O
ur life in Hong Kong has reached a slower pace moment. We know more, we are stressed less… But it doesn’t mean it gets anywhere close to “boring”. Somewhere along the way you meet people that are a living proof that Hong Kong is not only a typical tourist trap.
It was during a seemingly casual conversation when a topic was introduced. I just shared my primordial arachnophobia with a person that thinks they are cute. She showed me a picture of two huge puppy dog eyes accompanied by a hairy, spaniel-like face. Believe me – impossible not to want to cuddle this sweet thing!
But after enlarging it turned out to be a spider photo. Macro-photo. (title photo above – Gaudy Baron caterpillar)
So this is how they look like up close… not that scary as I always thought. Is it really out there to get and eat me? How is it possible.
And so the story goes…
Sasha Haldane – because she and her friends are the heroes of this story – didn’t plan to become an amateur macro photographer. The reality of the coronavirus met all of us in different places and made us reschedule our lives. Instead of the flight abroad, you go hiking in the neighborhood!
On one of those trips, Sasha saw a golden gleam on the path. It moved, winking at her. She took her phone to look closer… The zoom was not much but there it was! A little guy of the light brown and golden colors (Telamonia spider, on the right). He looked straight into the camera, tilted his head, and said “Hi!”.
Where to spot them?
By now you are probably panicking or hopefully not. Although the insect world is all around us, it is not that easy to spot it. Sasha says that we normally pass it by, oblivious to its wonders. It is only when we choose to stop and look around us we can see it. A train made of ants, a cicada hiding between the leaves, a stunning green mantis looking like a Warcraft dragon.
Are they dangerous?
Sasha smiles at me and I can almost read her mind. Are we really afraid of something smaller than a fingernail (just look at the tiny Phintelloides versicolor on the left)? Like any animal, when threatened they can attack – but normally they run from us – the bigger and scarier predators. They have venom but only to hunt in the insect kingdom. And even if they bite – well, the mosquitos do it all the time and somehow, we manage.
How is it that this fear is so embedded in us. And how is it that Sasha is not afraid of them. She cannot answer, although she shares a story of a kid who loved ALL the animals.
Heroes
Her greatest love in Hong Kong is this small fellow that first said “hi” to her. She learned that it belongs to the jumping spider family. Her Instagram is full of them – going about their everyday business and watching everything with their puppy-dog eyes. From up close they look like they are covered in fur, but it is a more complicated apparatus. Two big palps look like mustaches of some long-lost uncle from another era (they also say that this is a male; Cytaea spider on the right). The Portias jumping spiders are adorable, sought by many scientists and insects’ lovers in Hong Kong. And what is the best of it all – they are highly intelligent! Check this video from the dailymotion page.
The praying mantis is my personal favorite. There is something special in its shape. Her slow movements remind me of the Cantonese people on Ma Wan who practice tai chi every day. It is mesmerizing, I could watch it for hours… the mantis invokes the same feelings. They also come in different varieties, the green being the one that comes to mind first.
But then, a sleeping one? Japanese Boxing mantis looks like a dragon, don’t you think. Just look at her head…
After 3 months Sasha switched to an Olympus TG-6. It is a simple small camera, perfect for a single-zoom-macro-photos (although she says, it is not that good for landscapes’ pictures. Buy with purpose and do your homework before that).
(Arctornis caterpillar on the right)
What are her recommendations for those who want to start with the macrophotography of the insects?
Look around you and start to notice the life around you. On my trips I do dozens of photos from different angles – you normally want to have a front-eye photo, shape or back/from above shots. A picture is not obvious, you need to follow them, they run away from you. But you need to be patient, calm, respectful, let them go around their life and be the observer.
Watch out for the creatures with their prey. Firstly – they can be more cautious or aggressive in their defensive behaviour. Secondly – you can ruin everything for them.
(On the left – Stupifer with inch worm)
We are accustomed that only the butterflies are the beautiful ones… But look at this amazing thing – this is where the pastel colors come from! It is impossible that a thing like that even exists, but then it does. The photo of this particular one was even used in an advertisement already! It is just a leafhopper, pale blue from afar, but then with a camera lens… the magic happens!
(the beauty on the right is called Geisha distinctissima)
This fellow is not a butterfly or a moth. It is a lantern bug, which is sometimes referred to as a lantern-fly. Just look at these wings… Royal families and aristocracy of Europe were wearing clothes like that at some point. The insects are strongly tied to the mango or lychee trees which are the home of the whole generation.
Dragonflies are a sight for sore eyes as well. In Poland, they are tiny and like to fly close to the lakes. You normally see a green arrow passing next to you or do not notice it at all. But leave it to Hong Kong macro world to amaze you.
I do not know how you feel, but Sasha made my fear of the spider lessen a bit. I am really looking forward to seeing them from up close. And I will probably enlarge my ceiling neighbor next time I see him. If you want to see more of Sasha’s works – just follow her on Instagram or check the latest youtube podcast about her!
And if you want to see even more – come to Hong Kong for a visit and a hike or go to your nearest park 😊
(photos going from the left – crimson dropwing dragonfly, Hemiptera family beetle, mimic spider with ant, Rustic caterpillarcrimson dropwing dragonflycrimson dropwing dragonfly)