i hate spiders. i know they eat bugs, and they help the gardens and all that happy-talk. but i have a history with arachnids and it ain’t made of pretty memories. i posted this from yesterday’s walk in the park because i thought i might be able to pass on a shooting tip. this was hand-held. usually, simple breathing, or the motion of your heart pumping moving your body will take you out of focus as you stand there. DSLR cameras have an autofocus selection called AI Servo on Canons, not sure what on Nikons. this adjusts focus as the object moves. but if it’s you moving, it will also adjust the focus. not a guarantee of a tack-sharp image, but i’ve gotten more sharper images using this technique in close-focus shots, than using the normal autofocus setting of one-shot.
5280 Lens Mafia 
Now that you’ve overcome your fear of spiders, take a picture of a clown. A close-up.
i’ve done enough self-portraits, thank you.
Unlike you, I really love spiders. I find them utterly fascinating and weirdly beautiful. This is a wonderful shot. I could absolutely see this in Nature or some magazine of its ilk.