A Little Gem

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A Little Gem
Photo Information
Copyright: Paul Prince (PDP) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2964 W: 366 N: 3848] (11733)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-03-23
Categories: Spiders
Camera: Canon EOS 20D, Sigma 50 mm 2.8 EX Macro, Digital ISO 200, Hoya skylight (1B)
Exposure: f/16, 1/60 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Araneae (Spiders) II [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2005-03-26 13:55
Viewed: 889
Points: 34
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Yes it's small but these are a very small species (Salticus scenicus). I always like watching animals in general but I could (and sometimes do) watch these spiders for hours. There are four species of Salticus in Britain and Northern Europe, they are often known as zebra or jumping spiders. They frequent walls, fences and tree bark where they roam in hunt. If you decide to watch them you'll observe them investigate every nook and cranny, if you put your finger to them they'll spin arounf to face it and then look at at you! They have binocular vision and demonstrate some planning when attacking prey. It's even possible to feed them aphids from tweezers which is great fun. They are one of my favourite spiders and they are normally present on house walls when it is sunny. In overcast or rainy conditions they seek out a crevice or similar to hide. I have noticed that their active hunting on fences often ends with them getting trapped and eaten by Zygiella x-notata and Nuctenea umbratica, which are both orb web spiders common on fences.

I hope you like this.
Fisher, red45, marhowie, Esox, LordPotty, naki, Luc, pompey, scottevers7, AndyB, gpepp, liquidsunshine, netfalls, dew77, gerhardt, ellis49, carper has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To gerhardt: Macro LensPDP 2 03-28 14:21
To LordPotty: snails...PDP 1 03-26 15:12
To LordPotty: Shoot some for me too...Luc 1 03-26 15:11
To red45: Thanks GregPDP 1 03-26 14:29
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • Fisher Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1540 W: 309 N: 2234] (8915)
  • [2005-03-26 14:15]
  • [2]

I'm looking forward in capturing a few as there are many on my shop walls. The weather is going to be warmer in the coming days. They are a cool looking spider.
Excelent capture and well done on this composition.

Mike

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2766 W: 75 N: 7516] (25149)
  • [2005-03-26 14:26]
  • [2] [+]

Definitelly spider with balls ;-) Very little but also fast and brave. Great close-up Paul - perfect DOF and focus. It is hard to not like this little hunter! Great job!

ps. congrats for beating Northern Ireland 4:0 :-)

Hello Paul and Happy Easter! Great details in this so very, very tiny Salticus. Very well composed and the diagonal lines running through the frame add nicely. Very well done!

  • Great 
  • Esox Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 287 W: 27 N: 352] (948)
  • [2005-03-26 14:35]
  • [2]

I love these Saltics. I find in there two big eyes an almost human look.
Very good shot with sharp focus and an interestiong POV.
Difficulty with spiders shot it that legs often mask the eyes.
On your pictures, you always manages to avoid this.
Superb composition too.
Thank you.

  • Great 
  • naki Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 421 W: 27 N: 783] (2688)
  • [2005-03-26 15:02]

Hi Paul, jumping spiders are also my favourites in the spider world. I love their allways in panic like movements or using all of their bodies while looking at you with their big headlights.
Very nice capture of this little spider. Good Dof and focus.

It is a little beauty Paul.I love watching hunting spiders too.We have so many different ones here.
I'll have to try and shoot some for you.
I have lots of reference books about insects but none on spiders,so I can't quite so readily identify them.
We have an outside light,and each night I go out several times to see whos turned up.There are two big orb web spiders that come out each night.I catch all the days flies from the house and chuck them in their webs.They're getting very fat.
There are also two ichneumon flies that seem to turn up on warm nights.Its been raining lately so they haven't been around for a couple of days.Perhaps their life cycle is over.We have stone walls,and one wet night I collected all the snails that were eating our house.(They eat the stone to get calcium to build their shells).I got 333 in five minutes!The ducks enjoyed them ;)

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2058 W: 316 N: 4403] (14709)
  • [2005-03-26 15:27]

An excellent macro of this real little gem, as you wrote it, Paul.
And what an interesting note. We can make a movie with such screenplay! "One day in the life of a Salticus scenicus", based on the book "A Little Gem" by Paul Pince ;-)
Thanks Paul.

  • Great 
  • pompey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 205 W: 4 N: 780] (2762)
  • [2005-03-26 16:26]

Hi Paul, I know nothing of spiders but know good photography when I see it.
A great shot with really good DOF and POV.
Good note too!
Thanks for sharing.

Paul, A great macro on this spider. Perfect DOF on you subject. I really like the composition and framing on this. Your subject is small in the picture, but it works perfectly. Great Notes also!

  • Great 
  • AndyB Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1593 W: 32 N: 1363] (3978)
  • [2005-03-27 12:06]

Excellent capture of this tiny critter.
Good diagonal compo with nice detail and DoF.
Very well done.

  • Great 
  • gpepp Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 10 W: 0 N: 27] (93)
  • [2005-03-27 15:01]

Very nice 'big eye spider'.:-) The details are good! Nice photo and the note is good.

Nice shot Paul,
good details and well composed.
Interesting notes, I'm learning quite a lot from this site.
Thanks for posting

Great shot Paul, very well composed. Great POV and colours
Well done.
TFS.

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5171 W: 297 N: 4050] (13069)
  • [2005-03-28 7:09]

Wonderful jumping spider.
Sharpness,DOF and details are superb.
Well done.TFS...

I am so glad that spring arrived in your neck of the woods, Paul. I see you posted three spider shots. :) You know me... that's what I like. This small critter is gorgeous. "Zebra Salty" I like the diagonals from the cracks in the wood and the crossing diagonal created by the DOF. Brilliant capture of this little one.

How do you experience the macro lens?

Very good macro Paul.
Great POV, colours and details.
Very well done, my friend.

  • Great 
  • carper Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2165 W: 124 N: 2567] (8208)
  • [2005-04-04 10:43]

Well Paul,
Yesterday I have captured the same spider,
you made a clear shot, the pof is wonderful, and the dof is nice to look at, very good note, very good job,
gr. Jaap

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