why Salticidae is my favourite (II)
OK, so this blog has turned into the Spider Hour. Mr Reasonable won’t be reading anymore.
Anyway, I think today I’ve figured out the secret of taking photos of small animals: lots of light.
At tea time we were diverted by a nice large Trite planiceps on the ceiling above the table. The girls were all for feeding it a beetle that they’d spotted on the ceiling over my head. I thought this was maybe a little too graphic for poor Rosa, who is having regular nightmares at the moment as she learns to make it through the night without any minor plumbing mishaps.
So after tea, we put the spider into our bug jar and took it outside. Bella had the jar in her hand as I took the lid off, directing her to let the spider hop out onto a sunny fencepost. Unfortunately it was more keen to climb onto Bella’s hand, much to her fright, and I had to retrieve it before the jar was smashed onto the concrete path.
I put the spider down.
I got really close with the camera. Macro on, the first few weren’t that great against the sunlight. But with the flash on the spider came up pretty well.
Just as yesterday, once I got to a certain point close enough the spider jumped onto the camera. You go!
As previously noted, I’m sure a better camera would make a nicer job… but I’m very pleased with this for now.
Heck
16 January 2007, 00:43 #
I have a stone wall on one side of the house, inside. It’s very nice. everyone loves it, makes the place look like a castle and all.
It’s also Spider Country as far as I’m concerned. Every so often we engage in a little war with that country. You’d be very happy, gosh, more like Spider Federation actually, they’ve got all kinds of ethnicities in there.
Bring back the watches ! ;)
Alan
16 January 2007, 06:34 #
If that’s the Spider Federation, does that make you a Romulan / Klingon / Cardassian (take your pick) for having a war with them?
I think I’ve done the spider angle for now. Unless I find some good ones down on the farm in a few days time…
Brian
18 January 2007, 14:08 #
I think you’ve got some pretty impressive results for “not a good camera”. I’d be more than pleased with these!
Alan
18 January 2007, 15:26 #
Thanks Brian.
I am quite pleased with them. But they still don’t measure up to the results people are getting on some of the Flickr groups like these.
Mr Reasonable
18 January 2007, 19:56 #
You are an evil man and I am on my way around right now with a big pair of shoes to play spider stomping….