MonoMad Challenge (Macro) - "The spider is not so black as he is painted"
I am fully convinced that most of you associate a spider with a terrible creature, which mostly evokes panic and the desire to kill it as soon as possible using any effective tool of murder. In photography, spiders are usually immortalized with the use of close-ups, which intensifies horror even more (empty, black eyes in the number of several, and large, hairy jaws – something totally terrifying).
Well, personally, I have nothing against these creatures, but every time I enter a spiderweb in the forest, I start furiously brushing down in fear for my own life (no matter if there is anything on the web or not). In short: they do not have an easy life. Wherever such a spider appears, there is a fear and panic instantly, regardless of the intentions.
What was my surprise when I discovered an exception to this rule! It is about a Phalangium opilio (commonly known as “Daddy Longlegs”), which can be found most often in Europe. I have never felt any disgust towards them (which differs in case of fat Garden Cross Spiders), but in my wildest imagination, I have never suspected that they seem to look so… I would say… ”friendly”. Here, see for yourself.
Camera: Canon EOS 70D + EF-S 55-250mm STM + Raynox DCR-250
Okay, maybe it’s just my feeling, but with a tiny head and a pair of quite normal eyes (as befits a spider, of course), it looks quite different than his frightening cousins straight from the hell. To see this, you just need a proper scale.
For this purpose, I used the Raynox DCR-250 converter. Lured by the possibility of admiring the microcosm, I recently got it in my possession and I admit, it works great. Just put on the lens and it’s ready – we have a pretty good microscope. This is obviously kind of a challenge because you lose a lot of light, and the depth of focus is probably as thick as a sheet of paper. Nevertheless, for such views, it is worth sacrificing and trying to get a good shot. It took me at least an hour when I finally found a perfectly positioned delinquent who didn’t escape at the very last minute before releasing the shutter.
In the end, a small digression. I don’t deny that during the kindergarten and very early stages of primary school, I used to “play” with similar spiders, and as a result of those games, they could lose a leg or two, not intentionally, of course, but just errr... Well, nevermind, it just happened. When I was standing face to face with that creature while taking this photo, I was ashamed of my past actions. Macro photography changes the perspective of looking at the world.