Pierre Williot
November 2024 - European garden spider
About the Image(s)
This is an Orb spider (Araneus diadematus) - sometimes called Pumpkin spider, that I found by one of my garage windows.
Here I used my Olympus E-M1X camera with OM 90 mm macro lens (hand-held but leaning on a firm structure) to collect 10 focus slices (1/320 sec, f/8, ISO 1,600). Images were stacked in-camera.
Noise reduction, slight cropping and light adjustments were performed within ON1 Photo Raw 2024. I also used a Graduated ND filter to decrease the highlight on the right side of the image, and a very gentle vignette.
8 comments posted
Nice portrait shot of this critter. The top-down view shows off its body nicely capturing some of its detail effectively, however the carapace (top, large oblong structure) is just a bit soft. It might have been a bit more interesting to get a front or side view, but perhaps that was not possible here Posted: 11/01/2024 20:26:26
Hi Charles,
Thanks for these comments. I totally agree with your comments.
This spider web was spread across the left frame of a window in my garage. There was a big shelf in front of that window. I was stretched above that shelf on a step stool and did not have much choices with the angles of capture.... Posted: 11/04/2024 15:08:46
Thanks for these comments. I totally agree with your comments.
This spider web was spread across the left frame of a window in my garage. There was a big shelf in front of that window. I was stretched above that shelf on a step stool and did not have much choices with the angles of capture.... Posted: 11/04/2024 15:08:46
Hi Pierre: Am bothered by the light vertical stripe running through the spider, as a nature photographer I well know you would not easily be able to move this subject to a better location. Sometimes we just shoot the subject as best we can even if the location is not perfect.
I do concur with Charlie in that the top part of the back of the spider is not as tack sharp as what one would expect from a focus stack. Am intrigued by the various colorations on the legs of the spider, not just one color. Posted: 11/02/2024 19:34:28
I do concur with Charlie in that the top part of the back of the spider is not as tack sharp as what one would expect from a focus stack. Am intrigued by the various colorations on the legs of the spider, not just one color. Posted: 11/02/2024 19:34:28
Hi Murphy,
I agree also with your comments. I explained my predicaments on my reply to Charles. Posted: 11/04/2024 15:09:47
I agree also with your comments. I explained my predicaments on my reply to Charles. Posted: 11/04/2024 15:09:47
Hi Pierre,
I have always had difficulty getting hand held stacked images of insects even though I use a fast shutter speed. Does your camera automatically capture the images at different levels of focus? I didn't realize that in-camera processing could be done. thanks for your explanation of capture. Posted: 11/15/2024 22:29:18
I have always had difficulty getting hand held stacked images of insects even though I use a fast shutter speed. Does your camera automatically capture the images at different levels of focus? I didn't realize that in-camera processing could be done. thanks for your explanation of capture. Posted: 11/15/2024 22:29:18
Hi Neal, The Olympus/OM System cameras are allowing both focus bracketing (take a series of images at different focal lengths) as well as focus stacking (take the images + in-camera stacking). In my case, I take these images in JPG and RAW format - the in-camera stacking result is only in JPG format). I can use the RAW images to stack the images in post-processing.
One needs to take a big breath before pressing the shutter button and hope that the insect will not move (either on its own or due to the wind). I find that a monopod is helpful and less cumbersome than a tripod.
I believe that focus bracketing is now available on most new mirrorless cameras - in this case, the stacking is done in post-processing. Posted: 11/16/2024 00:06:00
One needs to take a big breath before pressing the shutter button and hope that the insect will not move (either on its own or due to the wind). I find that a monopod is helpful and less cumbersome than a tripod.
I believe that focus bracketing is now available on most new mirrorless cameras - in this case, the stacking is done in post-processing. Posted: 11/16/2024 00:06:00
To add upon Pierre's thought, the in-camera stacking is fairly new and is just starting to show up in a lot of Camera models. As Pierre stated, many cameras collect the focus slices in an automated fashion. It often referred to in communications as "focus stacking" but that is incorrect. It's a more recent and less common function to actually stack the focus slices within the camera.
I have the Canon R5 Mark II, and it just introduced the ability to stack images. I have created several image stacks and compared the "in-camera stacked" images with the same slices that I stacked using HF or ZS software. I have been very impressed with the in-camera stacked results. The last couple of stacked image submissions were from the in-camera stacked results. Posted: 11/16/2024 01:45:58
I have the Canon R5 Mark II, and it just introduced the ability to stack images. I have created several image stacks and compared the "in-camera stacked" images with the same slices that I stacked using HF or ZS software. I have been very impressed with the in-camera stacked results. The last couple of stacked image submissions were from the in-camera stacked results. Posted: 11/16/2024 01:45:58
Glad you found this little critter outside and not inside. He is quite colorful and the design on his back is very striking. A few weeks ago, I took an online class on photo stacking vs. in the camera stacking. It was very interesting the points that were compared in the discussion. Overall, the instructor preferred stacking pictures through software. The capture brings out detail on the body and in post processing, I would enhance his color a bit more. Overall, nice photo! Posted: 11/16/2024 06:00:07