Arthropods and Invertebrates
Winnaar categorie en overall winnaar
René Krekels (1)
Own house
100mm; 1/100s at f/14; ISO 320
On the ceiling above the sofa hangs an egg sac, carefully guarded by a mother spider. She sometimes catches a fly, but quickly returns to her nest. The eggs hatch at the same time and every day the young grow bigger. I photographed them while balancing on the sofa, with one foot on the backrest and the tripod on the seat.
Runner-up
Alex Pansier (2)
Suezkade, Den Haag (Zuid-Holland)
42mm; 1/1250s at f/11; ISO 1600
Spider moths in the city cover trees and bicycles with a grey, almost ghostlike layer. Curious residents came to watch as I placed a black background and lay on the ground to photograph a bicycle wheel, turning an everyday scene into a graphic landscape.
Eervolle vermeldingen
Sophie Mijnhout (3)
Dalfsen (Overijssel)
100mm; 1/60s at f/18; ISO 100
At first it is not clear what you are looking at. Soft hairs and light patterns fill the image, until you notice a sharp claw. It shows two mating May beetles. Using a macro lens, I captured this quiet moment without disturbing them.
Helene de Hooge (4)
Oostvaardersplassen (Flevoland)
60mm; 1/250s at f/16; ISO 1250
During a walk I spotted this caterpillar holding tightly onto a reed in the wind. Because of the movement, I focused on the legs. That made the image more interesting to photograph.
Simon Hazenberg (5)
Veluwezoom (Gelderland)
100mm; 1/200s at f/8; ISO 400
The salsque spider was first photographed in the Netherlands in 2010. It prefers sunny forest edges. This one sat on the trunk of a Scots pine with warm colours. I photographed it by hand.
Mirjam Weel (6)
Eindhoven (Noord-Brabant)
85mm; 1/160s at f/9; ISO 200
While walking my dog, I noticed weeds along the pavement with brightly coloured caterpillars in the sun. At home I grabbed my camera and returned, this time prepared to capture the scene.
Piet Haaksma (7)
Own house
150mm; 1/25s at f/11; ISO 1000
I followed these spider nests on my garden shed from egg to birth. I photographed from inside the shed. The challenge was not the weather, but the low light and the speed of the spiders moving through the web.
