Mysterymantis

Spotted Orb Weaver in Web Macro

Found this big ol lady hanging out on my back deck, literally.

Found this big ol lady hanging out on my back deck, literally.
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Canon EOS 80D

settings

Aperture f/8 ISO 400 Shutter 1/40 Focal Length 105/1

upload_date

Feb, 2019

Views

324

Likes

+22

Awards

People's Choice in Eck.....A spider or Bug picture Photo Challenge

Peer Award

+14

Absolute Masterpiece

Magnificent Capture

Superb Composition

Top Choice

Superior Skill

Outstanding Creativity

Emotions

Impressed

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Behind The Lens

Location

Literally the deck on the rear of my house. I was mowing the lawn when I saw this giant web between two of the pillars, and this fairly large orb weaver sitting in the middle of it. Score!

Time

Mid afternoon, I think around 5pm.

Lighting

I used a speedligt with a flashbender reflector mounted to it, bent into a forward "r" shape to bounce light onto the spider. I dont have a macro flash and I like this method better than a lens mounted ring light. Really wanted to make the background black, so a flash was necessary, not to mention how hard it is to get light on a subject when you are just a few inches away!

Equipment

Canon 80D, Sigma 105mm F2.8 macro, Flashpoint R2 (dont recall exact model), and Rogue Flashbender. All done by hand.

Inspiration

Inspiration? Just a general love of macro photography and the opportunity to do it. When I saw that giant web with the spider still in it I immediately shut down my mower and ran into the house for my camera! Lucky for me she was still there when I got back.

Editing

Yes, in Lightroom. You kind of have to in order to get this look. It was midday, so light was bright. I used a radial filter to darken up that background even more. From there just the usual adjustments to exposure and tone. I think I also added some vignetting to push that dark background even further.

In my camera bag

This is always a loaded question. My usual setup includes a 5Dmkiv, 90D, EF 70-200mm F2.8 IS II, 17-55mm F2.8, EF-S 10-18mm, Tamron 24-70mm F2.8 G2, Sigma 50mm F1.4, EF-S 24mm F2.8, set of Kenko extension tubes (12mm, 20mm, 36mm), two Flashpoint speedlights and an R2 Pro trigger, various polarizing and ND filters, spare batteries and memory cards, cleaning supplies, and a Vanguard tripod, all stuffed into a Lowepro 450AW. I have way too much gear...

Feedback

Light, light, light! For close ups like this light is just so important, due to the nature of macro lenses. The closer you are the harder it is for light to get through. You can always try to recover in LR later, but your options are limited by the amount of actual light that is on the subject and it never looks as dynamic. Even in bright conditions you will probably have to bring light with you for macro, and that is why I always have it with me. You never know when you're going to see a big ol' spider just chillin' in its web!

See more amazing photos, follow Mysterymantis

Mysterymantis

Mysterymantis

Spotted Orb Weaver in Web Macro

Found this big ol lady hanging out on my back deck, literally.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow Mysterymantis

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