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Tarantula

Gallery: Macro & Close-upPosted August 19, 2012335 views15 comments

Posing next to a Fetid Marigold...

These are in the wild & I have been seeing them a lot recently! I think the males are the ones usually seen because they wander all over in search of females.

This was shot with a macro lens...Most tarantulas here that I have encountered are pretty mild mannered...including this one.

We set it near the flower...these flowers are growing all over and it is a natural native setting for the spider...in fact there was a tarantula hole nearby.

He sat so still for a bit so I raced to get my tripod in order to try a stack. This is a very detailed stack of 45 but at first I thought it pointless to mention because the way I compressed the image doesn't seem to show all the hairs.

Sorry...I should have posted a larger version...I figured most people wouldn't want to look at it as big hairy spiders seem to freak many people out.

Comments

15 comments

Comment posted by John Neukirch on August 19, 2012 at 6:50 PM

Dang, you grow them big in the southwest. Great sense of scale with the flower on the left. Would look to see a larger version.

Registered on July 9, 2012, 207 Posts, 1476 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on August 19, 2012 at 7:13 PM

Nice details and complementary colors between the spider and the dirt.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by scott lanz on August 19, 2012 at 7:27 PM

Wow, Eirini. So did you come across this in the wild, or is this a staged shot? You don't give any techs, but, for me, I would have been using nothing less than an 800mm with a 2x extender, shot from my car, with the engine running.

Very nice comp and detail.

Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments

Comment posted by John Neukirch on August 19, 2012 at 8:13 PM

Now Scott, you're the moderator of the macro gallery, you're not afraid of a little spider are you?

Registered on July 9, 2012, 207 Posts, 1476 Comments

Comment posted by Eirini Pajak on August 19, 2012 at 8:58 PM

Scott, I included more information above...

Registered on December 13, 2011, 216 Posts, 1671 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on August 19, 2012 at 9:16 PM

Yes! It's time for the tarantulas here too!
Gotta go find a couple - love these guys.
Excellent shot with great detail and nice habitat. the yellow flower works great!

Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by scott lanz on August 19, 2012 at 9:59 PM

Thanks for the additional details, Eirini. Again, really well done. Never would have guessed a 45 image stack, although the detail is quite good. He (she?) deserves a posing fee.

Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments

Comment posted by Hali Sowle on August 20, 2012 at 8:38 PM

This is a great shot (even though I have a bit of a tarantula phobia) Great habitat and composition.

Registered on January 9, 2008, 36 Posts, 582 Comments

Comment posted by Carolyn Derstine on August 22, 2012 at 11:56 AM

Oh my. . .he is BIG. Great shot though and I like your comp with the yellow flower to the side. Wow, you must been in a standoff for you to be able to get a stack of 45! Nice details throughout even if we don't see all the hairs.

I have heard they can be harmless to hold and I commend you for your comfort level around these critters. However, I think I will be content to just view them from afar or with glass between me and them.

Registered on February 16, 2011, 610 Posts, 3684 Comments

Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on August 22, 2012 at 12:00 PM

Nice job. The stack effort was probably worth well even if compression robbed you of some detail. You posed him very naturally and it was quite decent of him to cooperate. Great capture

Registered on January 24, 2011, 576 Posts, 6942 Comments

Comment posted by Murali Santhanam on August 24, 2012 at 11:14 AM

Wow! That is very close.

Registered on July 31, 2008, 43 Posts, 331 Comments

Comment posted by Ellen deBoer on August 25, 2012 at 9:50 AM

Very nice image, Erini! I wouldn't dare to go so close, but maybe if you encounter them more often you can get used to them? Good idea to put him next to the flower for an idea of the size.

Registered on March 16, 2006, 419 Posts, 2076 Comments

Comment posted by Albert Darmo on August 25, 2012 at 10:12 PM

Hi Eirini

I love spiders too

but can't seem to find a good subject

It looks like a furry friendly speciman, love the detail and composition

Albert Darmo

Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments

Comment posted by Andrey Antov on September 3, 2012 at 10:22 PM

What a great portrait. Thank you for sharing.

Registered on March 18, 2008, 292 Posts, 341 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on September 5, 2012 at 11:12 AM

Great frontal POV and natural setting, love the single flower left that balances the comp and adds excellent interest..It must be a male. Why? - He's bringing flowers to his mate

Well done!

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments