We've all been there. You've seen these beautiful pictures of other people's baby jumping spiders, and now you want to show of yours with some decent jumping spider photography, Yet, every time you try to snap a pic, what you get resembles a dark, blurry blob that may or may not have eyes. Perhaps the picture doesn't show off the colours of your eight-legged friend. Is it the device we're using or the inquisitive spider who will sit still for ages but moves the moment you press the button?
Hopefully, this blog might help you get the best out of your efforts without getting too technical.
Before we get in too deep, I can tell you now that the secret to a good picture is lighting and eyes; which is especially true for jumping spiders as the right catchlight will make those big cartoon eyes of theirs pop. It will also help your device focus adequately, be it a simple camera phone or top of the line digital camera, and you want to get that focus as sharp as possible on those eyes.
Phone Camera
I prefer to use my phone for my blog snaps and day-to-day photos of my jumping spider horde. Mainly because all I need to do is open the camera app, and I am ready to go. Well, almost ready. Most of us forget to use a clean, soft cloth designed for glass to remove any grease and fingerprints, as the lens is on the back of the phone often means we get out hands all over it just scrolling through Facebook.
Take a few moments to familiarise yourself with the different magnifications on your phone. I used a Samsung Galaxy Note10+ for this, and I have three preset modes: 0.5x magnification which gives me a wide-angle great for landscapes, 1x great for everyday snaps and selfies, then 2x, which I use for my spiders. There is a pro option on my phone, but unless you know how to use all of the settings to get the best photo, it's easier to use the standard pre-sets.
(This shot of Jaylah was taken with my phone, a 1 handheld LED light and the light above the enclosure.)
The next step before you press that button is lighting.
You can have an expensive camera with lenses out the wazoo, but there will be no focus if your lighting isn't bright enough. I snap most of my spiders in their enclosures, so the LED lighting above the cage works great and gives pleasing catchlights in their eyes. If the spider is at the wrong angle, or you prefer to take the photos with the spider outside of the enclosure, then you will need a good overhead LED light to light the scene, and perhaps even a smaller handheld one with a small tripod you can move about as the spider does. I like to used simple rechargeable LEDs from Amazon with a tiny tripod, but any LED you can easily position would work fine. Push the lights as close as you can to the subject and remember the bright the better. Angle the light towards the subject but away from you lens; if the light floods the lens this will cause focusing issues,.
Something to remember is that phone cameras don't have the greatest zoom, so you may need to adjust the distance manually; so if something behind the spider is more in focus, then pull back. If the front seems crisper, then move in.
A sign of a good picture is getting the eyes in focus as best you can; if they are the most in focus thing in the picture, then you are on the right track. You won't be able to crop in too tight with a phone before you lose clarity, but it will still be a pretty good pic.
Macro Phone Clip This is a clip that you place over your phone's camera to photograph smaller spiders better than with the phone alone. Because the phone is still doing all the work, all of the above advice is the same for using a macro lens clip. So you will still need great lighting, and as the clip doesn't have a zoom mechanism, you will have to do all the work. Think of this as like glasses for your phone camera; it will make things clearer, but you will still need to go up to something to see it properly. In fact, you'll need to get really close to help get that spider pic, which you can see in this picture of Jaylah.
The clip can be a little cumbersome, so a tripod with a phone grip can help you stabilise, or just mash that button like I do and hope you get at least one shot. The Apexel from Adaptalux seems to be the clip of choice for spider folk, and I can't fault it. It is available on Amazon, but I've found it cheaper buying direct from Adaptalux.
Digital Camera
As the wife of a photographer, this section could go on and on. I only asked if magnification was the right word for phone settings, and it was explained to me in great detail how a phone camera works.
I understood very little.
Here is Jaylah again, posing sweetly for us:
So let me just show you how we set it up as chances are; if you own a digital camera you already know how to use it better than I can explain. If you don't know how to use it, there are better people than me to explain it. Have a look for photography courses in your local area, most are inexpensive and in the evenings to fit around work, most counties even have phtography clubs which are great for meeting new people, listening to talks from up and coming photographers, as well as shows, photoshop sessions, tip and tricks evening, outings and competitions.
For this shoot, we have a fabric backdrop, a specimen holder to allow us to control the angle of the leaf, and a cake turntable so that there is minimal disruption to the spider if they wander off in the opposite direction.
As a spider wrangler, I have a paintbrush to gently guide a jumping spider if necessary, a catching cup for them to run into if they have had enough of the shoot, and the enclosure nearby so that they can go from the shoot to a familiar environment straight away. I also like to up the room's heat to make it more comfortable for the spiders. For shoots like this, it does make it easier to have a spider wrangler.
In terms of lighting, there is an overhead LED on a swing arm to light the scene: the one we use is gripped to a desk, so there is no risk of it toppling onto the spider.
Husband is using a flash with a diffuser: this doesn't light the scene; this freezes the image so that there is little to no motion blur and the diffuser stop the flash from creating harsh shadows.
I am holding a small LED close to the scene; this ensures there is enough light for the lens to focus. The it is just a little time and some luck to capture a worthy shot.
Whatever device you choose, to get the best out of it, make sure you aim for the eyes being the main focus point and that there is more than enough lighting, so think big, bright and close to the subject.
When it comes to the spider, you will know their individual character enough to see if they are not up for it or have had enough. I have rules with my husband when it comes to these shoots:
10 minutes for each spider; if he doesn't get the shot, he doesn't get the shot. If the spider is dashing and jumping about, then the spider is not up for the shoot. If the spider has come out of moult and not yet eaten, then no shoot. If it's feeding day and the spider hasn't eaten, then no shoot. If I even mildly suspect pre-moult, then no shoot. The jumping spider has to be on the enclosure door to participate in a shoot. I won't force them out, chase them about the enclosure or poke them from their hammock or hiding spot. Spiders come first here at Arachnamoria Where possible, try to take pictures of them in their enclosure. If you do set up a scene, make sure the items you use, such as flowers and plants, have not been treated with anything. Any good flower shop will be able to tell you if theirs have been treated or, like with roses, glued to hold their attractive form for longer. If you need to keep them still for a bit to help you then a mouthful of fly will normal ensure a still spood for a good 5 minutes.
I look forward to seeing your shots; professional or just a happy snapper. If you would like more technical advice, please feel free to email me and I'll try my best to help.
