Where I went, what I found, and how the photos were made. Most stories have a video on my YouTube channel too.
After it rains, spiders come out to the sunny side of the fence to warm up and dry off. I found five different jumping spiders in one hour without leaving our garden — including the zebra spider that stared straight into my lens.
Early morning is cheat mode for macro: the bugs are cold, so they sit completely still, and everything is covered in dew drops. Dad drove me to the meadow before work. Worth it — this is where the ladybird-in-dew photo comes from.
Bare flash makes bugs look like plastic toys — harsh white spots on every shiny surface. A diffuser makes the light big and soft. I show the same beetle shot both ways so you can see exactly what changes.