The drought seems to have hit the local spider population hard in the bush around us. The number of nursery-web spiders has dropped off markedly. Likewise there seem to be fewer orbwebs and the like about than last year.
My expedition on Sunday night though, did catch a couple of spiders out. (One of the rationales for this trip was to use a Metz M28 flash in conjunction with the macro-flash. I'm trying to find an easy way to throw light into the background as well as the foreground around the subject).
Anyway, assuming you like spiders.
#1- The Deadly Embrace
#2- Surprise
Posts Tagged macro
Into the night Mar 26
No CommentsIt’s a small world Mar 22
No CommentsI kind of feel I need a complete break from elephants. So here's a closer look at one of the denizens of the NZ bush. The crab spiders are a well-known family, often depicted in colourful magazines hiding on or near flowers. In New Zealand, we don't tend to have a lot of highly visible flowering plants, so our native crab spiders are a bit more cryptic.
It is unusual to see them in a hunting pose during the day. So I found this tiny spider at night on a fern frond, all geared up to take on flying prey. Like jumping spiders, crab spiders don't use snares to catch their prey. Unlike jumping spiders though, crab spiders have much poorer eyesight.
The Snare:Tetragnathid Spider Jan 10
No CommentsOne of the types of spiders that builds orbwebs, are not true orbweb spiders (Araneids). Their webs are often aligned horizontally rather than vertically. The spider also much larger jaws (chelicerae) than orbweb spiders. These spiders are the tetragnathids.
One of the most common of these spiders is the indigenous Leucauge dromedaria. This spider is native to both NZ and Australia, and I've been trying to get a photo I like of it for a while.
One of the problems is getting close enough as it sits in the web, to actually fill the frame. I use a microscope adapter on my macro lens to increase the magnification, but this also means I have to get much closer. So any spiders in a large web, usually run off as I hit a warning thread. While I can crop the image later instead, that can leave a photo too small to print.
The other problem is that the air has to be quite still. These spiders make their snares in more open or exposed settings and even a very gentle breeze can add a motion blur to the final image. So, you need a very still day to work with.
You also benefit from an overcast day. The problem is that this spider has a conspicuous silver abdomen. That makes it easy to cause highlight 'blowout' of detail.
So this is a non-cropped shot, taken on an overcast and very still day, in a spider that has made a relatively small web. The other detail I like has been the very light recent rain, that has left tiny droplets in the web.
"The Snare"
Click for larger image
The other thing about this shot is that everything is on manual settings. The exposure has been set manually. The flash has been set manually (one flash head directed at background at high power). And the focus was all done manually. It's a very 'old school' pic :)
—–
For more photos please visit
|Zenfolio Albums| or |Committed Photography|
The Embrace Jan 01
No CommentsThe reason for all those cicadas singing at the moment is of course, that it is time to make even more cicadas. This shot is a pair of cicadas embraced in a passionate moment. The larger of the two is the male. It's a very educational moment :)
—–
For more photos please visit
|Zenfolio Albums| or |Committed Photography|
Taking time to look good: Jumping Spider Dec 29
No CommentsThis isn't the time of the year when I'm on the computer often, and there's little sciency-stuff to write about. Hot humid summers in Auckland tend to encourage one to take it easy. I am however, taking the time to do a bit more macro-photography. One of my favourite subjects this time of year are the jumping spiders (Salticidae). They're growing large as their prey increases in abundance. One of the most widespread natives we have is a Salticid by the name of Trite planiceps – it's distinctive black carapace and front legs make it easy to spot. It's often found around flaxes and other native shrubs. Albeit yesterday I was surprised to find on on the back of my neck in the kitchen. I guess it was either a great optimist or had me confused with vegetation. Maybe I am moving too slowly…
I got this shot in an area of local bush a couple of days ago. The spider is kindly undergoing part of it's grooming behaviour. Many spiders do this grooming on a regular basis. It's a bit different to the normal stalking pose you might see.
The Salticids (family of jumping spiders) are well known for their excellent eyesight. They are able to discern shapes in 3D. Other spiders are suspected only to be able to sense movement, and rely on other cues (vibrations, chemical-signatures) to identify prey.
NZ Tunnelwebs Dec 11
No CommentsThese large lurking spiders are common in the NZ bush. Their nocturnal habits though mean they are rarely seen by people. On occasion they do wander into people's houses. We had one crawl across the kitchen floor earlier on afternoon. Fortunately in our house we keep a cool head around large spiders. Actually we tend to be enthusiastic greeters to such arachnids.
Nonetheless, the best time to see these spiders is at night. It is extremely rare to see them out of their tunnels. Nonetheless, I managed it with this large beauty. This is the NZ Hexathelid Hexatheles hochstetteri – one of the very first species from NZ to be described.
This Mygalomorph spider is unusual for having 6 spinnerets rather than 4. They are some of New Zealand's largest (by weight) spiders.
#1 Wanderer
#2 Closeup- the small eyes are clustered at the front edge of the carapace
#3 Adapted to kill- the spines on the front legs help trap the prey long enough for the fangs to strike
—–
For more photos please visit
|Zenfolio Albums| or |Committed Photography|
Monday #Macro: Under the Cover of the Night Sep 17
No CommentsOne of the reasons to attempt photography at night time is you get the chance to see behaviours that don't occur during the day. This means nocturnal creatures come out, spiders repair their webs and other high-risk activities occur. One of these is mating. For arthropods, mating is a high-risk activity. It means you have to abandon the usual routines that protect you from predation. You have to search for a potential mate, succeed with the liaison and avoid predators while exposed. One solution is to attempt this at night time because many avian predators will be fast asleep- or have difficulty locating you.
This led to the spotting of two crane-flies locked in coitus
This shot used my new Macro twin Flash with the side-arm on the right extended and angled to give some side light and pick out more fine detail on the antenna and body hairs. I also had a 6x Raynox adapter attached to the macro lens.
Monday #Macro: down low Sep 10
No CommentsThis is (surprise surprise) another fungus shot, aided with the assistance of my Macro Twin Flash. The diffused side light from the right helps to show up the relief on the gills, without dark shadows concealing features.
Of course, if any local mushroom experts want to help me with an ID, I'd be very appreciative.
Monday #Macro – Gnaphosid spider Sep 03
No CommentsExploring the bush for spiders (and other creep-crawlies at night) can be a hit and miss affair. Your vision is rather limited. I use a head lamp but this is a compromise. If you use too strong a headlamp the light will spook more creatures. If the lamp is too weak, you can't see as much.
Often the web-builders are easier to see, because webs will reflect light back to you, showing evidence of the spider. For the ground-hunters, the odds of seeing them drop away quickly. Not only do you lack the tell-tale sign of a web, but they're more active spiders and more likely to be spooked by vibrations or light.
I spotted this gnaphosid spider however on the side of a tree trunk, then set up the gear to get some pics. This is actually a widely spread family of spiders and a common inhabitant of native bush. It doesn't mean it's any asier to spot at night however :)
Monday #Macro – Moth Aug 27
No CommentsTo prove that I don't always take macro photos of spiders, here's a small moth I located last week in an evening session. I'm afraid I'm no expert on NZ moths and have absolutely no idea what species it is. I did like the way it was hanging vicariously on the small twig on the tree though.
The lighting effects came from my Macro Twin Flash. Also, taking photographs of arthropods in the dark of night is a lot harder than you might think…
|Zenfolio Albums| |Committed Photography Prints|