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Garden jumping spider, Opisthoncus sp., at Glenbrook.

Nikon D300, Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D, 20mm tube, SB-800, DIY softbox.

The 1st, 3rd and 4th is one spider and the 2nd is a different one.

Nice detail Andrew. Very nice.

Simply amazing! Beautiful images. Keep it up.

Would you be kind enough to share as to how the softbox was made? I myself own a SB-800 but haven't been able to produce lighting as soft as this when shooting insects.

Kamran,

These were taken with the 3rd of 3 softboxes I have made (well, 4 if you count the original paper prototype). I have written up the first two in my blog:
I made a softbox for my flash
Collapsable softbox

The third one is the same basic design as the first, but is longer and smaller. I specifically designed it for 1:1 and larger where I don't need to have such a large surface for the light as my subjects are much smaller. With a smaller area, I can concentrate the light more and have more flexibility on f/stop. It is also lined with aluminium foil for maximum light making it to the light surface.

Here's a shot of it on my old D70. The lens is focused on the left most flower.



The softbox is not all that glamourous, but gets the job done.