Think you've been busy?

[Douglas Bolt]

I don't know how long it has taken this little spider (no idea regarding ID) to spin this complicated web, but I was certainly impressed by the detail and delicate nature of its effort. My first attempt at focus stacking. I have several self criticisms, but would welcome others.

Canon 5DM3, Sigma macro 150 f2.8@3.2, 1/80s, ISO 640 on tripod, but with one finger on shutter (set at multi-H) and one hand on focus. PP: PSCC - 29 images converted to 1600px wide jpegs with a little LCE and PK sharpening added to each jpeg. Helicon 6 stacking set at M:B, R:4, S:2. The focus range is probably about 8 inches.

[Arthur Morris]

Interesting for sure. I am confused by what looks like a rope hanging in the frame in the top fifth of the frame with what looks like something hanging from it. Is that part of the web???

[Douglas Bolt]

I know very little about spiders, but I'm pretty sure the "rope" is to support the two little "balls" that probably contain the spider's eggs. The spider hangs out most of its time (when I've noticed. It obviously spends lots of time spinning around.) just below the two "balls". The scattered web seems designed to support the finely spun web in the middle. The fine web is round, somewhat like a skull cap.

I should retake the web using lots more images. 29 images, as I understand the approach, is far to few to adequately cover an 8" square subject.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Doug. Amazing info.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Douglas I think you had a real task on your hands here to try to get everything in focus. I do not understand the acronyms so I am sorry I cannot offer much in terms of critique but I have a couple of questons:
Did you use a focusing rack and if so how far did you rack between each image taken?
The web is clearly visible but a little soft when compared to the pine needles in the foreground, I may be wrong but I suspect you may have refocused as you went through the scene??

[Ron Conlon]

I like the very different approach to composition with the deep focus and the entire field of view filled with interest.

[Douglas Bolt]

Regarding how I changed focus, it was by hand. A rail would be much better, but I'm not yet committed to the technique to justify that expense. I focused behind the main subject as far back as there seemed to be interesting detail, then pushed the shutter button (shutter multi-H), and slowly turned the focus ring until the buffer filled. In more recent trials consisting of more than 50 individual images, I turned the shutter more slowly, stopped turning and removed finger from shutter when the buffer got full, and then finished completed the second closer half of the image. That yielded a more detailed image.

As to acronyms, PP: PSCC - post processing - PhotoshopCC, LCE - local contrast enhancement, PK - Photokit II output sharpening.

Thanks for you comments. I've been waiting for a calm day to retake another image to post. It has been fun watching the spider attack flies and other small insects that get in the web. I would need high speed video and a lot of luck to capture that. Nature is amazing.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Douglas. What a cool web - and you get an A for effort in trying to tackle this subject! :S3: (Thanks for deciphering your acronyms.) You captured excellent detail in the web itself and I like that we can also see the spider - waiting for prey to appear. Some of the OOF background, particularly in the lower third of the frame, looks rather "smudgy" to me - possibly an artifact of the stacking process?