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Simone Baumeister's Image
Simone Baumeister (Germany) shows an orb weaver spider on its web on a pedestrian bridge, silhouetted by lights from the cars below.
To achieve this kaleidoscopic effect, Simone reversed one of the six glass elements in an analogue lens.
This distorted the image at the edges while leaving the centre sharply focused.
She then cropped the picture to move the spider slightly off-centre.
In urban environments, orb weaver spiders often spin webs near artificial lights that attract insects at night.
The web acts as an extension of their sense organ. It gathers sound and transmits vibrations, including those of prey, to their legs.
Behind the lens
Simone Baumeister
Germany
For several years, Simone has been spending almost every free minute with her camera in nature. Almost without exception, her photos are taken in the wider area around where she lives. She likes to spend long periods of time with one species and her biggest realisation is that you don’t need to travel far to keep discovering new things. There are little discoveries to be made on your own doorstep every day.
Image details
- Canon EOS R5
- Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50mm f1.8 lens
- 1/250 at f2.8 (-1.33 e/v) • ISO 1250
- Ibbenbüren, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
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