I miss my buddies!

[jfoureyes]

I got this ol' gal back in August and finally did some PP on it.
I used my D80, old Nikkor AF 75-300/4.5-5.6 with Kenko AF 25 mm tube on a tripod. I can't wait for them to start showing back up again so I can get some more this year. I may need to work a little more on the BG noise...how does it look on your monitor?
Thanks for looking!

[DigitalScape]

Jim, the image look very nice on my montor (calibrated). The spider is sharp. The background looks fine (any noise my eyes could distinguish I would say is due to JPG compression)

[RicknTX]

How does it look on my monitor? It looks like I wanna swat it off! That's one big bug! I not only like the contrasting color combination of this particular spider, I also like the intricate web design it has laid out for its prey. Can you identify the type of spider it is? How much of the frame did you have to crop out to get this resulting image? Nice pic.

[slickshooter]

Looks good Jim
I can't see any noise and it's nice and sharp.

[jfoureyes]

Thanks John! I think should have added one more USM step to it. I'll make a note of it. I got new monitor that is semi-calibrated and was hoping that someone with one that is calibrated would respond thanks for your help, sir!

Thanks Richard! This is a Golden orb web spider AKA Banana spider. They are yearly visitors to Brazos Bend SP and one of my favorite subjects to work on every year. This is 88% of the original RAW file so it's not much of a crop. This gal was probably two and half inches long from fangs to tail... they do get a little larger, and a real treat to watch for a while. I couldn't get to her with my 105 because of some brush so I use the 75-300 with tube.

Thanks Dennis... guess my old eyes are playing tricks on me again.
I been doing toooo much processin'!

[tech1961]

Jim this picture looks great on my 24" monitor.

[ttusa]

I'm not any good at all that post processing stuff, Jim, but the colors and sharpness look good to me!
I haven't been able to photograph a good ol' spider in too long-LOL!

[jfoureyes]

Thanks Jimmy...I'm beginning to think it is my thick lenses in my glasses that are in need of a calibration.

Thanks Therese! If it looks ok to you all I'm satisfied that it's me. Hope you're feeling a lot better. I haven't had the crud in five or six years, but I remember what it was like and sure don't want any! How 'bout this weather! Camo tee shirt time at the park!!

[ifly223]

Looks great Jim!!! I tried to experiment today with your tips about different f stops. Its just too windy today. : ( But, i did see a difference in DOF. : )

[gardener]

Both bug and background look great on my calibrated monitor too...
I love to shoot spiders although my pp is miserable even on a good day.

[Patti Edens]

Yep, I agree with the crowd. It's perfect and that's all there is to it. And I also agree with Richard. I was ready to swat it off my monitor too.

[Stephen P]

Nice orb weaver. That is an orb weaver, right? She looks fine to me Jim. Pretty golden/brown tones.

[snidow]

Wow, nice capture Jim.. I miss them too. The noise isn't too bad just a bit noticeable.

[jfoureyes]

Thanks James...the wind has kept me processing for the last week...next week is looking pretty good though.

Thanks Steve. PP is not my favorite thing to do...I just want to shoot!

Thanks Patti! Just another month or so and they'll be back.

Thanks Stephen. Yep that's one of our golden orb weaver gals.

Thanks for the reply Laurie! I'm really getting antsy now!