Saturday, November 7, 2009

Battle of the bugs...

First off, I messed up yesterday. I was trying to do this "blog every day during November" thing, but I missed yesterday. I had a long Friday away from the computer, then I had the art show opening to attend, then we got home and put the boys to bed. The oldest boy asked if we could all lay down together, and I did. Next thing I know, I wake up in bed with two snoozing babies and it is 1am. No point in trying to blog for Friday, because I just missed it.

It was worth it, though. I had a busy afternoon, a great art show opening that I attended with my wife and my friend John, and I got to snuggle up with two of my three favorite boys. Anyway, I'm hoping that is the ONLY day I miss. Let's see if I can keep it that way...

To get back on track, I'll probably post some cool pics from a recent client shoot or talk about an upcoming shoot with a new client. But for now, I thought I'd share this odd shot I took on a recent day off:


I was sitting on the back patio watching my boys play in the back yard. I see a wasp or hornet or something nasty fly over my head, towards the back door. Then I see it stop near a spider web. I didn't think he was going to get stuck, but he sure did. Immediately after, a spider comes out and they begin to fight.

Luckily, I had my camera pretty much ready to go, since I had left it set up from a shoot the previous night. I threw on some extension rings and got in close - a little too close for comfort, really. I shot some of the action, and this is what I got.

Now, I am well aware that I'm NOT on the level of a National Geographic nature shooter. This is not the best insect picture around. Heck, I don't even know enough about the specific bugs/insects/whatever to tell you much about them. I am a lifestyle shooter. People hire me to shoot people. I do that well - not creepy, stingy things.

It's more about the fact that I never expected to see a possible fight to the death between a wasp-looking thing and a spider. And the fact that I was brave enough to put on a 50mm and some extension rings to shoot this duel from no more than a couple inches away.

For the camera nerds, it was shot at iso 2500 on my Canon 5DmkII, 1/100th sec, f8, with bounce flash under my patio cover. And, for the PETA fans, I saved the flying insect. The spider retreated after a while, I think in hopes that the stuck insect would tire itself out trying to escape the web. I unstuck it and untangled it using a twig, then set it free. Don't ask me why...

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2 Comments:

Blogger Stacey Greenawalt said...

Yay Jason! Actually, I think you might have saved the spider (which is probably better for your patio). Looks like a Texas variety paper wasp and a regular ol' cobweb spider.

What I love most about this photo is the size difference. That spider looks like she's gonna scrap it out, even though she probably wouldn't stand a chance... Perhaps not National Geographic worthy, but maybe Texas Geographic :)

November 8, 2009 at 5:32 AM  
Blogger Sonny said...

Jason,

National Geographics or not, you did a great job capturing the action! I'm not afraid of bugs but I sure in the heck don't wanna get stung. Kudos for getting right in there.

Lots of things good about this photo. Nice tight square crop, excellent lighting allows us to see lots of creepy crawly details, and love the composition.

November 9, 2009 at 5:42 AM  

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