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Category: Macro Photography Tip

Photography Question 

Vikas Shivanker 		 

Photographing Spider Webs


 
 
I took a photograph of a spider with web. But I feel the web is hard to see (although the spider is very clear ). Why did this happen?


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March 04, 2005

 

Brian A. Wolter 		  What was your f-stop set to? A small f-stop like f2.8 will have a smaller depth of field and will keep the spider in focus, but have everything around the spider blurred out. If you want the web in focus also, you must go to a higher f-stop to get more depth of field.


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March 04, 2005

 
- Gregory LaGrange

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Gregory LaGrange's Gallery 		  Very fine things like a spider web show up better when there are highlights from a light angle. Also, brighter colors for a background make it harder to see.


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March 04, 2005

 

Bob Cammarata 		  Both of the above responses are correct.
The best time to accomplish this is early in the morning on a cool fall day. The wind will be minimal ... allowing for the use of a smaller aperture and long shutter speed (with a tripod, of course).
Try to position yourself with the rising sun in front of you, but at a slight angle to the left or right. This will accentuate the web, and create a halo of light around the spider (if he's home).
Also, you can use flash to illuminate the web. This is best when it's cloudy or if the web is in deep shade. Use a small aperture and fast shutter speed to illuminate only the web. Everything else will be black.


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March 06, 2005

 

Daniel J. Nolan 		 
 
 
The best way to get the most dramatic shot of a spider web is by shooting it with a strong back light (such as a rising sun or remote flash) against a dark background. To further enhance things if there are no early-morning dew drops on the web, use a water mister to place small droplets on the web. Unfortunately, this action may scare off the spider, but be patient, it'll be back. You may have to use a small on-camera flsh also to get details of the spider, if still there. My photo attached. Dan Nolan


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March 08, 2005

 

eric brown 		  Mist the web with a little water. It won't hurt the spider, and the water will pick up the light coming through the web.


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March 08, 2005

 

Bob Cammarata 		 
 
 
Natural dew is much more appealing than that which can be applied with a mister. (I've found few arachnids that will stick around after such an assault ... though applied moisture can definitely enhance empty webs.)
If you arrive early, around sunrise in autumn (about the same time the leaves are changing), after a clear cool night, you can be assured of at least a good hour of shooting time before the sun burns off the dewdrops and the wind picks up.
I've noticed that large arachnids like this garden spider will usually build their webs in a position to maximize the warming effects of the rising sun. They will position themselves on the web where their metabolism will increase in the least amount of time.
During these early-morning hours, they can be approached to within inches for some great close-ups. The attached photo was taken from a distance of about 10".


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March 08, 2005

 

Bob Cammarata 		 
 
  Shrowded in Dew
Shrowded in Dew
A garden spider, early morning light.
(Nikkor 55 mm, Provia 100, hand-held)

Bob Cammarata

  
 
I will try again to upload the photo :(


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March 08, 2005

 
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