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The Tiniest Valentine Series



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This was the smallest jumping spider I have ever seen. Shot with a Canon PowerShot SD1100IS 8.0MP at 4x zoom. So cute! A Heartshaped bottom....
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This was the smallest jumping spider I have ever seen. Shot with a Canon PowerShot SD1100IS 8.0MP at 4x zoom. So cute! A Heartshaped bottom.
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Soggyfroggy70 gwenstrickland-rudderham kukungaler Joecas
Jaw Dropping
danielmartin desertpagan
Absolute Masterpiece
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Exceptional Contrast
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rayzich
Superb Composition
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25 Comments | Report
goober20101
 
goober20101 July 15, 2011
nice shot.....congratulations on your feature
anitania PRO+
 
anitania July 15, 2011
nice shot grats on your feature
robinalaniz
 
robinalaniz July 15, 2011
I love this! Congrats on feature. I would love to have this in my group "Look at Me"
abezwiliams4
 
abezwiliams4 July 15, 2011
Congrats on the feature! nice job
Picture-It-All
 
Picture-It-All July 15, 2011
Nice shot. Congrats.
aprilrena
 
aprilrena July 15, 2011
Congrats on your feature! Great shot!
AZ Cowgirl PRO
 
AZ Cowgirl July 15, 2011
Gave me shivers...eek! Congrats!
Parul
 
Parul July 15, 2011
Great Macro shot. Congrats!
angiebanta
 
angiebanta July 15, 2011
Super Macro!! Congrats on your well deserved feature!
shema PRO
 
shema July 15, 2011
very nice shot, and he is cute!
thegigibun
 
thegigibun July 15, 2011
congrats on feature photo
jesusfreak3520
 
jesusfreak3520 July 15, 2011
Congrats on the feature! Great photo!
inka
 
inka July 15, 2011
Great macro! Congratulations on the feature!
SusiStroud Platinum
 
SusiStroud July 15, 2011
Congratulations on your Feature - awesome close-up
rmcalpine
 
rmcalpine July 15, 2011
great macro! Congratulations on your feature!
kari357
 
kari357 July 15, 2011
Congrats...cool shot
Wayne_Sr PRO+
 
Wayne_Sr July 15, 2011
Awesome capture, congratulations on your feature photo!
DiabloDeb
 
DiabloDeb July 18, 2011
Very cool, I love spiders.
jemoore76
 
jemoore76 March 10, 2012
Great macro, nicely done!!
drakkardarkblade
 
drakkardarkblade April 27, 2012
Fantastic!
desertpagan
 
desertpagan September 15, 2012
Wow! Now that is tiny! Great job!!
elenayuyuanneimeyer
 
elenayuyuanneimeyer December 07, 2012
That's an extremely good picture, especially since you used a compact camera. I applaud you. Shows you don't need a fancy, adjustable lens after all.
rayzich
 
rayzich December 08, 2012
Great shot! Awesome!
nilloc223
 
nilloc223 February 03, 2013
Wow looks great!
danielmartin
 
danielmartin November 26, 2013
They are sooooo Cute! Bravo! GREAT Macro!
See all

Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo in my own backyard in the High Desert of California. 99% of my photos are taken in my own backyard. This photo was very early on in my discovery of my macro setting and I have not stopped shooting macro since. It is surprising what you can find in your own backyard, if you just look down.

Time

I shot this photo in the early morning winter sun. It was February and cold, once the sun comes out the jumping spiders begin to awaken and hop around to get the warmth of the sun and some breakfast hunting in. The morning is the most successful time to shoot the Jumping Spider, in my experience. The warm months are the best, but as you see in this photo, the winter still reveals a few of them.

Lighting

I am obsessed with natural sunlight. I love to shoot in all hours of the day, especially at sunset which is my personal favorite as it casts that magical glow onto everything it touches. As it relates to jumping spiders specifically, I try to be conscious about what type of reflection will be seen in their eyes...a lot of my photos of them you can see my camera reflected back in their large center eyes. Sometimes I want that look and other times I want the solid black of their eyes with just a glint of the sun on them. The truth is, they do not post for you. You get what you get and if you are lucky, it looks great. Sunlight with a bit of shadow reveals the interesting texture of their markings. I shoot creatures in their natural state, never posed or moved out of their environment.

Equipment

My equipment for this shot was simply my camera. A Canon PowerShot Digital Elph SD1100IS. I do not use a flash since I am in the daylight sun and I have never had an external lens or any other equipment. I do not have a tripod because I get down on the ground very close to my subjects and a tripod would just get in my way. My subjects (mainly jumping spiders and insects) are on the move, so I am never stationary for long. I still shoot with PowerShot Cameras, only now I have a Canon PowerShot SD970IS, it has better resolution and still has the "Digital Macro" setting that allows me to get this close to my subjects. I love not having any equipment to carry, but someday I hope to get a larger camera with an external macro lens and to take a photography class to improve.

Inspiration

I was getting some sun, sitting on my back stoop when I saw this little guy. When I say little, I mean little...he was about 5mm and hopped out on a piece of wood next to me. Sometimes I see the shadows the spiders cast as they jump, before I see them. Their colors blend so well with the desert substrate that a tiny moving shadow is the best indicator of my subjects. This shot was taken very early in my photography, I had just recently moved from shooting plants and flowers to the insects that were on and around them. I quickly fell under the spell of the jumping spiders. The way they interact with you when you photograph them is a wonderful experience. The are curious and aware. They even jump right on your camera sometimes. Needless to say, I never resist photographing a jumping spider!

Editing

I do not edit my photos. What I shoot, is what you get. I prefer the natural image, maybe because for me, I have an emotional connection to the moment that I do not want to alter. My photography is as much about watching animal behavior and researching what I photograph, as it is about the actual image. Each shot I take is a learning opportunity for me and I enjoy that so much. What results in the photo is hopefully a beautiful memory of learning.

In my camera bag

What bag? Ha. No bag, just my camera in my back pocket of my jeans, ready to be pulled out at any moment I stumble upon a little, beautiful creature.

Feedback

My advice to others trying to do close up macro work is simple...patience. Once you sit in a spot for a while you scan the area nearby...you learn to distinguish the movements of different insects and spiders. You learn the difference between a hop of a Jumping Spider and the mad dash of a Honeypot Ant, a flight of a Carpenter Bee versus a quick dive bomb of a wasp and you just let their world reveal itself to you. Capture what you like, get in close, crawl on the ground, don't be afraid to get dirty. Wear your play clothes. Anyone can do this macro thing, even with a small camera. My secret is to make sure your camera has the "Digital Macro" setting, which is different than just the regular "Macro Setting". Look deeper into the settings on your point and shoot camera, you just might have it already! Most importantly, have fun!

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