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Thread: Net Casting Spider

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    Default Net Casting Spider

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    Net Casting Spider which has taken up residence amongst the Neoregelia compacta on my front fence line.
    For some reason this particular spider deploys her net horizontally instead of vertically , obviously hasn't read the book on Net Casting Spider behaviour.
    Predictable in behavior, making a new net each night. Great potential here for series of images to photostack and perhaps a timelapse of her making her net.
    Filled the frame a bit too much this time.

    Pentax K30,
    Sigma 28-80 (macro) 80mm min focus , indicated x 0.5 magnification
    ISO 100 , 1/100 sec f22,
    Ringflash,
    Handheld.

    Paul.

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    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    Well spotted and focused but I agree you are a little too close.

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    Hi Paul, too bad you cut of part of the spiders front leg. I love the color combination of the light colored spider and the purple flower background. And you've caught interesting behaviour here.
    If you work on that composition, there's potential for a very good image here!

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    You have a nice model here -- hope you can continue to work with it.

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    Thanks for the comments.
    Jonathan, have found that a 35-70 lens I have will focus close enough for a better fit in frame, so thats the next step.
    Also have a Vivitar series 1 macro but it is M42 mount and I am still in the process of making an adapter which will give auto aperture operation with K-mount cameras.

    Jerry, yes but the leg also needs to be in focus, hard to get an angle where body of spider and its net are in focus with good background.
    Sometimes she comes out to the edge of the vegetation other times not.
    Was wondering if the brightly colored background would distract. Glad you like it. The other option was brown stems and leaves but since the color and patterns on the spider are subtle it might blend in.

    Diane, I initially found this spider in another part of my garden then she disappeared. Recently I noticed a leaf on fenceline Broms peppered with spider dung. That was the give-away. They supposedly use that as a contrast to their prey as it walks over the leaf. Amazing eyes on these spiders but hard to photograph. Might try using a mirror, that has worked in the past for luminous fungi.
    She moves around a bit, with little regard to the background.
    The Broms in the background are going off the "blush" too.
    At least all I have to do is walk out to my front fence to check on photographic opportunities.
    There are a couple of videos of these spiders trapping their prey on utube. Very fast, well worth watching.
    Some Saint Andrews Cross spiders on the fence line too.

    Paul.

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    Hi Paul, a dedicated macro lens might do the trick here. The difference with the regular lenses with a 'macro' indication is that they will give you 1:1 magnification and can usually focus closer to the subject. This generally gives you a better chance of getting a smooth background with those nice colors. I think it would give you enough DOF to get the whole spider in focus too.

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    Jerry, yes I prefer to use dedicated macro lenses. Unfortunately the two K-mount ones I have, a Pentax 100mm f4 and a Tamron AF 90mm f2.8 have sucummed to the dreaded fungus.
    Its a big problem in the tropics, high temperatures and high humidity.
    I have built a dry cabinet but its a bit late for some of the lenses. They might clean up, have to check with my camera technician.
    The vivitar macro has a good reputation so looking forward to using it when I make the m42 to K-mount automatic coupler.
    Its a combination of Tamron Adaptall K-mount and M42 extension tube. Will add a bit of space between body and lens but thats no problem for macro work.
    I also have some enlarger lenses that are handy for macro.
    An interesting way to pick up depth of field in macro is to use a teleconverter.
    The lens itself then has to magnify less and a greater subject to lens distance can be used and depth of field is gained.
    Paul.

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    BPN Member Steve Maxson's Avatar
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    These are very cool spiders with interesting behavior! Nice discussion already above. You captured a good pose showing both spider and web, though I agree with you, and others, that the image would be stronger with a looser comp. It sounds like you have a cooperative subject so keep trying.

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Good self critique; the spider is much too tight in the frame. And as you move farther away d-o-f increases....
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