Arachnophobia

Arachnophobia, a photo by Megan Lorenz on Flickr.

Let me start by saying "I am NOT a girly girl". I don't mind doing what it takes and getting dirty to capture the shot I'm after, I'm enthusiastic but not bubbly and I don't get scared easily. I'll happily do anything for an adrenaline rush and face any fears that I do have if I know the experience itself is something that will make my heart race. I've faced my fear of heights while practically balancing on a 100 metre cliff over the ocean and my fear of sharks and other demons in the water.

There's one thing I'm NEVER going to be ok with. Spiders. I see a spider and all of a sudden I'm turned into one of those girly girls that needs someone to make it go away. I don't care what you do, just make it disappear and do it fast. Screaming usually ensues.

Within a few nights of arriving at Selva Verde this year, we were sitting at our table and we had a situation. I say "our table" because it was unofficially "reservado" for us. Best table at the lodge....closest to the bar, the only one with a plug for the laptop right beside it and located in a place that made chatting with our friends possible when they had a few moments here and there. Only one person made the mistake of sitting at that table on our trip and he quickly offered to move. He bent down to pick up his stuff and by the time he turned around I already had the gear there and was sitting with my "pink something" umbrella drink satisfied that all was right in the world.

I'm kind of like Sheldon in the Big Bang Theory.

"But that's where I sit!"

Anyway, while sitting there with a big grin on my face after chasing away the intruder....it happened. I felt something crawl down my shirt and knew it must be one of the god knows how many species of huge nasty spiders. I immediately jumped up, made some incoherent bursts which were from sheer terror, spilled my drink and started jumping up and down while screaming. I lost all control. Totally unhinged.

Now the problem with my choice of table location was clear. Our Bartender and friend Gerardo was looking at me, laughing and shaking his head. "Crap. Now he thinks I'm one of those girly girls." He's too much of a gentleman to ever say anything but I'm sure I got a couple of embarrassing nicknames that night. I never did find whatever it was that decided to take his last stroll in such a dangerous spot.

After that I decided to face the fear. Some of the spiders in Costa Rica are actually really interesting and I spent some time watching a few of them build their webs and trap food which was spun & wrapped before being left in a good spot. It's amazing that I got this shot because it required me to break all my rules and get within a foot of the spider (voluntarily!!!) and maintain a level of control that I usually lack when in their presence. A few times I was only 6 inches away with the macro lens and close up filters and I refused to run in terror until I had a shot I was happy with.

Accomplished.