About
I’m a macro photographer and citizen scientist studying Salticidae, with an emphasis on biology and taxonomy. I’ve been fascinated by the animal kingdom since I was young, when I loved to catch handfuls of grasshoppers, determine which types were the scarcest, and then release them and do it all over again. I loved hiking and took up birding and herping as hobbies. In 2017, I broadened my scope and became deeply fascinated by the “creepy crawlies” that many people tend to despise. That fall, I came across an adult pair of Phidippus tyrrelli by chance, and witnessed a jumping spider courtship for the first time. I was instantly captivated, and have since spent most of my time in nature looking for and studying these spiders and their prey.
My photographs are taken with a Canon 80D body, paired with the Canon MP-E 65mm Macro lens and a custom twin flash and diffuser setup. Many of my images are handheld rapid-fire focus stacks merged with Affinity Photo software, which ranged from 2-6 images typically, depending on how long the spider decided to stay still.
I hope that my photos here will help people to appreciate the beauty of jumping spiders and inspire many more to explore the world of Salticidae in greater depth. I thank God for his incredible design in nature, my family for their support, and Coram Camilleri for his invaluable assistance in the field.
