The Spider & The Moon

Me and wife shot this yesterday... using off-camera Nikon flash connected via PC cord, (1/32nd power, about 3-4 feet away, positioned slightly to the front right, side lit ), ISO 800, Sigma 150mm macro lens, manual mode. The camera is positioned 45-degree upwards towards the night sky, as the spider built it's web on our lamp post.

While there was a moon yesterday, it's impossible to include both the spider and moon on the same shot due to the moon blurring too much and increasing in size, it looks like a big white disc. So I took a moon shot I did last month, and photoshopped it in. I blurred the moon a little to simulate DOF.

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Good job.

very cool shot!

Creepy! Which means it works. Nice job! You certainly had me fooled with the moon, although I did wonder how your moon was full while ours isn't.

This is an excellent excellent shot, do you remember what lens you used? And what settings you had on your camera?

Perfect for Halloween.

Thanks all!

Broncobear: Sigma 150mm Macro lens on a Canon 30D, with a Nikon SB-26 flash on PC cord (1/32nd flash power, about 3-4 feet away, positioned slightly to the front right, side lit ). Manual mode.

Exposure is ISO 800, 150mm, 1/125 sec, f/5.6

In Lightroom, the fader settings are

Temperature: 4550
Tint: -5
Blacks: +7
Brightness: +50
Contrast: +25
Sharpen: +59

I think what made this a great shot is the side-lighting caused by using an off-camera flash. It's not your normal flash-lit subject.

Histogram is "wrong"

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I like the picture but that’s because I like spiders and the moon. However, I think it might have worked a bit better if the spiders other side was illuminated with the flash and the flash softened a bit. That way it would have given the impression that the moon was illuminating the spider adding to the creepiness.

fivefish wrote in post #2075615
While there was a moon yesterday, it's impossible to include both the spider and moon on the same shot due to the moon blurring too much and increasing in size, it looks like a big white disc. So I took a moon shot I did last month, and photoshopped it in. I blurred the moon a little to simulate DOF.

Can we see the "shot" with the moon sharp? I love this concept and also agree with a previous note that the light on the spider is a bit harsh. Not too bad though and easily fixable.

Great concept!!! It's so great to see people experimenting. Good work.

Here's the sharp moon shot that I used for the photo above.

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Can we see the sharp moon with the spider? I have seen many a sharp moon. My thinking is the sharper moon will appear more contrasty to the human eye and compliment your "bright" spider.

It looks "fake" with the moon sharp.

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fivefish wrote in post #2078752
It looks "fake" with the moon sharp.

I don't think so. My eyes are drawn to the spider so the moon just kinda sits off to the side in both shots. Looks great in either shot.

fivefish wrote in post #2078752
It looks "fake" with the moon sharp.

I also like this version much better.