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Where's the web?


Where's the web?
Photo Information
Copyright: Monika MvJ (thistle) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1317 W: 77 N: 3012] (9272)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-08
Categories: Spiders
Camera: Nikon Coolpix 4200, Nikkor ED 38-114 F/2.8-4.8
Exposure: f/4.8, 1/1698 seconds
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Argiope bruennichi [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-03-16 1:59
Viewed: 1494
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 54
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
One of my favourite spiders once more!

If you want to see many more pictures of this lovely spider take a look HERE


Wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi, fam. Araneidae) is a cousin of well known Cross Spider, but it has such distinctive appearance that you just can’t mistake it for any other species.
Female can be quite big (up to 25 mm). Her body is covered with dense silver hairs and the abdomen is painted with beautiful vivid yellow and black stripes. Hence people in most countries gave it names like: wasp or zebra spider. In Poland it is called tiger spider. Male is much smaller (no more than 5,5 mm). His abdomen is silver and has only grey spot in the middle and some smaller and darker on sides. Therefore it’s much more difficult to find him.

This species like warm, sunny meadows, especially wet meadows. Often you can find many webs on quite small space. This is quite unusual for spiders which rather don’t like to have neighbors. The webs are big and usually have distinctive zigzag design though it cannot be found on every webs. The zigzag is there not because it looks nice ;) but because it make web much more resistant. Wasp spiders feed mostly on grasshoppers and d’flies so the web must be strong to stop such creatures.

Strange things happen lately. Wasp spiders spread amazingly quick though biologist aren’t entirely sure why this happens. Some years ago they were very rare in Poland and now they can easily be called common.
In my region this is probably one of the most common spiders. On the wet meadows, that can be found nearby, I saw plenty of their webs hanging among high grass. I think there will be more of them year after year because this meadows are so wet that farmers can’t use them. Therefore nothing disturbs creatures living there.

Photo have been taken at one of these meadows. Again I used my favourite low angle to bring the sky into BG.
What was quite surprising the spider didn't have web. She just had some fibers of silk attached to the plants what didn't stop her to sit in a wasp spiders favourite pose.
goutham_ramesh, ddg, red45, dew77, Janice, wallhalla15, aido, Dando, sandpiper2, AndyB, pitai, wkshelton, Fisher, petrudamsa, carper, thor68, Hoos, peter_stoeckl, liquidsunshine, romuszka, PDP, Tommysugar, saguzar has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To akruger: Thanksthistle 1 03-18 07:39
To aido: Flashthistle 1 03-16 05:37
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Monica
What a superb picture, it is nice to get a spiders picture with out its web congrats.
Good POV
TFS
Goutham R

  • Great 
  • ddg Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 855 W: 23 N: 942] (5111)
  • [2006-03-16 3:19]

Hello Monika, this morning the web is out!! Splendid composition with great colors, light and details. These spiders are always "photogeniques"!!. Congratulations Didier.

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2705 W: 74 N: 8864] (30243)
  • [2006-03-16 3:26]

Hi Monika!
Yes, low angle became your trademark :-) Good use of flash, very nice colours on both - spider and sky. Web dissapeared, now this fancy guy levitates ;-) I don't remember when I took my last picture of live insect...today snow again.

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3315 W: 148 N: 6113] (18648)
  • [2006-03-16 3:40]

Yes Monika, even I think these are quite outstanding, even attractive - for a spider! It is amazing how it stands and holds on like this. Excellent capture, colours and details all nice and sharp. And it looks rteally good against youor sky BG>
Good job!
Janice

I'm lucky enough to live in an area of the UK where we have these spiders, and can usually find them in summer and autumn quite easily. This is a nice example of one.

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4774 W: 294 N: 4020] (13209)
  • [2006-03-16 3:40]

Hello Monika!
Excellent close up.I liked large DOF,lighting,POV,colors,details
and composition a lot.TFS...:-)

Hello Monika,
a very fine macro shot. Excellent details and good tones of colours. A great capture, very well done. TFS.
Greetings
Heinz

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  • aido Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 1044 W: 156 N: 1218] (4046)
  • [2006-03-16 5:14]
  • [+]

Hi Monika,
I like the POV here, makes her look big! I really like the exposure, the BG is perfect but the flash exposure on the spider is perfect also. Is this some kind of sync flash?

Excellent detail and colour, great shot. Informative note too.
Regards,
Adrian

  • Great 
  • Dando Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor [C: 637 W: 32 N: 792] (3084)
  • [2006-03-16 5:23]

HI Monika, nice close up shot, good colours, POV and control over the DOF. TFS.
Dean.

Very nice shot Monika, I especially like the low POV.
Good details and composition, well done.

  • Great 
  • AndyB Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1391 W: 32 N: 1350] (3982)
  • [2006-03-16 6:16]

Hello Monika,
I really like this low POV.
The blue sky really adds something to the composition.
Excellent detail here and very good contrasting colours.
Great use of the flash without burning out any areas.
Nice work.

TFS

  • Great 
  • pitai Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 203 W: 15 N: 155] (1197)
  • [2006-03-16 7:14]

hi monika, just perfect... in every way. love the colos, the point of view. very clear and sharp. congrats. a shot to be publish in NG. TFS. gabriel

Hi Monika,
Very nice macro shot!
Excellent POV and great composition,
good lighting and sharp details.
Well done and TFS!

Monika,

Great capture, the colors are great, POV, very sharp. A truly great photo. TFS, Kyle

  • Great 
  • Fisher Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1540 W: 309 N: 2234] (8915)
  • [2006-03-16 10:00]

Hi Monika,

Beautiful capture and well done on the composition and details. The sky is a bonus.

Mike

  • Great 
  • TPAKT Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Silver Note Writer [C: 114 W: 23 N: 19] (87)
  • [2006-03-16 11:52]

Privet Monica.
Very good photo. The low point of filming is justified - the spider becomes more, than it is.

Hi Monika!
It's a busy life around here; now and then I manage to steal 15 min. for a quick look over TN, reward people with a smiley for the good stuff.

Regards, Petru

PS. Nice butterfly! :-)

  • Great 
  • carper Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2009 W: 122 N: 2581] (8424)
  • [2006-03-16 14:20]

it's anice one Monika,
great pov and very nice composition the dof is nice too, I like the shot, what can I say more, well doen.
gr. jaap

  • Great 
  • thor68 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 792 W: 138 N: 1312] (5642)
  • [2006-03-16 16:04]

hi monika,
your macros are just incredible! :-)
this wasp spider here is really cool -
i´ve never seen one around here.
it´s so colorful and it looks like
she´s just floating in the air.
colors, light, details, superb!
well seen & captured, thor.

Excellent shot of argiope, the POV on this image is fantastic, you have a very nice perspective. :)

  • Great 
  • Hoos Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 19 W: 0 N: 20] (111)
  • [2006-03-17 0:36]

WOOOW, exc macro! nice work, keep sharing

Hi Monika, A very good photo once again. I easpecially like th POV with the clouds in the BG. It give that feeling of being free and doing what you want, which is exactly what a spider is. Keep shootin!!

Hi Monika,
lovely to see the endless bright summer sky behind the spider.
Very good shot with great depth and atmosphere.
Thanks and best regards,
Peter


Big Spider Woman Smile!

Guess who?? ;)
Fantastic shot Monika,
I love your shots with a good low POV.
The colours are excellent, as is the detail, sharpness and BG.
Exposure is perfect, good composition.
Great capture, and what a lovely, sweet photographer;)

Czesc Monika!
Ciagle jestem u Ciebie w gosciach. Piekna masz kolekcje tygrzyków i bardzo podoba mi siê Twoj sposob patrzenia. No to ja tez sobie poszaleje na swojej ulubionej lace. Zdjecie(a) jak zwykle super. Tlo, ostrosc i sposob spojrzenia z zabiej perspektywy :). Gratuluje i pozdrawiam.

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 2821 W: 344 N: 3779] (11769)
  • [2006-03-23 2:57]

Hi Monika, a very nice spider it is too. I like the brightness and colour of this one. Nice POV too. Well done!

Hi monika, very nice pictures. Yhe colours are really good!
Beautiful the blue-withe sky background!
Bye Tom

hello Monika,
How I missed that? Is excellent! I love the composition, details, colours and mainly, the BG is amazing
A greeaaat job!
Hernán

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