Krisztina Mácsai Unexpected guest - Nature Photographer of the Year

Name: Krisztina Mácsai
Picture title: Unexpected guest
Category: People’s Choice
Nationality: Hungary
Occupation: I am a call center team leader and on demand, I also do photo sessions occasionally. I have been in macro/nature photography for c.a 4 years.

Technical information
Camera: Nikon D7500
Lens: Laowa 100mm 2.8
EXIF: Shutter speed: 1/80s, ISO-200, F-stop: N/A (manual lens, with no apperture info)
Accessories: Godox V1 flash, diffuser

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
Krisztina Mácsai | Unexpected guest

Krisztina Mácsai says:

I found this abandoned wasp nest in my garden. Jumping spiders love to hide in small places, so I thought it might be interesting to introduce the nest to the spider, who was wandering on my backyard patio. As expected: he loved it!

The spider was exploring the wasp nest with confidence, and after a little while, he settled down in one of the abandoned tubes and turned his attention to me. Jumping spiders are very attentive, they like to observe my gear, especially the diffuser. I always find it fascinating how they are looking around curiously, trying to decipher what they are staring at. Usually, I like to portray spiders in vivid, colorful environments, but in this case, I especially liked that the colors of the spider matched the colors of the nest, making it a good hiding spot for the spider.

Krisztina Mácsai

Hungary

I was always fond of photography but I started to take it “seriously” only a couple of years ago. Macro photography was the field I was immediately drawn to. I was fascinated by the tiny world beneath our feet. I became a self-taught macro photographer and absorbed the knowledge I found on the internet like a sponge. I experimented until I developed my own routines. Last but not least I use macro photography to fight my arachnophobia. I know it sounds contradictory, but facing your biggest fears, trying to understand them and realizing how interesting and amazing they are, really helps. I have made it my mission to show a side of these tiny little creatures that maybe only a few people know and hopefully even get to like through my pictures.