A Jumping Spider's Tummy

Regular readers of this blog will know that I rarely resist the opportunity to photograph a jumping spider. I think this individual is Sitticus pubescens, one of the more common species of jumping spider in the UK. It is also a species I find to be slightly, emphasis on slightly, more co-operative than some other species such as the Zebra Jumping Spider (Salticus scenicus).

This individual posed nicely for a few images and even showed me its underside, something I've not previously photographed.

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A jumping spider's underside:

...and a couple of more conventional views:

All images taken with a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens and a diffused MT-24 flashgun.

Orange Tip Butterflies

Despite Orange Tip butterflies being quite common I've always found it surprisingly difficult to photograph them. They don't seem to be particularly plentiful at my local wildlife sites and the occasional sightings I have made typically involve them flying past with no intention of stopping.

Thankfully my luck changed this year. On a warm day back in April I visited a site and saw a number of Orange Tips on the wing and managed a few images of them feeding on Lady's Smock (Cuckoo Flower). I decided to return early the next day in the hope of finding some while they were still cool. As it turned out I found only two but they had yet to warm up and so posed nicely for me.

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The following 4 images were all taken with the aim of separating the subject from the background.

Canon 7D with Sigma 150mm lens

Canon 7D with Sigma 150mm lens

Olympus OM-D E-M1 with Olympus 60mm macro lens

Canon 7D with Sigma 150mm lens

In this image I deliberately chose to include the butterfly's habitat by shooting with a 35mm macro lens.

And finally, a couple of images of an active male Orange Tip

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Review in WPPM

My review of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 together with the M.Zuiko ED 60mm macro lens has been published in the August 2014 issue of Wild Planet Photography Magazine (WPPM). See here for more information on how to subscribe to WPPM or how to buy this issue.

UPDATE: The text from this review article can now be found in a post on this blog.