Spider in motion

October 8, 2015 by Mike Powell

I spotted this barn spider (Neoscona crucifera) hanging in the air about the same time she sensed my presence. She scampered up her web as I moved in a little closer. Eventually she climbed back down and I managed to get these shots of her in motion.

Initially I couldn’t figure out why she was hurrying down the strands of her web. When she stopped, however, I could see that she was anxious to finish off the snack that she had wrapped up earlier.

Although these shots may look like they were taken with a macro lens, they were actually taken at 600mm on my Tamron 150-600mm zoom lens. I ended up focusing manually on the spider, because my camera kept wanting to focus on the background, which was a good distance away. Additionally, I used my pop-up flash on at least some of these images to bring out some of the details of the spider.

15 Responses

on October 8, 2015 at 7:28 am | Reply Dennis Wagoner

Isn’t the Neoscona crucifera just a great model for photos? I posted some a month or so ago. I like the almost fluorescent color of the legs. The close=up shots make this spider ever more creepy than just seeing one scampering around!!
- on October 8, 2015 at 7:44 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  They are great models indeed. Sometimes, though, I inadvertently run into one just hanging in the air and there is something a little creepy about the feel of a spider’s web on my face.
on October 8, 2015 at 7:40 am | Reply Birder's Journey

You get such fantastic close-ups of tiny subjects with your long zoom lens, Mike. How far away do you need to be to get this clarity? (I know what you mean about adjusting the focus)
- on October 8, 2015 at 7:42 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I am pretty close to the minimum focusing distance, which is about 9 feet away. That’s actually one of the problems–I have to back up sometimes when I see a subject and then sometimes I can’t find it again. I usually try to stop down to at least f/8 to give myself a chance of being in focus if I am a little off, especially when focusing manually.
  - on October 8, 2015 at 7:58 am Birder's Journey
    
    Thanks!
on October 8, 2015 at 8:07 am | Reply Dan Antion

Such delicate work (the spider) and such good photos Mike!
on October 8, 2015 at 9:15 am | Reply Sand Salt Moon

I’ve got one like that outside my studio window and it’s been here for a couple of weeks. I’m thinking of giving it a name.
- on October 9, 2015 at 5:58 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I haven’t gotten friendly enough with this one to give her a name, but it sounds like a great idea.
on October 8, 2015 at 10:19 pm | Reply Inger

Photos are awesome – way too realistic for me! 🙂
- on October 9, 2015 at 5:57 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks so much. I know that photos of insects like spiders always produce mixed reactions–I find them to be fascinating creatures, but others find them to be creepy and repulsive.
  - on October 9, 2015 at 10:52 am Inger
    
    They are fascinating for sure, as long as they are on a safe distance😀
on October 8, 2015 at 11:56 pm | Reply waltersanford

Who needs “Mr. Macro” when you have “Bazooka Joe?”
- on October 9, 2015 at 4:54 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  The long lens works pretty well sometimes, but there are definitely lots of cases when the macro lens works much better. There are always tradeoffs.
on October 9, 2015 at 5:08 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

Tough shot for a long lens I would think, but they came out great!
- on October 9, 2015 at 5:18 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Allen. It’s always an interesting challenge for me to decide what lens to put on my DSLR. Normally I have at least one additional lens with me, but it’s a hassle and a bit time-consuming to change a lens when there is a subject right in front of me that could move away at any moment. So, I try to make do with the lens that is one the camera, leading me to taking macro-like shots with my long lens and trying to photograph birds with my macro lens. Sometimes it works!