Marbled orbweaver, Home

One of my biggest internal debates is always over whether I should invest in macro or telephoto equipment. Now, of course the perfect answer would be "both"—and we can throw in a new camera body, too... all the better to run the terrific lenses. But... reality check... probably the right answer these low-income-retirement-days is "neither," so I have to make do with what I have, which is primitive or borrowed... and workable. Armed with my ancient 55mm Nikon Micro and a small LED video light, I've been prowling the night for creatures to "capture," and one I've had my eye on is a small but growing Marbled Orb Weaver spider. While I was trying to get close enough for a good shot, the spider, obviously annoyed, dropped down to the leaf litter and actually gave me a better shot. My equipment may be old—so am I, for that matter—but it still functions quite well enough, as does, happily, the photographer.