black widow

[daniel valovich]

I generally walk by the rosemary bush in my front yard and run my hands through it. The aroma is pleasing to say the least. This black widow caught my eye or It would have turned out different. Late for work again!
Has anyone ever seen the markings on the back before? In the past I only have seen the hourglass on the belly which this one had.
Nikon d300
105 micro nikkor f-2.8d
Iso 200
F32
1/250s
tripod and cable release

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0lSa66pPKio/TBjvsVAl22I/AAAAAAAAEDI/D2VcFSyVZi8/s800/black%20widow.jpg

[sandy richards]

Dan, This is a little different than the top markings on black widows I've seen, but they do have red markings on the top of the abdomen too. Since they are in every state, perhaps the markings vary a bit.
Very intersting shot..and I'm glad your hand wasn't in there this time !.
The image is quite dark and the spider doesn't stand out very well. You might have tried to get a light dropcloth behind it, but I sure understand your wish to get a quick shot!

Cheers -

Sandy

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Daniel,
I agree with Sandy that this is a bit dark and the answer was to get more ambient light for a better balance. While I am a huge fan of flash you need to be careful not to make it look too flashed and the spider is a tough subject to work with....never mind black widow! I think you could have gone to 1/125 safely....especially on the tripod and at least ISO 400....for more natural light. That may have lightened the BG and greenery just enough to allow the flash the opportunity to make the spider stand out more. Huge fan of the BG's too....but do understand if you didn't take that route! Still cool image of something we don't usually get a peek at!

[daniel valovich]

I have applied your suggestion. There is even banding on the legs . This is unusual to all I have spoke with.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0lSa66pPKio/TBkWD3C6KBI/AAAAAAAAEEc/BWQhQuoJeP8/s800/black%20widow%20top.jpg
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[Allen Sparks]

Personally I like the original image better than the repost. The flash highlights seem less overpowering in the original even though the spider does stand out more in the repost.

[daniel valovich]

I too like the original.I found out that she is an north american black widow . It is odd that she was out in the open. usually they like dark places

[Ken Childs]

Of the 2, I like the op best but I think it's because the darkness of the shot is hiding some of the imperfections such as the flash highlights that are made more obvious in the repost. Widows are glossy black so it's tough to get a good image with

I've seen a few widows this year in relatively open spaces which is odd. Seeing them out in the open on bright, sunny days is something I hadn't seen before.

Some species of widows have color like that when they're young. The color on the back fades as the spider grows.