House Spider

Jon Boshoff · Post by **Jon Boshoff** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 2:21 pm

I found this spider in the bath and took him (I think its a him!!) outside and put him on a chrysanthemum bush. He is quite a big chap as each of the flowers is about the size of a two pound coin. He sat absolutely still for ages, so I set up my camera with a macro lens on a tripod and had a go at focus stacking. I shot 56 images as fast as I could and turned the focus ring a tiny bit after each shot. I wanted to work quickly so just pressed the shutter each time - no time for a delay release in case he moved! Anyhow it worked out ok and I used Zerene Stacker to compile the image and I used DMap and PMax to get to the final image. It was my first real go at focus stacking and I am very pleased with the result.
I used a Nikon D700 with a Nikon 105mm f2.8 macro and available natural light. ISO 200, 100th sec at f11

Craig Gerard · Post by **Craig Gerard** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 4:39 pm

Jon,

It worked extremely well

Good detail in the foreground flowers too.

Craig

LordV · Post by **LordV** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:31 pm

Wonderful stack !
brian v.

Jon Boshoff · Post by **Jon Boshoff** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 12:31 pm

Thanks for the kind comments!

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 12:58 pm

Jon Boshoff wrote:I shot 56 images as fast as I could and turned the focus ring a tiny bit after each shot. I wanted to work quickly so just pressed the shutter each time - no time for a delay release in case he moved! Anyhow it worked out ok and I used Zerene Stacker to compile the image and I used DMap and PMax to get to the final image. It was my first real go at focus stacking and I am very pleased with the result.

Wow! You should be proud as well as pleased. This would be excellent work for an experienced stacker. To pull it off as your first real go is simply extraordinary. Very nicely done, sir!

--Rik

DQE · Post by **DQE** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 7:48 pm

Great result!

I have been working up my courage to try some live bug stacking myself, and began a few fumbling initial attempts with a crab spider, inspired in part by your encouraging results. There is certainly a learning curve with this technology, but single-shot macro is also a very difficult undertaking.

Now if we only had a few more regularly available bugs who would be very still on wind-free days...

Jon Boshoff · Post by **Jon Boshoff** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:01 am

Thanks Rik and Phil for the encouraging feedback!

A lot of the credit must go to the Zerene stacker program which made it all pretty straighforward. I watched their "how to" videos a couple of times and kept that in mind when I took the shots. My subject was also very obliging and didn't move a whisker the whole time! It will be interesting to try it out on a more lively subject!

Jonathan

gmazza · Post by **gmazza** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:39 pm

Very good result with the stack, esp in difficult parts as in the hairs in legs and the intersections of the legs. More impressive considering it was your first one.

The spider looks really beauty in the middle of flowers.

Macrero · Post by **Macrero** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 12:20 am

Good stack, Spider deserves an award for having put up 56 shots without moving

Regards !

Jon Boshoff · Post by **Jon Boshoff** » Thu Sep 15, 2011 12:50 am

Thanks Gustavo and Macrero,
At this time of year there are quite a few of these around the place and they do tend to sit very still for hours on end. When I try and pick them up they get a bit lively but once they are in your hand they stay completely still. So far they have been very docile!
Regards
Jonathan

House Spider

House Spider

Re: House Spider