Award-Winning Macro Photo Captures Spider Ambush

Summary

Photographer Pete Burford earned a Finalist spot in the Close Up Photographer of the Year competition with his image 'Bee Meal.' The photo depicts a flower crab spider feeding on a bee in Crete, Greece. Burford used a Micro Four Thirds camera and a 1:1 macro lens, employing a tilting LCD screen to shoot upward from beneath the flower, capturing the prey's perspective. The intense sunlight blew out the background, and focus stacking was challenging due to sea breezes.

Key points

• The 'Bee Meal' photo won a Finalist spot in the Close Up Photographer of the Year competition.
• It features a flower crab spider ambushing a bee, with the spider changing color to match its surroundings.
• The photographer used a tilting LCD screen to achieve an unusual upward shooting angle.
• The image was captured with an OM System OM-D E-M1 II and an Olympus M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens.