Cyrba algerina adult male jumping spider

[shane shacaluga]

Despite being small, Cyrba algerina are voracious predators feeding on other aracnids and invertebrates. Finally the weather has been warm for long enough to allow the males to reach maturity and start searching for a mate

Here is one fron yesterday evening

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7286/8741773885_c6a660817c_b.jpg

NIkon D7000
70-300 with Macro adaptor Raynox 250
Home made flash diffusor for inbuilt flash
f18
1/125 SS
ISO 125
Manual AF handheld

Adjusted levels and curves and brought down the red saturation a bit as the clay ground made it look like a scenery from Mars

Was unsure about the rock in front but add to the scenery i guess

Comments and criticisms welcome ;)

[Jonathan Ashton]

I suspect a very tricky subject, easy to criticise but not so easy to remedy these little critters don't always follow the rules!
I like: focus colours detail
Not too keen on: OOF legs and right foreground, OOF left palp.
if this little guy was in the right place I suspect you would have produced an excellent image.

[shane shacaluga]

Thanks Jonathan. They dont keep still and when they do they are usually in the wrong place.

I was already at f18 so not sure what to do about increasing DOF. Any higher would mean dropping shutter speed which is not really an option for my handheld shot. I could increase the iso a bit but with macro i try to keep it as close to 100 as possible. What do you suggest?

[Allen Sparks]

Hi Shane,
This is nice and sharp where it should be and I bet this is a difficult subject to catch. I like that orange color on the head too. I agree with Jonathan as drawbacks being OOF legs and right foreground. Still a good capture of an unusual subject.

Allen

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Shane. What a beautiful little jumper! Good sharpness around the eyes where you most need it and the single strand of silk adds interest. The drawbacks have already been mentioned above. These little guys are usually very difficult to fit in the narrow DOF at this magnification. Since you're already at f/18, one way to get a little more depth is to back a little farther away from the spider - and crop more in post. Another trick is to angle the camera - focus on the eyes and then tilt the camera until those long front legs also come into focus (not easy if the spider is actively moving about). Just a couple things to keep in mind next time out. :S3:

[shane shacaluga]

Thanks a lot for your comments and tips. Will try those out and see how i get on. ;)

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Shane,
I am fine with the DOF falloff on the legs....not so keen on the FG stuff. A difficult subject for sure and you are doing very well with them!