Tag Archives: spider

A Foggy Summer Morning in Auburn Alabama and a Tree Swing

July 7, 2008 – 11:18 am

What a busy weekend it was this past week. Being a holiday weekend with the 4th of July on a Friday it was just a little chaotic but all tranquility of a Monday has returned. I think I would have to qualify a Monday or Tuesday in January or February as the most tranquil, but this one will do.

For those of us in the south, the summer bring little rest from the heat but a rare foggy morning is one of those reprieves for July. We have been in a horrible drought for the last few years and this summer has proven to be more of the same, except a few mornings where fog blankets the grass and trees.

Fog in Alabama Summer

Spider Web in Early Morning Dew

Our tree swing has quickly become one of my favorite places to eat breakfast and today, it wasn’t cool, but it wasn’t hot either. I took the photo of the tree swing about 5:30am right out my bed room window, and by the time I grabbed a bowl of cereal most of the fog had burned off, but still left a quiet misty pasture to look at while I ate.

The spider webs I just love early in the morning. They are transformed into some pearly design only nature can create. Now as I write this post, it is full blasting sun at what feels like 95* or higher. Guess if we didn’t have the heat the cool foggy mornings would get boring, but I don’t think so.

By Scott Fillmer | Posted in Journal, Photography | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (4)

Spiders Enjoy the Rain Too

May 7, 2008 – 7:21 am

If you are new to this blog, this is my daily image of the day post. I try to do this as a daily post of a photo I have taken at one point or another, as often as I can. To see the previous days image of the day, just click on the category link above called image of the day.

Today is a favorite photography subject of mine, just because they are usually very cooperative when you are going to take their photo. Unlike people whom always seem to fidget, spiders are only interested in something when it hits their web.

spider web in the rain

I would have preferred to take this from the other side but it just wasn’t possible that particular day. I still love the detail in the web itself.

By Scott Fillmer | Posted in Photography | Also tagged , | Comments (0)

A Spider Web in Morning Dew // Macro Photography

April 30, 2008 – 6:42 am

Something about spiders and spider webs makes for some neat subjects. Add a little morning mist or dew and they really light up.   Macro photography is something I really like as well, and the combination of dew on the web and its size made for a great macro photography opportunity. This image of the day wasn’t one that I had to travel real far to take, just went to the back yard. Not to say it didn’t take a little setup, but it was nice to be able to take a shot like this so close to the house.

I took several different versions of this image, this one is one of my more favorite, using a flash. A flash on a subject like this is what makes the background black. Without the flash, you end up with some color in the background, in this case, it was green from the trees, but I like the way the black isolates the subject.

Spider Web in Morning Dew

Taking a photograph of a spider web can be lots of fun when you see the results, but shoot many different angles and options, they are not as easy to see on film as one might think. Another good way to photograph spiders or spider webs is using the sun’s angle at first light or last light when you can get some nice color reflecting on the web.

Image Specifics

  • Body - Nikon n90s
  • Lens - Nikon 105mm Macro
  • Film - Kodak E-100S
By Scott Fillmer | Posted in Photography | Also tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Use Contrasting Colors // Red Flowers and Green Spiders

April 29, 2008 – 8:21 am

In nature photography, one of the best things to find is some subject with contrasting colors. Of course, you are taking about nature, so it isn’t really up to you, but if you can find a contrasting color (that would be red/green, or yellow/black, or blue/green etc), it will make the image pop out.

Sometimes you have to look REALLY hard to find a contracting color. Red and green are two of my favorite contrasting colors, they just go so well together and each color stands out. In this image, I remember looking around forever for the red/green match and finally found this tiny little spider. Not the largest subject I would have liked, but, a green spider, sitting on a red flower, go figure. Without the green background, the flower itself would not jump out of the image quite as well as it does with the contrasting color in the background.

Red Flower and Green Spider

The spider is about the size of my finger nail at most, so getting in really close was pretty important. Framing the background to have some shade of green was just a matter of framing, and trying to get a somewhat diagonal going from the center of the flower up to the spider is an element of photography I like as well.

Some reviews have not cared for the spider there at all (I do have both shots, but like this one better), and the flower itself could have been a sharper with the focus on the center of the flower (if that was the subject). Since the subject is the spider, he is what is in sharp focus (you may have to click on the larger version to see the detail of the spider better). What do you think? Do you like the spider there or not?  He is obviously the subject of the photo, not the flower.  The flower is far to soft, but they do tend to compete with each other.

Image Specifics

  • Body - Nikon n90s
  • Lens - Nikon 105mm Macro with 6T closeup filter
  • Film - Fuji Velvia 50
By Scott Fillmer | Posted in Photography | Also tagged , | Comments (1)