newbie, 1st macro post...

[pgrimes]

I don't have any macro lenses or equipment.... these are just pictures that I zoomed in on and used a flash with.

In any case, this spider was hanging out near our tent cabin in Curry Village, Yosemite every night. He creeped me out! And seemed to have done quite a number on some unfortunate little insect (pic 2). I felt that I captured him quite well... considering my inexperience and lack of equipment. ;)

He was probably about 1.5" across.

1.)
http://www.paulbgrimes.com/images/for_post/spider1.jpg


2.)
http://www.paulbgrimes.com/images/for_post/spider2.jpg


3.)
http://www.paulbgrimes.com/images/for_post/spider3.jpg

[BlanceEMT]

what kind of camera/lens?

[pgrimes]

what kind of camera/lens?Probably not the most popular camera on this forum ;) but, the price is right and for a beginner like me, I'm happy with it.

I took it with a Sony dsc-p200. It's just the stock lense... no attachment. I wasn't sure whether to post this in the macro section or the nature and animals section... just thought I'd share it. :)

[Ballen Photo]

I wasn't sure whether to post this in the macro section or the nature and animals section... just thought I'd share it. :)
MAN! That is one big UGLY bugger. :shock: I can see why it would creep you out. :cool:
I think macro is the appropriate forum to post this in. ;)
-Bruce

[YosemiteJunkie]

Which cabin? I just may have to go check him out :)
Good shots all things considered..

[pgrimes]

Which cabin? I just may have to go check him out :)
Good shots all things considered..Cabin 336 in Curry Village... it hung out there every evening from July 20-23. :)

Thanks!

[queenbee288]

Good shot. I like the shadow effect. Makes him look even creepier.

Char

[pgrimes]

btw... does anyone know what type of spider this is?

[Ivan]

Did u set the camera on Macro mode? (little flower symbol..) If u did, try going back a little further so it focuses a little better, you might of been too close for the camera to focus or u didn't put the macro symbol.. Other than that, those are great pics, and the shadow of the spider adds to it!

I started out with a SONY DSC-P71 like 3 years ago or so, i was very happy with the camera, then one day you will realize (just as I did...) that you need more manual controls and features...


Keep up the good work

[scrumpy]

btw... does anyone know what type of spider this is?
Surely you should have asked that three weeks ago - not two hours ago.

[pgrimes]

Surely you should have asked that three weeks ago - not two hours ago.

Yes, that would've been ideal but, given the fact that I didn't and, that the spider hasn't changed species, I figured asking now would be fine. :)

[pgrimes]

Did u set the camera on Macro mode? (little flower symbol..) If u did, try going back a little further so it focuses a little better, you might of been too close for the camera to focus or u didn't put the macro symbol.. Other than that, those are great pics, and the shadow of the spider adds to it!

I started out with a SONY DSC-P71 like 3 years ago or so, i was very happy with the camera, then one day you will realize (just as I did...) that you need more manual controls and features... Come to think of it, I do not believe I was in macro mode. I was standing about 5-10 ft. away and zoomed in 3x. Thanks for the compliment! I wish it could've been sharper! Part of the problem was that there were so many things behind it (trees, rocks, the cabin, etc. the web was about 6 ft. off the ground)... I think the camera kept wanting to focus on things in the background rather than the relatively small spider.

And yes... this is my second camera... the first was a sony dsc-s50 which I was happy with. The p200 is very nice as far as compactness goes (it's not much bigger than my cell phone) but, think I am ready for a more powerfull camera.

I'm graduating from college this semester and I'm thinking a graduation present to myself will be a new Rebel XT! I'm excited about getting one and, from the research I've done it seems like the best way to go for a newbie who wants to get into a SLR cam.

[Aussie_Dog]

I think it's either a Garden Spider or a Jewel Spider (also known as a Cat Face spider). I've got a Jewel spider by my front door, and I stay up late watching it make it's web (3am both last night and the night before, lol). There was another spider in my backyard last week and I did research on the garden spider and they have sort of a white cross pattern on their butt (okay, I don't know the technical term, but I call it a butt). I'm leaning more towards the Jewel spider because it doesn't appear to have the white cross of the garden spider.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y282/Aussie_Dog3/August%2012%202005/IMG013.jpg

Does it look like that guy? I believe this is a Jewel spider, as I had one in my backyard last year (she set up an egg sac, so I know she was a female), and I think this is an offspring of it. I'm hoping it's a male, though, since I don't want itty bitty babies accidently getting inside next year when they hatch, lol. You can't see it on this picture, but cat faced spiders (Jewel Spiders) are called that because the design on their butts resemble's a cat's face. I had pictures of the spider from last year and I know at least one of the pictures showed the cat face design. Unfortunately those pictures were stored on my other computer and that computer has been disconnected for a while (I don't know how to set it up again)

[pgrimes]

Aha... cat-faced spider. I think that may be it! :) Thanks! Taking a second look, in picture #2, the "spider butt" does sort of look like the profile of a puma or something... if you think of the butt as a puma face looking upwards. The bumps or horns or whatever sort of look like ears and the end of the butt kinda looks like the nose/mouth area. And yes, I'm leaning more towards cat-faced spider... I've seen what I've always called garden spiders and, the tend to have more yellow/white stripings and, more of an armoured look, as opposed to the kinda hairy look that this guy had.


Thanks again!

[smasraum]

I think the latin is uglicus bastardicus