Would dew believe it! Photographer captures spiders reflected through water droplets suspended on their webs


comments

From spiders reflected in dew drops nestled on their webs, to ladybirds wearing droplets like backpacks, an Italian photographer has managed to perfectly capture the intricate and delicate qualities of nature.

During walks in Italian wetlands, Alberto Ghizzi Panizza captured wasp spiders, primrose flowers, moths and ladybirds through early morning dew droplets.

The 39-year-old photographer spent hours working out the best angles and distances to capture nature reflected in all its glory.

The intricate shots were taken by 39-year-old Italian photographer Alberto Ghizzi Panizza during early morning walks in wetlands around the Guastalla region of Italy. The macro photographs were captured first thing in the morning using a Nikon D7100 camera. This photo shows a wasp spider reflected in dew drops nestled on its spiral orb web

The intricate shots were taken by 39-year-old Italian photographer Alberto Ghizzi Panizza during early morning walks in wetlands around the Guastalla region of Italy. The macro photographs were captured first thing in the morning using a Nikon D7100 camera. This photo shows a wasp spider reflected in dew drops nestled on its spiral orb web

All the images were shot using a Nikon D7100 camera, with a focal length of 40mm and a two-second shutter speed. Previously, Mr Panizza has used the same equipment and processes to capture damselflies, and snails on lilypads.

He compared the dew drops reflected in the spider's web to a fairground hall of mirrors.

THE WASP SPIDER 

The wasp spider is a species of orb-web spider found across Europe and north Africa.

It gets its name from the yellow, black and white striped on its large abdomen. 

The spider builds its spiral webs at sunrise, or sunset. 

To kill its prey, the female of the species wraps flies and other small insects in silk before biting them.

This bite paralyses the prey and begins dissolving protein in its body.    

Mr Panizza spotted the insects on an early morning walk through the wetlands around the Guastalla region of Italy.

The photographer, from Parma, said: 'I love to take pictures early in the morning surrounded by the sounds of nature.

'I go to this spot many times a week and on this occasion left my car beside the road and walked through a path into the woods.

'In the beginning it was tough to find the insects, but after 10 years of taking pictures, I've trained my eyes to discover them between the flowers. I love the reflections in the drops of dew on the spiderwebs.

'Sometimes I saw spiders cleaning their webs, making the dew fall off.

'Flying insects wait to dry their wings before moving away and this is the perfect moment to take pictures of them.

'You must have a lot of good combinations to take a perfect picture, like the right humidity, light and there should be absolutely no wind.

'But the most difficult thing to work with is the position of the insects, which I normally find hidden between branches and bushes.

'For the drops of dew it's better to take pictures of the smallest ones as these are the perfect spheres.

And he admitted that finding the perfect reflection is the most difficult task when taking such detailed macro photographs.

The wasp spider is a species of orb-web spider found across Europe and north Africa. It gets its name from the yellow, black and white stripes on its large abdomen. The spider builds its spiral webs at sunrise, or sunset. To kill its prey, the female of the species wraps flies and other small insects in silk before biting them

The wasp spider is a species of orb-web spider found across Europe and north Africa. It gets its name from the yellow, black and white stripes on its large abdomen. The spider builds its spiral webs at sunrise, or sunset. To kill its prey, the female of the species wraps flies and other small insects in silk before biting them

This image shows dew drops on a ladybird. Mr Panizza said that flying insects wait to dry their wings before moving away, making it the perfect moment to take pictures of them. He uses focus stacking - a digital process that uses multiple images to create a greater field of depth - to produce the  focus effect

This image shows dew drops on a ladybird. Mr Panizza said that flying insects wait to dry their wings before moving away, making it the perfect moment to take pictures of them. He uses focus stacking - a digital process that uses multiple images to create a greater field of depth - to produce the focus effect

'You have to find the perfect position with the right angulation and the perfect distance from the lens and the subject,' explained the photographer.

'But once you have learned to do so you can see the reflex with your own eyes and not only through the camera.

'I think the fact you can see the insects reflected in each droplet is a normal physical effect because the drops have the same effect of a fisheye lens.

'The first time I saw this I was really surprised and usually people think that the pictures must use Photoshop but it isn't so, it's all done by nature.'

Previously, Mr Panizza used the same process to capture damselflies, snails on lilypads and moths with a primrose flower reflected in a droplet on its back (pictured)
A spider sat on a droplet is pictured. Focus stacking helps to highlight the detail of the insect, the flower it is on, and the dew, for example

Previously, Mr Panizza has used the same process to capture damselflies, snails on lilypads, moths with a primrose flower reflected in a droplet on its back (pictured left), and a spider sat on a droplet (right). Focus stacking helps to highlight to highlight the detail of the insect, the flower it is on, and the dew, for example

Mr Panizza (pictured) said: 'You must have a lot of good combinations to take a perfect picture, like the right humidity, light and there should be absolutely no wind. But the most difficult thing to work with is the position of the insects, which I normally find hidden between branches and bushes. For the drops of dew it's better to take pictures of the smallest ones as these are the perfect spheres'

Mr Panizza (pictured) said: 'You must have a lot of good combinations to take a perfect picture, like the right humidity, light and there should be absolutely no wind. But the most difficult thing to work with is the position of the insects, which I normally find hidden between branches and bushes. For the drops of dew it's better to take pictures of the smallest ones as these are the perfect spheres'

Mr Panizza said he uses focus stacking - a digital process that uses multiple images to create a greater field of depth - to produce the great focus effect.

It helps to highlight the detail of the insect, the flower it is on, and the dew, for example.

Mr Panizza added: 'The big eyed damselflies have a nice face and look funny but it would be better not to see them when they open their mouth.

'They are ferocious predators with the other insects.'

 



IFTTT

Put the internet to work for you.

Turn off or edit this Recipe

0 comments:

Post a Comment