My final project for my photography class (183) is a photobook of jumping spiders I photographed, I figured I would turn it into an online version as well. Over the semester I photographed various bugs and spiders but my favorite subject are the jumpers. Their natural curiosity makes them such good models (that and they are my favorite animal). Enjoy my custom cover and 20 of what I believe to be my best jumping spider photos.
click the link to see the slideshow/image carousel and from there click on the arrows to go back and forth between the images.
“Thomas Shahan was born in Oklahoma and developed an early interest in both art and nature. His love for drawing and illustration led him to study at the University of Oklahoma, where he pursued a degree in art.” (“Thomas Shahan: My Neighbor Spider”). According to a 2013 article he was 24 in 2013, and since it was published in February we can assume he’s 37 or 38 currently (depending on if he had his birthday yet). He specializes in macro photography and has numerous photos of my favorite subject, jumping spiders.
Thomas uses photo stacking to create his photos, which pays off and makes the subject matter crisp.
Female Jumping Spider - Phidippus regius - Florida
This first image show a female jumping spider tilting her head. She's probably observing Thomas, the man behind the lens and figuring out what he is. I love her fang color and the showcasing of the orange and pink. What a gal.
This one shows a male of the Habronattus genus. This one helps to show the distinction between male and female for most jumping spider species. His little pedipalps (the arms that are in front of his fangs) are less hairy than females and the ends are more bulbous, often described as 'boxing gloves'.
Anterior Median Eyes of an Adult Female Paraphidippus aurantius
This one is a closeup of an adult females eyes. You can see the texture of her fur so well and the varied coloration. I think you can also see the camera in her eyes reflection. Such a curious lady.
His response to this question in Thomas Shahan: My Neighbor Spider is honestly my opinion as well and it really speaks to me.
"'What is your attitude to people who are scared of insects even on photos?'
'I understand that for some people, bugs—and spiders in particular—can evoke some unpleasant emotions. Widespread misconceptions and irrational fears have created a general disgust of spiders among the public, sadly causing them to be widely feared and worse yet – unappreciated.
I can only hope that through my close-up views, many people’s disgust will turn to reverence and they will realize that arthropods in general are beneficial neighbors – not pests.'"
I also hope that my photos help people see bugs as non-threatening and even friend shaped.
click keep reading for sources used
Kaninsky, Martin. “Thomas Shahan: Unraveling the Intricate World of Macro Photography — about photography.” About Photography, 5 Feb. 2024, aboutphotography.blog/photographer/thomas-shahan.
Roeselien Raimond is a Dutch nature photographer. “Originally trained as an art therapist, Roeselien later worked as a web designer before following her true passion: nature.” (Roeselien Raimond Fine-Art). She seems to be somewhat private in her personal life for I could not find a birthdate. She is primarily known for her fox photography and is recognized worldwide for it. I will, however, be talking about her insect photos.
U Talkin’ To Me?
Rare Predatory Bush Cricket (Saga Hellenica) doing a staring contest with me.
The first image that caught my eye is this one of a bush cricket. It’s such a silly picture of the bug doing a staring contest. It really captures the eyes with its eye contact. I like how you can see how its eyes are made up and the little spikes on its arms meant for grabbing prey.
Cleopatra Butterfly (Gonepteryx cleopatra)
The next one is this Cleopatra butterfly. I love the green contrasting with the purple. Also the fluffy body of the butterfly is a huge plus. You can even see the segmentation of the wings. This photo gives so much character to the butterfly that most people overlook because they don’t take the time to observe the little guys.
Red Wood Ant (Formica polyctena)
This one is really funny to me. You can hear the lower ant going “brother help” as he dangles from the plant they’re holding together.
It’s hard to capture moments like this because bugs like to move so you have to be skilled enough and lucky enough to be able to capture them.
click keep reading for sources used
Roeselien Raimond Fine-Art. “Contact Roeselien Raimond to order fine art prints or stock.” Roeselien Raimond Fine-Art, 7 Aug. 2025, www.roeselienraimond.com/contact.
Alex Wild is primarily an American entomologist who “is curator of a 2 million specimen university insect collection in central Texas” (“About Alex”). He was born in 1973 and became a serious photographer in 2002 (“Alex Wild”).
I’ve selected 3 of his jumping spider photos because I love them dearly (jumping spiders and the photos). He has various pictures of many invertebrates and specializes in ants but these are the ones that captured my heart. All of these use a Canon EOS 7D with a Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo lens.
Phidippus audax
Up close with a Phidippus jumping spider (Salticidae). Urbana, Illinois, USA
This one really captures the soul and curiosity of these little guys. Jumping spiders in my experience make excellent models because of their natural curiosity, they'll just look up at the camera like "?". You can tell its looking at something above the cameras focal point, probably Alex himself.
The saucer-shaped eyes of Phidippus jumping spiders help them to track and capture prey. Urbana, Illinois, USA
This next one the spider is looking directly at the camera. I love the little dew drops you can make out on her head. These photos just trigger the cuteness aggression in me so badly.
Paraphidippus aurantius
Portrait of a female jumping spider.
Urbana, Illinois, USA
The third picture is a full body of a jumping spider. I think she either doesn't notice him, or doesn't care about him. What a determined hunter.
I've already taken many jumping spider pictures but given that they're my favorite animal I love seeing other people photograph them.
click keep reading for sources used
“Alex Wild.” Catherine Jackson Photography Portfolio, catherinephotographygcse.weebly.com/alex-wild.html.
“Call of the (Alex) Wild.” UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, 3 June 2025, ucanr.edu/blog/bug-squad/article/call-alex-wild.
Laughlin, Mark, and Mark Laughlin. “The insect worlds of Alex Wild.” Smile Politely — Champaign-Urbana’s Culture Magazine, 26 Jan. 2022, www.smilepolitely.com/culture/the_insect_worlds_of_alex_wild.
Locke, Charley. “Objects in the Camera May Be Smaller Than They Appear.” WIRED, 28 Feb. 2018, www.wired.com/gallery/giving-bugs-their-close-up
Wild, Alexander L. Curriculum Vitae. University of Texas at Austin, n.d.,https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/student/coursedocs/nlogon/download/10278968/
Shipman, Matt. “Shoot What You Know: an Interview with Alex Wild.” Science Communication Breakdown, 23 May 2016, sciencecommunicationbreakdown.wordpress.com/2013/10/28/alex-wild.
“Stories by Alex Wild.” Scientific American, www.scientificamerican.com/author/alex-wild.
Timmer, John, and John Timmer. “A properly licensed gallery of Alex Wild’s amazing insect photography.” Ars Technica, 25 Sept. 2014, arstechnica.com/science/2014/09/a-properly-licensed-gallery-of-alex-wilds-intriguing-insect-photography.
I did a total of 65 daily photos, with multiple days having multiple photos. Once I got into the habit of going outside to take photos, it became easy. Once I hit the fifty-photos minimum requirement, I was easier on myself and didn’t do it every day, but still went out to stalk bugs at least once a week. Over the semester, I think I improved at focusing my lens and finding the things I wanted to photograph. I was also able to observe various stages of life since this was during the spring semester. I saw various eggs, nymphs, chrysalises, and adults.
I don’t think I would do anything differently, except maybe wear sunscreen more often. This project has made me more obsessed with bugs and critters (which I didn’t know was possible), and in addition to sharing my photos on my Tumblr blog, I also shared them with Discord servers I’m a part of, which inspired some of them to start photographing wildlife. I’ve also successfully convinced some of my friends that bugs are neat and even pretty sometimes.
I think being able to show off my photos to my friends as I go off on another tangent about the bug I’m showing off engages them more, and they always seem curious and excited to see my photos and hear more about how I figured out what type of bug the critter I photographed was (I mainly figure them out through iNaturalist or the entomology subreddit).
I’m probably going to continue photographing critters and post them on various platforms. I post most of them as observations on inaturalist.org, and I like browsing through the wildlife that I might see one day. I think it’s fun being able to contribute data like the sighting of an animal and then receive confirmation that it is the animal I thought it was.
Thank you for going on this journey with me as I explored the mini world of bugs.
tangentwithtanner