitEquipment
The equipment used was : Canon 650D(older body), 100 mm Macro lens with a 25mm tube Settings: ISO 800, 1/197 sec Exposure, f/5.66, Flash handheldInspiration
It was all really opportunity at the moment, and it was all kind of the right time at the right place (For both spider and myself). He did not move too quickly at first and I was able to get off a few shots before he became camera shy and bolted into the thick leaves.Editing
Not much post processing. I use the canon DPP software as I really like the noise reduction and sharpening they provide and I do not play a lot in Lightroom or PS. A little bit of a crop and noise reduction due to the 800 ISO (the 650D chip can be a bit noisy at times). The flash did help a lot.In my camera bag
That is a long story I have 3 bags of different sizes and depending on the situation or trip I decant and fill up accordingly. Macro, bird photography wildlife and scenic all get different contents re bodies and lenses. For Macro it is normally a Canon 6D 100 mm macro and sometimes a 25mm tube. I use a mono-pod a lot but do take a tripod along. I have two flashes and external battery, plus remotes brackets and reflectors. One of my most trusty devices is a small fold able 3 legged stool. I sometimes also take my 70D as the focus point setup is easier for insects in flight with more focal spots than the 6D. Most of this will fit into the medium bag. For quick trips I kit up at home and put the rig in the back of the car with the seats down and all I have to do is grab and go when I get to the shoot somewhere in the bush. We are lucky in South Africa we have a lot of natural nature type areas to do wildlife inc macro shoots.Feedback
Start simple. I started with a reverse 50mm old Minolta lens but if you can afford a macro lens all the better. You should have a flash and can start with a pop up but you will need to migrate to something off camera and a possibly ring (I still don't have a ring and do OK). The most important thing is patience and move slowly. I tend to d-stress in the wild environment and wait for the bugs to show up where there are wild flowers.It can take hours (so have a beverage or two handy). Always go in a group especially in Africa there are aggressive two legged opportunists and your kit costs money. In closing you may want to experiment a bit on plastic bugs before you try the real thing just to get the hang of focusing and how close you can get etc. Good luck have fun
