Raviprakash was focussing on an entirely different subject near his home in Karnataka, Western Ghats, India, when suddenly he saw a spider’s web burst into ‘flying colours’ in his viewfinder.
Amazed at the sight, he started trying to capture this spectrum of light on the strands of the web. The light faded quickly that evening, but the experience had a profound impact on him. ‘I started capturing only spiders’ webs whenever I went out with my camera,’ he says. He discovered that a web backlit by early morning or evening light created a magical effect when viewed from a particular angle. Each web gave a different result depending on the lighting conditions. Finding suitable webs, though, was no easy task – they were strung between grasses almost at ground level and measured just 10 to 12 centimetres across. To enhance the magic, Raviprakash used the narrow depth of field of a macro lens. The amount of light was critical, and the slightest breath of wind could change the hues and patterns. ‘Photographing this particular web against the rising Sun gave me the most colourful and satisfying pictures,’ he says. Here, the bewitching, rainbow-lit silken strands are overlooked by their tiny architect.
India
As a child, Raviprakash was enthralled by the diverse wildlife around his home in the Western Ghats, India, and longed to hold on to the moments of beauty that he observed in nature. So his father bought him a camera and his photographic journey began. Now with a career as a software engineer, his passion for photography continues, most recently exploring macro techniques.
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