TRAPPED! Well, not really.

As some of you know, I've been using M42 lenses, bellows, & extension tubes for dabbling in macro. For this shot I used a 36mm plus a 12mm extension tubes for a total of 48mm of extension. I mounted an old Vivitar 200mm F3.5 lens on it, mounted my 550EX on a flash bracket via the off camera cord, all on the 10D via the adapter, then took this from about five ft away. As usual, no cropping done. Comments?
-Bruce

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The shot is pretty good with all you had on here to get it, I do know that the old vivtar macro lens was pretty sharp for it's price. What species is this and you managed to capture 4 catchlights in the eyes here very nicely, how big is this species. The image looks a little dark on the spider still even with the flash, but you managed to make this spider very large in the frame here.

Hey, I don't blame you for staying far away from him. Nicely done, but like Eric says he's a little dark. Try lightening him up with levels or curves. And don't be afraid to crop!

Thanks Eric & Scott.
This was taken just inside a concrete structure at around 10:30 at night, so everything was pretty dark. The only light came from a dim light bulb behind me to use for focus, and of course the 550EX.
Scott, the main reason I dont crop when trying to shoot macro (notice I said trying?), is that I feel I would loose perspective in showing how close I really was, as well as loosing the true amount of magnification via optics alone. Am I wrong in thinking this way?
-Bruce

This is a nice shot. I didn't notice, until Eric mentioned, that there are four catch lights on the spider's eyes. Good work, Bruce. Keeping them coming!

all in all a great shot, I wouldnt get any closer myself, especially at night. well done.

Yeah, I'm trying to keep my distance.
Thanks Leo & Bald Eagle.
-Bruce

Good job with the exposure.

Char

Thanks Char.
-Bruce

that's a terrific shot Bruce
5 ft away !


those catchlights, he must be wearing glasses




joking aside I never knew these things had four eyes

marie wrote:
that's a terrific shot Bruce
5 ft away !


those catchlights, he must be wearing glasses



joking aside I never knew these things had four eyes

Thanks for the nice comments Marie. I prefer staying 5 FT away from this guy, and I'm sure He liked it better that way too. When I shot the little Crab Spider, my 50mm lens was almost touching it, and THAT I can handle. In another thread, it was discussed how many eyes a Spider might have, and I think the answer was; it varies. Six was the norm, I believe, but I'm sure there are better qualified people here that know the correct answer.
-Bruce

Ballen Photo wrote:
As some of you know, I've been using M42 lenses, bellows, & extension tubes for dabbling in macro. For this shot I used a 36mm plus a 12mm extension tubes for a total of 48mm of extension. I mounted an old Vivitar 200mm F3.5 lens on it, mounted my 550EX on a flash bracket via the off camera cord, all on the 10D via the adapter, then took this from about five ft away. As usual, no cropping done. Comments?
-Bruce

It is interesting, but the lack of shadow detail really bothers me. I want to see more of the spider rather than a dark bloth that is supposed to represent a spider.

Hmm, Interesting, It shows up just fine on My monitor.
-Bruce

Ballen Photo wrote:
Hmm, Interesting, It shows up just fine on My monitor.
-Bruce

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that there was no detail at all, just not enogh for my taste. JMWO

Right, This shot was actually taken at the bottom of an enclosed concrete stairwell at around 10 PM. The only light I had besides the flashlight I used while manually focussing was the 550EX flashgun. I'm afraid that didn't help to add much detail. This was one of those learning shots, and I haven't played with that particular settup since. If I do this sort of shot again, I'll probably have to bump the flash up to full power. Anyway, thanks for the comment.
-Bruce