Spider Photography - MANY more added Aug 31

[RandomWiktor]

I'm having fun learning how to work the zoom lens on my camera, which is brand new and still essentially alien and terrifying to me, so I thought good practice would be photographing the numerous spiders inhabiting the woods by my college. They really are perfect subjects; colorful, interesting, and they stand still while I fiddle around with the focus.

The pictures aren't 100% perfect since I'm learning the camera, so be forgiving

A handsome fellow with a nicely striped head

This subject looks ready for an ambush.

I titled this "Not Well Hidden," because it looks as though the spider thought he was in his tunnel, but neglected to realize his rump was hanging out. Check out the nice markings on the abdomen, though!

Here is a nice side-view of a web with its inhabitant.

The photo itself is a little blurry, but the subject matter was too cool to not post; this guy just caught a fly, and is ready to eat. I also think the spider itself looks eerily similar to one of the monsters from "Alien."

Again, not the best focused, but what a fun looking spider! He reminds me a bit of a hermit crab with that insane-looking abdomen.

Wow. Nothing like a spider web in the rain, with an beautiful inhabitant to boot.

I found this colorful fellow by chance; I was looking at and photographing his web, when I happened to look up and under the leaf one corner attached to, finding him hidden from the rain. I wish the focus on the spider itself was a bit better, but I still love the pic.

Added as of August 31

The clouds parted for a bit to reveal this colorful guy making his web. I took a TON of pics of him, so forgive how many I posted; its just a fraction of what I took.

I almost walked through this poor bloke's web. The second pic. is a little blurry, but it is a very cool looking spider.

I came across a daddy longlegs with half of a cricket hanging out of his mouth. How cool.

This fella reminda me of a starfish with the way his legs are posed.

I love the way this one incorporated a leaf into his web; he ran right up under it after the flash went off.

I found a web with a ton of spiderlings in it; this guy's body was about the size of a pin's head. He had at least 7 other siblings in the same web.

(I don't ONLY photograph uglies XD)

 

[ladyhawke]

OMG! That is WAY more scary looking than the spider I took a pic of! THAT thing lives near your house!!??

 

[wwestar2000]

The last one looks dead. Like upside down

 

[RandomWiktor]

He's not, I assure you He ran further up into the leaf after I snapped the pic; he was just hanging upsidedown from a strand of web on the upper leaf (the flash didn't pick it up in the photo).

 

[Nospherith]

Fantastic pictures, RandomWiktor. I've always liked spiders, I guess becuase they're kindof like the anti-bug. They themselves are bugs, but they exist to eat other bugs like mosquitoes so they're good in my book. That, and the allure of the spiderweb often means death by poisoning for those that stray too close. Gracefully elegant in a strange way, I think. Anyway, I have some spider pics of my own, thought you might be interested:
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[KentBlokey]

Great shots! I especially like the second from last.

 

[chishnfips]

they are cool, when I look a spiders I always get a shiver down my back. yeuch.

 

[moray]

Lovely spiders, love the last colourful one RandomW. and the close up is great Nospherith

 

[SRC]

You should go squish every one of those now .

 

[RandomWiktor]

Hahaha. It'd take a lot of squishing to get rid of all the ones in THOSE woods.

Thanks for the comments, and nice shots, Nos!

More pics added!

 

[Adistar]

I hate spiders

Good pictures tho, but that made me more paranoid about spiders haha..