Aloe, little Spider!

[Morkel Erasmus]

Well, hello folks, I am not normally lurking around here...
I don't profess to do macro photography often - but I recently obtained a Nikkor 105mm f2.8 Micro lens from the kind folks at Nikon South Africa and have spent some time fooling around with it.
Let me have it with earnest :eek3:

Techs:
Nikon D800
Nikkor 105mm f2.8 VR
f20 | 1/320 SS | ISO-1000
Handheld

PS: Don't ask me the species :bugeyed:

[Randy Stout]

Well Morkel, I think you may have a future in macro! The arching lines, small but distinct subject, gives a sense of a jungle highway for him. Very nicely lit.

I might be tempted to clone out a few of the larger black spots.

Looking forward to more!

Randy

[Warren Spreng]

I agree with Randy, great shot! Getting rid of some of those black spots though would help the focus be on the spider.

[Nancy Bell]

Morkel, you have a great eye, no matter the size of your subject! Love the tiny, gruff-looking spider amid all the flowing and arching aloe leaves. The darkness and fine details of the spider are in dramatic contrast to the soft greens and yellows of the leaves, which also provide fabulous framing. Great glow light adds to the tiny drama. This really makes me smile at the magnificence of nature, small and large. Easy to clone away those dark spots.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Morkel this is a good start to macro! The shot is pleasing and holds my attention. Two things spring to mind which I think might help: Firstly the spider is rather central I think it may look more dynamic if it were a little more off centre especially with those gentle curves of the leaves. Secondly I might try to lift the exposure a little on the spider. Looking forward to more macro shots from you!

[Ron Conlon]

Wonderful composition, looking the critter in the many eyes. Great to see your work in this forum.

[MiroslavMaric]

Hi Morkel,

Wish you a good experience with your new macro lens. Like the composition and balance of green and dark spider. Regarding f/20 the diffraction limits were broken so in 1:1 zoom ratio the details should be affected. Agree with above comments. It's easy to remove some dark spots. If mine I would apply some tone adjustment and a bit of vibrance to the BG.

Cheers,
Miro