Spider ID ?

[Glenn.B]

this is my first close-up/macro picture of a spider, would appreciate an ID ?

sigma 150mm lens + flash

boy this macro work is hard........

[Mediasoldier]

Good shot of a common orb weaver.

[Lester Wareham]

Nice one, lots of them about at the moment.

[dpastern]

Very nice shot, did an excellent job of exposure on this baby, they blow out with highlights really easy. What was the lighting arrangement out of curiousity? And yes, it's a common Orb Weaver, non poisonous, very good for the environment and very pretty.

Dave

[Glenn.B]

thanks for the ID.

dpastern. i was using a sigma 150mm lens on a canon 10d body with my newly aquired canon ring flash (which i was using for the first time). i was in manual mode, handheld and creeping around my garden in the dark. (wonder what the neigbours thought)

i've since spotted that there is a bit of ghosting on the image, which is disapointing. but hey if it was easy, it wouldn't be worth doing...........

[dpastern]

Ahh the Sigma 150mm, great lens isn't it! I wouldn't have picked that it was a ring flash, the lighting is very even, but doesn't appear too soft like most ring flashes do (at least to my eyes). Manual mode is good, pretty much most of us here use manual mode and manual focus and also handheld. I haven't really taken to going around the gardens at night, I'm still a bit too scared of spiders to do that ;-) My motto is if I can see them, I'm cool, but walking into a big web at night without warning still makes my skin stand on end. Wimp, I know ;-)

As to the neighbours, I hear you. I'm usually out and about every afternoon, not just in my gardens, but walking along the street and photographing insects either in someones front garden (not entering their property), or the local parks. Many of the residents know me by now and wave or say hello. The good thing is that most of them are genuinely interested and several of them have said I'm welcome to go into their yards/gardens to photograph! I'm going to get a few business cards done up with my website address and details on it and give it to a few of the residents so they can look me up online :) Not looking to sell anything, but it gives them something to look at.

Dave

[Glenn.B]

dpastern,

Quote "I haven't really taken to going around the gardens at night, I'm still a bit too scared of spiders to do that"

lets face it, in Australia, the spiders are a wee bit more dangerous than here in the UK.........:lol: