spined micrathena - Micrathena gracilis

Very nice

I just shot one of these in my backyard this weekend - I don't see them often, so was happy to find it.

… Ashley Bradford, 27 July, 2009 - 12:49pm

Thank you neighbor

I would love to see it. Are you going to post yours?

Eric

… Eric Gofreed, 27 July, 2009 - 1:38pm

Posted:

=) Thanks for requesting!

… Ashley Bradford, 27 July, 2009 - 2:47pm

outstanding

nice blue sky too. In the woods all I see is black backgrounds.

thanks for sharing
Eric

… Eric Gofreed, 27 July, 2009 - 8:17pm

Thanks =)

I'm not sure why the blue showed up here - a couple of the shots I took from this angle had black backgrounds, too. Or maybe I was at a slightly different angle that put it against something else and didn't notice. But it was nice to see one of these in my back yard for a change instead of, like you say, the woods they seem to favor. My back yard is somewhat woodsy. ;-)

… Ashley Bradford, 27 July, 2009 - 9:27pm

And here's mine...

You guys have WAY better cameras. Mine's not a great pic, but she's a Guide first for July in PA:

I am in love with these spiders!

… Abigail Parker, 27 July, 2009 - 3:14pm

Excellent pic too

Until I found bugguid.net I thought there were only two groups of people who could get great photographs... profession photographers and rich doctors because they were the two groups who could afford the equipment. :o oops did I say that? There are many wonderful pics here, including yours. Keep up the good work.
Eric

… Eric Gofreed, 27 July, 2009 - 8:26pm

Love your photos!

Hope I can get results as good as yours, whether my camera improves or not :-) Orb weaver spiders are good subjects because they'll stand still at the center of their webs for hours...I always reward them by flicking gnats or mosquitos at the web when I'm done.

… Abigail Parker, 28 July, 2009 - 8:16am

never thought of rewards.

So for bad behavior do you destroy their web?
Love your sense of humor.
~e~

… Eric Gofreed, 28 July, 2009 - 9:21am

Very nice!

My camera is actually not terribly expensive, but I love it for what I use it for (mostly bugs!). I have a Canon S5 ($350 when I bought it) + a Raynox DCR-250 macro ($60 for adapter + lens). The camera is not a DSLR, but a point-and-shoot.

… Ashley Bradford, 27 July, 2009 - 3:21pm

oh, I'm saving up for something like that...

My camera is a secondhand point-and-shoot, which is permanently stuck on the macro setting because the manual's been long-lost and I don't know how to change it. But I don't mind, since most of my subjects are tiny anyway! My secret is to take a LOT of photos and inevitably a few of them come out very well. Have 2 gigabyte SD card, will travel...

… Abigail Parker, 28 July, 2009 - 8:13am

share the same secret. ;-) My camera is a couple years old now, so maybe you can get a used one for not too much?

… Ashley Bradford, 28 July, 2009 - 10:12am

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… Eric Gofreed, 27 July, 2009 - 5:41am

beautiful image!

I don't usually comment on the aesthetics of a photo, but this is just gorgeous. It really brings out the spider's subtle pattern, lots of detail on the interesting abdomen, and the black background really sets off the spider and web. I'd use this as a desktop background if it wouldn't freak my coworkers out!

… Abigail Parker, 24 July, 2009 - 9:29am

thank you

I appreciate the compliment. The black background is an unavoidable consequence when using a telephoto lens and a flash on subject in the shaded. It really makes the image pop.
Eric

… Eric Gofreed, 24 July, 2009 - 2:34pm