ISO800 50mm + 65mm extension tubes f/16 1/250
This was one of the hardest shots I have taken recently. The spider made his web on a very nice bush which was surrounded by brambles and thorns. I was wearing my shorts and got scratched up leaning in and out to focus. Another issue was that the light created a strange optical illusion. At one angle you could see the web and just by turning slightly it would disappear. Even though the light was strong I used my flash for some extra light. This has actually got be thinking about buying a ring flash, as it means that I can bring down my ISO and have a smaller aperture and fast shutter speed.
I like the sharpness of the spider and that you can see the web slightly fading in and out. The background is nicely blurred and not too distracting and the colours are strong.
Let me know what you think in the comment box before or if you wish just say hi.
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Nice one!
Thanks Sue, glad you like it.
Funny. I just tried a shot like this today, looking forward to seeing how it turned out but I already suspect not as good as this. Its a tough subject.
Sorry, about the ring flash. I have the Nikon double flash, same idea but two flashes, good for some things but hard to diffuse like a ring flash. A soft box, in my view is easier to diffuse, you can stuff it with silk etc. Lastolite makes two good models the small Apollo and the Ezybox. Regards,
Hi Victor, once you got the shot up I’ll check it out I am sure it is better than you expect. I was looking at canon solutions for flashes and all they have is a ring flash, although I can buy an adapter where I add two speedlights which has the same effect. I have spent a bit investing in glass but I have neglected my lighting needs so will most likely get some speedlights and a ring flash.
http://www.vistek.ca/store/CameraMountedFlash/209553/canon-mt24-ex-macro-twin-lite.aspx
Will still need considerable diffusion for pleasing light. I can point you to a website where they DIY’ed a diffusion kit. And my shot did not work out – in macro the odds are never very good. The other plus for a soft box is its great for portraits macro flash is not.
I will check it out. Sorry about your shot. Your right the odds are not always in our favour.
That is one great capture!
Thanks, it was hard work but worth it.
awesome Ben…worth the negatives… 🙂