Nikon N70, 70-210mm zoom. Exposure unrecorded. Any and all comments welcome. Thanks!

-- Joe Cheatwood (cheatwoo@ufl.edu), July 15, 1999

Answers

Joe, I guess the spider is too small and somewaht merges into the background..... The white vertical path/line in the web doesn't help.

Keep trying, spiders are wonderful subjects, maybe you need a macro lens....

-- Jan van Bodegraven (janvnbdg@mandic.com.br), July 17, 1999.

Jan, thank you for your input. I suppose that I should explain where I was coming from for this image. It is an environmental portrait, if you will. I wanted to show the spider in the context of the web and the background. I have a 100mm macro lens, but I chose to use the zoom to keep some distance from the subject so it wouldn't move from the web. These are beautiful spiders and their webs are as interseting as they are, I think. I have a larger version of this image and I will put it on my web page for everyone who's interested. I will put the URL here when I get it up (tomorrow night?). Anyway, thank you. It's nice to hear someone's opinion. Anyone else out ther have an opinion? I've been shredded before, and a good shredding is better than no comment any day (in my book, anyway). :)

-- Joe Cheatwood (cheatwoo@ufl.edu), July 17, 1999.

Joe, the size of the spider doesn't bother me, I think it's a nice environmental shot. The whites seem a little over exposed though, either that or you set the contrast too high in the scanning. By the way your spider is a female Black and Yellow Argiope, Argiope aurantia. They are very beautiful spiders and are found throughout the U.S. (except not common in Rocky Mountain area.) Donna

-- Donna P. Bollenbach (cassidy@icubed.net), July 18, 1999.

I like the composition; the size and position of the spider and the relative amount of web showing are good choices, I think. I find the background distracting. I think a much plainer background would show off the spider better. The spider itself is nicely exposed and focused, but I agree that the white part of the web (whose name Peter gave a while back but which I have subsequently forgot) is unpleasantly hot.

-- John Sullivan (sullivan@spies.com), July 19, 1999.