I made a special car trip to hike two kilometres by myself, along a bush track, so I could stand on a rock ledge, in the middle of a cool night at Namadgi National Park, just to take a photograph of the night sky. I think my passion for my hobby is bordering on obsession but I am thoroughly enjoying it. Standing on that ledge, with a clear night sky revealing the millions of stars in a truly black night sky was jaw dropping in its vastness. My photographic ability could not do the scene justice but I enjoyed the opportunity. I also took my macro light with me to take pictures of any little creatures I saw. I enjoyed the dark, where the extent of what I could see was so constrained, making the world seem so small but then contrasting those limits with the boundless heavens above me. There was a tranquility to the night but also a new world where the sound of a kangaroo hopping over the the woodland floor carried much further. It was a really wonderful experience. I hope you enjoy the photographs below.
This is why I was out on that Saturday night, I am still practicing with some night sky photography
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM [ISO 2000, 18mm, f/3.5 and 1/800 SEC])
This Wolf spider was so tiny, less than 1 cm in length. Again, I was attracted by the reflection of its eyes. The spider stayed so still while I was photographing. It was very well camouflaged, even with lights on and looking straight at it, I was not sure if I was photographing a spider or some grey-coloured little rock.
A Wolf Spider
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM [ISO 400, 55mm, f/7.1 and 1/250 SEC] with Yongnuo YN14EX Macro Ring Lite)
As I was about to exit through the gate near the carpark, I noticed the large tree had a Golden Orb Weaver (Nephila edulis) in it. The net still held the detritus of past meals, while the female waited motionless in the middle for more prey. There were several webs around her meaning I was photographing through a web towards her.
Female Golden Orb Weaver
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM [ISO 400, 55mm, f/7.1 and 1/250 SEC] with Yongnuo YN14EX Macro Ring Lite)
I found this moth, not sure of the type, sitting motionless on an external wall at the front of the visitors centre. It was under a light but was not flying around, just resting motionless. The moth was about three centimetres long. In looking at the photographs I was intrigued to see the purple colouring on the insect. Update: The very kind community at Canberra Nature Map have identified this moth as a Russet Crest-moth (Fisera hypoleuca).
A moth on a wall
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM [ISO 400, 44mm, f/7.1 and 1/250 SEC] with Yongnuo YN14EX Macro Ring Lite)