Rainbow Spider Webs

About a two weeks ago, my family had just come back from a holiday (I wasn’t able to go) and with them came the Canon 600D my dad had bought just before they left. I was so excited to use it! One afternoon, I went outside into my backyard and scoured around for something cool to photograph. There was a spider web in the garden and it was perfectly angled on it so that it reflected the sunlight. It was a pretty cool experience as I couldn’t take photos like these with my digital camera. Here’s my best photo.

Source: Me

So a few days after I took the photo, I uploaded it onto facebook so all my friends and members of my uni’s photography society could give me some feedback. One particular guy in the photography society took interest telling me that he was studying the optics of spider webs for his PHD. He asked me whether he could use my photo for his research. I definitely agreed! Any chance I get to be a part of PHD or postgraduate studies is a definite yes. I get to help a fellow scientists, I’ll probably learn something new and I may get credit for it (which is a big plus). So a few days later we met up and transferred my photos to him. 
 

Anyway! The point to this story? I’ve decided to dedicate this post to featuring photos of rainbow spider webs! Or spider webs that are reflecting the sun’s rays because they can be some brilliant photos with an amazing array of colours. Enjoy reading and have a good day! And maybe leave me a comment telling me what you think. P.s. I hope this makes up for my absence :)

Creatures I've Discovered Recently

I've been lucky enough to spot some really cool creatures in the past week. I have posted all these photos onto a website called Project Noah. A website that hopes to document all the world's organisms with the help of everyone on earth who are willing to share their captures. They hope that by making it easy for people to upload and share their encounters with nature, they can build a ecological data collection which will serve as an important educational tool for wildlife awareness and preservation. If you enjoy finding little creatures in your backyard or out in the 'wild', I greatly encourage you to join in and help us discover the great diversity of organisms that live on this Earth.

And here are the little guys I've discovered.

"Chris the Phototog" - Interview with Chris Hansen

I was on Google + when a photo caught my eye. It was a photo of a crawling spider silhouette in front of the sun. It was absolutely amazing! I HAD to look at the blog and find out who took the photo. I discovered that the blog belonged to an American man who blogs about his daily photography adventures. The writer of the blog is Chris Hansen and this is what I learnt about him and about photography.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Even More Peacock Spiders

Back in February I interviewed the Peacock Spiderman: Jurgen Otto (can be read here). Today I'm going to revisit Peacock Spiders (Maratus sp.)and show you the photos of the many other species discovered in Australia. The majority of these spiders have only been recently discovered and photographed. Some species still don't have names.

Maratus volans

Source: Jurgen's Flickr

This was the first peacock spider which Jurgen captured it's courtship dance on video. 

This species is found in Sydney.

Alland Dharmawan Photography Feature

 Alland Dharmawan is an amateur photographer from Indonesia. He is currently still a student but takes joy in photography as a hobby. On Deviantart, he was able to capture the attention of a Daily Deviation with one of his amazing photos showing insights into the small world of ants and their daily dilemmas. Although he is an overall photographer, his macro photography it still intricate and shows the behaviors of a few insects. However, not all of his photography is showcased on his Deviantart page: allanddharmawan, most of his photography is stored on his online portfolio: www.allanddharmawanphotography.co.cc.

I hope you enjoy this feature.

Alland's Daily Deviation given this year: Trying Hard

Tamyl91 Interview - Bugs Show a Playful Side

With 3 Daily Deviations (DD), Tamyl91 is doing pretty well as a amateur hobbyist photographer on Devintart. Tamyl91's real name is Kamil. He lives in Poland where he apparently has "easy access" to the little creatures he captures with his camera. Take a look at his photos and interview!

Dressage - Given a DD in 2010

Velian Jagev Photography Feature

There is a photographer on Deviantart who goes by the name of VJagev. Although a small collection, his gallery is full of amazing macro photos of insects, mainly covered by condensation and droplets of water. He has had one Daily deviation and is surely on his way to a second. I really did think that he could be a professional and had a great interest in insects. However, turned out to be someone who just spends a lot of time outdoors and wants to show extraordinary things to ordinary people.

I hope you enjoy our mini interview. :)

Autumn Beauty

Interview with Dark-Raptor from Deviantart

So if you missed out on what is happening today, take a look at my previous photography feature, which gave a sneak peak into some of Dark-raptor's work and also just some general info about them.
To recap, Dark-raptor is a deviantart account which contains photos taken by Dariusz Kucharski (who also does all the post-processing and uploading of photos) and his wife, Kornelia Kucharska.

So, without further ado, here is my interview Dariusz Kucharsk.

 This received a Daily Deviation in 2011: Calliteara pudibunda by Dark-Raptor

Photography Feature: Dark-Raptor

With 4 daily deviations on Deviantart, it is clear that Dark-raptor has some serious camera skills. For those who don't know about Deviantart, it is a website where artists of all kinds (such as painters, photographers, graphic designers and drawers to name a few) can upload their work, recieve crituques and share their artworks with a greater and global audience. 

I have been following (watching in Deviantart language) Dark-raptor for quite a while now and I've always enjoyed their photos so, I chose to get to know Dark-Raptor and learn about their camera equipment. In my interview with Dark-raptor, I learned that two biologists contributed to the Dark-raptor account, Dariusz Kucharski and his wife Kornelia Kucharska.

Later this week, I will post up the interview with Dariusz Kucharski, who publishes all the photos onto deviantart but, for now, here is a little taste of what's to come. Enjoy!! :)

The Larvae of a Wasp - Digger II

#10 The Dancing Peacock Spider - Interview With Jurgen Otto

In the bushlands of Sydney, lives an most unexpected resident. It is rarely ever seen but if you keep your eyes open, you may spot it. It's a 4mm long spider with the most spectacular array of colours and an even more spectacular dance. This tiny jumping spider is the peacock spider (Maratus volans).

Photo taken by Jurgen Otto Source: Jurgen's flickr