Cosmic Web
A couple of days ago I showed very small parts of a spider web in all it’s cosmic wonderfulness in Iris Cosmos. Ken (Oneowner) suggested there was more to be done, and he was right.
Yesterday morning had almost no breeze, which is unusual around here. So, first thing on getting up (right after feeding the cat that is, I do know the household priorities) I had another try. These uncropped images are of a very finely spun spider web from what must be a very small spider. This is in a potted Lodgepole Pine that is at the edge of the patio. It is full of webs just like this right now, and so I had several angles on different webs to play with. There was a bit of movement in the web, which is what causes the lovely cones of banded light.
The top shot illustrates the potential glory of lens flare. Compare to the picture below where I have shielded the lens. Definitely the lens flare wins for this subject matter, hands down. Though I am happy with the second shot.
Cutting the lens flare is tricky in these circumstances. I am looking pretty much right into the sun, which is low in the sky. The end of the lens is very close to the web, so I had to place the shadow of just one finger in exactly the right place so it did not shadow the web but catches the lens. And, I had to avoid touching the pine tree or it would vibrate through the shot which meant for some very strange postures, arm held high and arching down. Kind of like doing yoga, after a while bits of the body start to shake from being held still. My body anyway.
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I will be away from the computer for a couple of days, having a wedding anniversary trip. I promise not to have separation anxiety. And, I will catch up on comments on my return.
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Canon EOS 5D MkII, Canon FD 50mm/f3.5 lens, reverse mounted on extension tubes, ISO400, f-16, 1/400th. Processed in Lightroom 4 and Topaz Clarity.
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burnt embers 
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Great shots ehpem, love all the colours in the first image!
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Thanks David – this kind of crazy bokeh really appeals to me, in many ways.
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Amazing stuff, you must be very very close.
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Hi Joseph, I am close, but with the lens reversed it gives quite a bit of space for maximum magnification – without measuring it I would say 5 to 7 cm. Which is great because it lets some light in to the subject, and if its a bug, then is not inclined to make them quite as fussy about having their portrait taken.
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Still close enough. It’s an impressive magnification for all that. Love the way of the light and movement.
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Very cool!
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Thanks – the webs are really quite wonderful when enlarged like this.
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I wish that the cat, instead of eating her breakfast, had been shooting your Photography Yoga session.
These are very nice. I like the color and movement that you’ve captured here.
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Thanks Melinda. The cat is turning plural these days. A neighbour’s cat is moving in. The neighbour moved to an old folks home and the new owners agreed to take on the cat. But she has not been happy, the 3 year old, any kid, not being her cup of tea. So, our cat is only interested in protecting her space and peace and quiet right now and has not picked up the camera for a few weeks.
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Oh, poor kitty. I just hope she can eventually make it through the trauma with her space and peace and quiet mostly intact. And will, before long, be able to get back to the artistic side of her life.
Or: would the new cat be interested in learning photography? Just a thought….
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Hmmm, I think the cats will be more concerned about the arts of war, than about photography for the next while.
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this is so cool. I can only imagine how many shots and angles it took to get it just right. My issue is always that I cannot tell for sure on my camera – it’s when I open the shots up on the computer. When I’m up north, for instance, I don’t know til I get home and that’s too late! That’s why I take about 100 shots for every one I like!!! Your shots are FANTASTIC. I especially love the top one.
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Thanks Paula! I was setting them up in live view mode (through the screen rather than the eyepiece), which is a real blessing, damned near a necessity for higher magnification macro. So, I could see what I was framing and zoom in for focussing. However, that is still a pretty hit and miss proposition because of the sun in the eyes, and so on.Then there is the motion in the web makes for unpredictable results. And, then there is the processing which can bring out a lot of detail not visible when shooting. So I take dozens of shots just to get the ones that work the best.
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These are pure magic, ehpem. I’m glad you went back to the webs. Terrific shots!
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Thanks Ken! Thanks for encouraging me to go out for more. And there are more, once I get time to process them.
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