An Itsy-Bitsy Spider, Larger Than Life

Mexican photographer David Alejandro Narváez says this image came largely by luck. For years, he has been experimenting with a range of photographic technologies—macro lenses, reverse lenses, and extension tubes—to illustrate the hidden universe of insects, spiders, and other arthropods. To capture this photo of a female jumping spider (Phidippus arizonensis), Narváez relied on an old-fashioned skill: patience.