Autumn webs

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Autumn webs

November 9, 2018 by Mike Powell

During a recent morning walk at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I came across some spiderwebs in the fields that glistened in the sunlight thanks to rain the previous night. Many of the webs were only partial webs and I wondered if perhaps the torrential rain had ripped them apart.

Light was mostly coming from the front, which made it a little tricky to get a correct exposure, but that kind of backlighting is the reason why the webs are visible.

The backgrounds were different for the different webs and most of the time I had to deliberately underexpose the images to have the webs “pop,” which meant that the backgrounds looked really dark. I was thrilled when I managed to capture the first image below with a background full of autumn colors.

10 Responses

on November 9, 2018 at 11:52 am | Reply Jet Eliot

Really enjoyed these photos of the autumnal webs, Mike…especially that first masterpiece. Isn’t it remarkable how much wind-blast a spider web can endure?
- on November 9, 2018 at 12:03 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Jet. Spider silk is so remarkable that I have heard that scientists struggle to replicate it. The fact that the spiders produce it with their own bodies makes it even more incredible.
on November 9, 2018 at 2:42 pm | Reply Eliza Waters

Great captures, Mike. Each a work of art.
- on November 9, 2018 at 6:07 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Eliza. It is simply amazing that spiders are able to build these, and even more so that they do so with a substance that comes out of their bodies.
on November 9, 2018 at 3:16 pm | Reply jmankowsky

Beautiful pictures. Spider webs are truly amazing!
- on November 9, 2018 at 6:06 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I consider them to be natural works of art. Every time that I see a spider web I am in awe of the artistry of the spider.
on November 9, 2018 at 4:25 pm | Reply Dan Antion

These are great pictures, Mike. I have often tried to get just the right captureof a spider web but I’ve rarely come away with a good image. Well done!
- on November 9, 2018 at 6:05 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Dan. In my experience the most critical element for shots like this is the direction of the light–backlighting tends to work best. Getting proper focus can also be a problem if the background is close to the spider web.
on November 9, 2018 at 6:35 pm | Reply Molly D.

Just lovely.Yes they do look the worse for storm wear and tear.
on November 9, 2018 at 9:09 pm | Reply Ellen Jennings

Very nice captures, Mike, of nature’s lace. Lovely to find them with water drops and the right light.