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Caught in the Web

September 22, 2012 · California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA
Caught in the Web

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A large black spider dominates the frame. Behind it, an elderly woman peers through the spider toward the lens. The scene is softened slightly by the glass of the enclosure through which it is viewed.

Story

This is my mom.
Not the spider—the person behind the spider.
When my mother began experiencing memory problems and was eventually diagnosed with Alzheimer's, our lives changed. She moved in with me, and suddenly we had the opportunity to spend much more time together. We went on walks, explored new places, and occasionally took little field trips simply for the joy of getting out together.
This photograph came from one of those outings.
We spent the day at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park, wandering through exhibits and enjoying the experience. At some point, we found ourselves looking at the spiders.
I honestly don't remember exactly how this photograph happened.
The spider wasn't nearly as large as it appears here, and it certainly wasn't sitting on my mother's face.

Read the entire story in “Stories Behind the Lens” on Substack

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