I followed this jumping spider through the grasses and ferns of our front field for quite some time before I could get this shot.
Nikon D600, Sigma 105mm lens, ISO 1250, f/11, 1/800″ exposure.
Nikon D600, Sigma 105mm lens, ISO 3200, f/3.8, 1/40″ exposure
Sometimes a spider’s web will catch more than just dinner…
Nikon D600, Sigma 105mm macro lens, ISO 640, f/8, 1/160″ exposure
This garden spider was waiting patiently in her web yesterday morning as the morning sun was just beginning to lift through the trees to the east. Sorry for the cross-post for those of you who visit my East Street Weather Blog, but I really like this shot and wanted to share it.
Nikon D600, Nikon 50mm lens, ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/4000″ exposure.
Sometimes being a bit out of focus is a good thing…
Nikon D600, Nikon 50mm lens, ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/800″ exposure
Black-and-yellow garden spiders (Argiope aurantia) are quite common here in Vermont. This fine lady had recently caught herself a fly and was snacking on it when I came across her. She scurried away when I got low to shoot and then slowly returned to continue her meal.
Nikon D600, Sigma 105mm lens, ISO 800, f/3.8, 1/2500″ exposure.
Bug hunting is one of my favorite photographic endeavors. Armed with my D600 and trusty 105mm macro lens, I head out into our front field to bag my quarry. You have to be slow and quick at the same time, moving slowly and patiently to see what’s around you, then moving in quick to get the shot. I never really know what I’ve got until I get back home and dump the images onto my computer. In this particular round, the crab spider with the fly in its mouth was a complete surprise. Even through the lens, I thought the black bit was the spider’s eyes. When I blew it up, I discovered that I wasn’t the only one hunting bugs!
Most of these shots were taken at ISO 800 with apertures between f/8 and f/13 and shutter speeds of 1/800″-1/2000″.
A northern crab spider bags a small fly. This was an unexpected surprise!
I was shooting the yellow crab spider on the buttercup when the elongated flower fly zipped into the frame. A lucky shot!
A soldier fly (?) perches on a lesser stitchwort blossom.
A tiny jumping spider hunts on a milkweed leaf.
A leaf-footed bug crawls up a grass stem.
A tawny-edged Skipper on a milkweed leaf.
An unidentified beetle perches on a black-eyed Susan.
John Hadden Photography 