For the record, stacks like this can
not generally be taken in nature. Sometimes I get lucky, but with these I collected the specimens and set them up at home.
Therefore, technically, these are not "nature photos"; they're studio photos.
(I did my best to make everything "authentic," as I took a piece of the foliage on which I captured the specimen, and set everything up in my home studio.)
For those who are interested .... here is my setup:
I start out with a
Thorlabs Aluminum Breadboard, to which I anchor various accouterments. However, because spiders jump (
), I cut and paste a
Ghostline Foamboard overtop of the breadboard ... so that, should a subject jump, I can find him and re-capture him:
The subjects are illuminated by 5 Jansjö LED lights. (I place diffusers over them, not shown, to attempt to replicate "natural light." I almost never use flash.)
The clips
in front hold the flower/plant in place, and then I place the spider on the prop.
The clips
in back hold the "natural background" (another flower/plant, a piece of bark, whatever is appropriate for the species and its environment).
I place my camera (or, sometimes, bellows) on the macro rail and adjust DOF here.
I am actually composing a lengthy article on this subject and will post when complete.
Hope this interests some
