Most people are totally freaked out by spiders. Not Michael D. Kern. He finds them beautiful, and tries to convey that beauty with incredible close-ups that make us squirm.

Kern has spent eight years photographing arachnids, and his images reveal the bright colors and fantastical hairiness of his subjects. He often shoots spiders from above and below, and finds every angle fascinating. "Specifically the fangs and iridescence on the underside of the legs are very interesting to me," he says. "Without them you are not showing the full beauty of the creatures."

The extremely venomous ornamental baboon spider ignited Kern’s love for the creatures in 2007. He was photographing snakes when he saw one of the spiders in a terrarium and snapped a quick pic. When he got home and looked at it, he was mesmerized. "The light was striking him perfectly, showing his full splendor," he says.

His first opportunity to photograph spiders professionally came two years later at GBU Enterprises, an exotic pet store in Lodi, California. The shop had shelves teeming with spooky invertebrates of all shapes and sizes. He saw spiderlings in tiny pill canisters and mature breeds like the Mexican bloodleg tarantula in terrariums. "I knew we were going to create magic that day," he says. "This was going to be my arachnid Abbey Road."

Michael D. Kern

The shoot was a success, and Kern has since perfected his unique method for capturing spiders. He works with a sheet of glass mounted on an articulated arm that allows him to raise or lower to shoot from multiple angles. A black cloth is hung behind the glass on a rig to make the background. Two fixed lights illuminate the critter from above and below, while an assistant points a diffused flash at the spider for extra punch. This method truly captures "the spectacular nature of their being," he says.

"In the shadows, where you typically find them, their iridescenes don't strike you. You need to work with them in the light to really showcase their beauty," he says.

Shoots always require the help of a trained handler—Kern calls them "arachnid whisperers"—because spiders are quick on their feet and many are venomous. A nasty bite from the sapphire ornamental tree spider, for instance, can cause headaches and heart palpitations for days, while the Colombian giant red leg tarantula can induce a painful rash.

Kern has photographed "literally thousands" of spiders representing some 40 species. Each is spectacular, it's soft belly and long legs mottled in surprisingly vibrant shades of red, orange, purple, and blue. But that doesn't make them any less fearsome. Seeing their beady eyes and sharp fangs up close only makes the animals more sinister. Kern hopes his photos allow viewers to gain a better appreciation for the animals, even if they're still creeped out. "Photography provides a safe way for people to begin to appreciate spiders in a less threatening and logistically feasible way," he says.