While photographing wildflowers in my rural Missouri wildflower garden, I found several nice orb spider webs … some with it’s resident home. Today’s post, Part 1 of a multiple part post, features a Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) that I spotted directly behind a nice clump of purple asters. Here are a few of my favorite images of the Yellow Garden Spider:
After capturing a few images, I decided to capture a series of images, varying the focusing point throughout the captures (a technique know as “focus stacking”. I captured 43 images and combined them all into a single image, using Helicon Focus software:
As you can see, I got a lot of the web in sharp focus. But I had a few strands that are still not in sharp focus … guess I needed another 43 images combined to the first 43 images :o)
The Yellow Garden Spider is a very common spider in the fall. When photographing the garden (or even in the tall grasses on the prairie), it is pretty difficult to miss these large, colorful spiders and their large webs! I especially love finding these insects when fall colors are showing up … this can be a very photogenic situation. Hopefully, I will be capturing more images as the fall colors really pop, over the next few weeks.
Photographic Equipment Used:
- Canon 5D Mark 3 body
- Canon EF 180 macro lens + Canon 1.4x TC
- Vanguard Alta Pro 283CT carbon fiber tripod, with 3 Pod H-3 ballhead
- ISO 250 to ISO 800
- Aperture f/5.0 to f/16
- Shutter 1/30 sec. to 1/125 sec.