Encounter with the snow white crab spider

Close-up of the white crab spider

A mother and its spiderling

One of the big surprises that landed on my work bench on Monday night was a white crab
spider.These critters are hard to spot and usually lurks around areas with lots of flowers and the right environment for crab spiders are in garden parks.While I was searching around with my Fenix TK-40 high powered LED flashlight, I spotted
a white coloured spider that fits the bill.Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I clipped off the branch where the spider is resting
and took it back to my house and set up a rig to photograph it.My Canon EF100mm F2.8L IS lens would not be able to handle it because the spider
measures about 5mm in length.To get a proper shot, a 2x - 3x magnification lens would do the job.That was when I rigged up my MR14EX ring flash with the MPE-65 F2.8 macro lens.This takes close-up photography to the next level as it is able to capture the spider's facial
features.I have been told that any images that are shot about 3x magnification would be harder than
the usual.Flash Exposure has to be compensated to one or two stops higher.Getting the spider in focus itself had proven to be a challenge.The MPE-65 has a narrow focus band and there are textbook techniques on getting it right.So, I had to focus the subject on 1x and slowly rotate the lens barrel to 3x.The focus lamp on the MR14EX flash did help a lot in getting a focus lock and the rest was
history.I managed to squeeze a few shots, but after looking at the images on my post processing
software, the details are not sharp enough.From this point, I have to work on my focusing and its never easy to zoom in on the
spider's eyes which is roughly the size of a pin head.That said, more work on the focusing and more outing in search of the colourful crab
spider.

Encounter with the snow white crab spider

One of the big surprises that landed on my work bench on Monday night was a white crab
spider.These critters are hard to spot and usually lurks around areas with lots of flowers and the
right environment for crab spiders are in garden parks.While I was searching around with my Fenix TK-40 high powered LED flashlight, I spotted
a white coloured spider that fits the bill.Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I clipped off the branch where the spider is resting
and took it back to my house and set up a rig to photograph it.My Canon EF100mm F2.8L IS lens would not be able to handle it because the spider
measures about 5mm in length.To get a proper shot, a 2x - 3x magnification lens would do the job.That was when I rigged up my MR14EX ring flash with the MPE-65 F2.8 macro lens.This takes close-up photography to the next level as it is able to capture the spider's facial
features.I have been told that any images that are shot about 3x magnification would be harder than
the usual.Flash Exposure has to be compensated to one or two stops higher.Getting the spider in focus itself had proven to be a challenge.The MPE-65 has a narrow focus band and there are textbook techniques on getting it right.So, I had to focus the subject on 1x and slowly rotate the lens barrel to 3x.The focus lamp on the MR14EX flash did help a lot in getting a focus lock and the rest was
history.I managed to squeeze a few shots, but after looking at the images on my post processing
software, the details are not sharp enough.From this point, I have to work on my focusing and its never easy to zoom in on the
spider's eyes which is roughly the size of a pin head.That said, more work on the focusing and more outing in search of the colourful crab
spider.

Canon EF100mm F2.8L IS

My work, published in Starmetro's 'A thousand words' on April 20

The EF100mm F2.8L IS

Canon's EF100mm F2.8L IS macro lens is by far -- one of the most versatile close-up lenses ever to hit the shelves.But with a higher price tag compared to its predecessor the EF100mm F2.8 USM, it may not be far reaching to macro photography enthusiasts.This new lens features Image Stabilization at telefocal length, giving it a secondary function as a portraiture tool.But its primarily a macro lens with 1:1 magnification capability.And with a fast aperture of F2.8, the 100mmL is able to capture images in demanding situations.For me, this is now my primary close-up lens and I am enjoying it a lot.It gives clear and sharp images and having tried it numerous times with my Canon 430EXII flashgun, I've decided to pair it with the MR14EX ring flash.This is the 100mmL's perfect companion and its been producing some really cool shots.Like what my mentor has mentioned earlier, I need to master the MR14EX to produce even better shot.As it is, some of my work with the 100mmL has been published and I am very satisfied with the results.

Canon MPE-65

The only close-up lens that can go beyond 1:1 magnification is the Canon MPE-65.
This beauty can yield shots up to 5:1 close-up and is a preferred tool to many macro photography enthusiast.
In Malaysia, it carries a price tag of RM3,950 which is quite decent.
Its also the only lens in its class to offer 5x magnification for small objects and for a macro photographer, its the ultimate tool to achieve crisp and clear shots of insects that are smaller than 10mm in length.
I have seen the works of master photographers Liew Weng Keong and Kurt G who utilised the lens to its fullest capacity and the results were breathtaking.
Having said that, the MPE-65 is not for everyone.
Its a manual focus lens with a maximum aperture opening of F2.8 and there's very little room
for error even at 1:1 scale.
So, to make room for this lens, there's plenty time to practise my manual focusing skills.
Hopefully, I will get my hands on it and produce some decent shots at high magnification.