Jeopardy...If your spouse dies, then you are...

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Wed May 02, 2007 4:03 pm

What is a widower?

EOS 30D
Manual mode/hand held
1/200 sec. @ f/14 ISO 400
Onboard flash
Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro
(All images)

Looks like a black widow but some of the markings are wrong, could be that it is the male of the species, I don't know much about spiders because I am scared to death of them. Usually the females are rather secluded, hiding in brush piles, under flooring, and any other place dark and out of the way and from what I have bothered to note about the females is that they are larger in the abdomen and much shinnier with only the hour glass on the underside and no other markings, either on the legs or atop the abdomen as this one shows. This one was found in the field near where I work and had made its home among the field dasies and dandelions. Makes you wonder...

I am not to keen on the background but being shot in the wild you have to take what ever you can get. The composition could be better I agree and any pointers or reposts depicting a much better result, in this thread, would be to my advantage and welcomed. The images were processed with Photo Impact 6, so those of you who have PhotoShop, please take that into consideration if you chose to offer advice, I may not have the same tools as PhotoShop but maybe something similar.

To be quite honest, they look more like snapshots and not like photographs at all IMO.

However, I thought the spider was an interesting find.

Bruce Williams · Post by **Bruce Williams** » Wed May 02, 2007 4:52 pm

Ken are these pics full frame or crops?

Spiders are one of those subjects where you either need a great deal of luck or a great deal of time in order to get that perfectly positioned shot. They're one of my favourite summertime subjects but they can be so frustrating - either just sitting there motionless (topside in shadow) or moving around so fast you can't keep track of 'em ...or hiding away in an an unaccessible hidey-hole.

Frankly I don't think you've done too bad a job with this chap, the legs are nicely articulated and exposure (not easy with a largely black subject) is pretty good too. Think maybe I might have been tempted to crop a little tighter in pic1 if the detail is there.

Bruce

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Wed May 02, 2007 5:36 pm

Bruce wrote:

Think maybe I might have been tempted to crop a little tighter in pic1 if the detail is there.

I took these up to 100% and had a look, they became quite soft and a crop from full frame was just not there, that bothers me also, these are crops from 50%. Some images that I have taken have taken of other things in the past, have had all the detail and more at 100%, why should these not have the same.

I have imagined that since these were taken hand held, operator error may be the cause of the image appearing soft, maybe jabbing at the shutter button instead of smoothly releasing it or pressing it, causing camera vibration so slight but not unnoticeable at a slightly higher magnification afforded by the lens. I tried also a vertical, the image does not seem to be so spread out now, though I had to clip two of the spiders legs in so doing. I think that it is the perspective that I am getting from the first two images that now bother me the most.

Thanks Bruce

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Wed May 02, 2007 7:02 pm

Wonderful Photos Ken...maybe you were shaking in fear when you too the pictures. Looks like it might be an immature female black widow. males are very small with no red marking on the abdomen. Check out the pictures here. http://www.whatsthatbug.com/widow.html Check the photos down the middle of the page.

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Wed May 02, 2007 7:16 pm

They all seem to have some interesting markings and I must say, for one with a phobia, there are some that are quite beautiful. One female has a red heart on her back!

I always assumed that black widows would be found in those dark secretive little places that one seldom goes and not out in the open and sunny areas of a grassy field. This makes one wonder whether or not, that they may or might one day pick one up on their clothing while out and about in such places while taking photographs of wild flowers and other insects...kind'a like what I like to do

Also considering that the spider, for its size, packs more punch than a rattle snake, about 13X as much I think, I would not really want to be bitten by one, though seldom do people die anymore from its bite but from what I have heard, it makes you wish that you would and just get it over with.

A very good and interesting link there Doug and thanks!