WINNING PHOTO
ELEANOR HATTINGH
Nikon D90
Sigma 105 mm f2.8 macro lens
ELEANOR WRITES: This is Hyllus treleaveni – the biggest species of jumping spider in South Africa. I photographed this beautiful female specimen in Marloth Park, just outside the Kruger Park.
She decided to jump onto my son who is terrified of spiders, so I relocated her to a protea flower and took her portrait.
I used a macro lens with the aperture set to f8, shutter speed 1/320 second and ISO 400.
TOAST SAYS: Eleanor's Sigma 105 mm f2.8 macro lens is a great addition to your camera kit. It doesn't cost a fortune (about R9 000) and it immediately opens up a whole new world. We're easily distracted by the bigger animals and we tend to forget about small critters like spiders and insects.
Most “kit” lenses – the lens you got with your camera – are not great for macro photography. You need a specialist lens. Once you own one and start using it, you'll see fresh photographic opportunities everywhere.
The dazzling eye contact (multiple eyes!) is key here, as it would be with any portrait of a bird or mammal. But I also like the similarity in texture between the spider and the flower. The
