Lights! Cameras! Arachnids! And lizards and bees and beetles. Macro photography is like magic: curved glass gives an entirely new take on the world, from dust on a cricket’s brow to a curious mantid stare to the elegant symmetry of spider whiskers. Joseph Saunders is an Oklahoma-based wildlife photographer whose larger-than-life photos of bugs and reptiles will make you realize just how little we appreciate the creatures on our window sills and skittering up our porches. We talk shop about cameras, bug hunts, lenses, patience, Moth Week, BlackAFinSTEM, and also getting into nature with different mobility concerns. Alie is a shameless, rabid fan of Joseph and asked Patrons to help concoct an -ology to describe the art + science of his macro photography. Aperiology now exists to describe the tiny aperture used to keep these creatures in focus, and the huge world it opens up to us.

Support Joseph’s photography at Patreon.com/jdmonroe

Joseph’s website: https://paraherpetologica.com/

Follow Joseph at www.instagram.com/reelsonwheels

Follow him at Twitter.com/jdmonroe210 or twitter.com/BlackAFinSTEM

A donation went to the American Chronic Pain Association: www.theacpa.org/

Sponsor links: kiwico.com/ologies;

For more links: alieward.com/ologies/aperiology

Transcripts & bleeped episodes at: alieward.com/ologies-extras

Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month: www.Patreon.com/ologies

OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, pins, totes and uh...bikinis? Hi. Yes.

Follow twitter.com/ologies or instagram.com/ologies

Follow twitter.com/AlieWard or instagram.com/AlieWard

Sound editing by Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media & Steven Ray Morris

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

Support the show: http://Patreon.com/ologies