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Romance in the Swamp

Gallery: Macro & Close-upPosted August 12, 2016173 views5 comments

The female Golden silk is in my opinion the most photogenic of the larger spiders, with nice proportions and colors, patterns on the abdomen and distinctive black tufts of hair on their elegant legs. Due to their large size they are easy to frame with a telephoto at close focus. I have recorded numerous images of these with the male in the web but normally not very close to the female, often lying nearby. I found this couple last weekend in Jean Lafitte NP in early morning light. Likely because of the relatively large size of the male, he likely fought off other suitors - guessing that he is the best candidate to carry on the bloodline. Shot full frame at about 4-5 feet away.

7D2 100-400 f4 @400 Manfrotto 410 geared head on GT2531, ISO 100 1/30 f8 -1/3EV manual focus

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Kathy Barnhart on August 12, 2016 at 10:38 PM

This is an elegant spider and an excellent image of it. I wouldn't want to get near it, but 4-5 feet would be okay. Love the silky web strands that are also visible here and the blurred background, colors, and comp couldn't be better.

Registered on November 11, 2011, 404 Posts, 1639 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on August 13, 2016 at 1:34 PM

That female is indeed quite a spider, Bill, very colorful as well as striking with her leg fur and skeleton head. The presence of the male turns this from a portrait into a story. A fine find, well presented.

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

Comment posted by Mark James Ford on August 14, 2016 at 8:13 AM

Hi Bill, an impressive Macro - The female has been caught wonderfully - excellent composition with the slight diagonal - just because something is photogenic doesn't mean that you will automatically get a good shot. Perfect timing for the shot - a great moment to catch.

Registered on January 16, 2015, 60 Posts, 430 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on August 14, 2016 at 2:17 PM

Hi Bill,

Well done catching the male trying not to get caught. Female spider is nice and sharp and the BG fits the scene well.................Jim

Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on August 15, 2016 at 6:24 PM

A beautiful spider, indeed, Bill. Neat to catch the male and female together like this. The female is beautifully crisp and the light is gorgeous.

devil

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments