Time Tunnel
This lovely lady in her dewy web is a very fine specimen of Nephila plumipes (Coastal Orb Spider), a native to Australia.
I was on a day trip with a Port Macquarie Panthers Camera Club friend, driving along the Oxley Highway between Gingers Creek and Wauchope, NSW, Australia, very early on a misty morning when we spied an area beside the road with lots of spider webs, all silvery with dew in the soft morning light.
In all the webs we looked at hers was the only one with anybody home so we set about making some shots. For this one my friend let me use his plug-in sync flash and he held it for me, slightly to my left and about 2 meters (six feet) back. I was then able to get in fairly close and make this full frame shot with the flash doing a great job on the thousands of tiny dew drops on the web.
One thing we noticed about the webs in this area was that they were very closely woven. We think this is due to the area being subjected to some really stiff breezes being in the mountains, so the spiders here need stronger webs. It’s either that or the prey they are after is bigger and stronger than that hunted by spiders down in the coastal areas.
Fuji S9600: RAW, f/3.7 @ 1/60sec, ISO80, Auto focus, External flash, Hand held.
S7RAW & Photoshop CS.
Visit the Insects & Spiders collection in my BubbleSite Gallery for more eight legged critters.
UPDATE:
12-01-09
This lovely Orb Spider has won me a Merit Certificate in the Port Macquarie Panthers Camera Club December 2008 Digital Competition in the Colour Section.
Enjoy!
SPIDERS
(Click the links!)
Nephila plumipes – Time Tunnel
Nephila plumipes – Suspended Animation
Nephila plumipes – Lunch is Served
Nephila plumipes – No-one Home
Argiope Kaiserling – Dragon Slayer
Deinopis subrufa – Net Casting Spider
Diaea evanida – Flannel Flower Defender
Diaea evanida – Dinner at Five #1
Diaea evanida – Dinner at Five #2
Araneus bradleyi – Enamelled Spider
Time Tunnel belongs to the following groups:
Arachnids Available for sale asGreeting Cards, Matted Prints, Laminated Prints, Mounted Prints, Canvas Prints, Framed Prints and Posters
Dennis Rubin IPA
Very nice capture and web is intricate!!!
Dennis Gay replied
G’day DR,
Good to see you along the highway, travelling through the mist to catch a look at this lady in her delicate web.
Thank you so much for your most encouraging “Very nice…” comment for my mountain efforts.
GB
Dennis
Maximus
Dennis, fantastic result &name, love those orb weavers. :)
Dennis Gay replied
G’day Max,
Good to see you along the highway, travelling through the mist to catch a look at this lady in her delicate web.
Thank you so much for your most encouraging ”...fantastic…” comment for my mountain efforts.
They are an incredible spider and very placid.
GB
Dennis
Jason Connolly
Fantastic detail and composition, This is brill Dennis.
Dennis Gay replied
G’day Jason,
Good to see you along the highway, travelling through the mist to catch a look at this lady in her delicate web.
Thank you so much for your most encouraging ”Fantastic…” comment for my mountain efforts.
They are an incredible spider and very placid.
GB
Dennis
Claire Farley
Fantastic shot Dennis!
Dennis Gay replied
G’day Claire,
Good to see you along the highway, travelling through the mist to catch a look at this lady in her delicate web.
Thank you so much for your most encouraging ”Fantastic shot…” comment for my mountain efforts.
GB
Dennis
Prasad
I am just thinking about this, Dennis.
What should I write here? It’s not for the first time you have stunned, but unlike other images this has put a lot pressure on my brain. You know why????? This time tunnel has made me think -
Should I enter in it or…....................................................... :)))))
Great work again!!
Dennis Gay replied
G’day Prasad,
Good to see you along the highway, travelling through the mist to catch a look at this lady in her delicate web.
Thank you so much for your most encouraging ”…Great work…” comment for my mountain efforts.
Whether you enter the Time Tunnel or not depends on just how adventurous you are. 8-)
GB
Dennis
Anne Smyth
the spider is good but the web is amazing!
Dennis Gay replied
G’day Anne,
Good to see you along the highway, travelling through the mist to catch a look at this lady in her delicate web.
Thank you so much for your most encouraging ”…amazing!” comment for my mountain efforts.
Well the spider built the web so that must be amzing to! 8-)
GB
Dennis
Judith Winde
Well, I already told you how I feel about spiders, but that web…oh, my! That is a MASTERPIECE!! Excellent job capturing the the delicate intricacy of this spider’s magnificent creation!
Dennis Gay replied
G’day Judith,
Good to see you along the highway, travelling through the mist to catch a look at this lady in her delicate web.
Thank you so much for your most encouraging ”…MASTERPIECE…” comment for my mountain efforts.
C’mon, brave girl – just a little step closer… 8-)
GB
Dennis
Dennis Gay
G’day David Campbell …. wherever you are …..,
Thank you for adding this work to your favourites. I can only assume by this action that you like it. Please fell free to return any time to let me know just what it is you like about it.
GB
Dennis
debsphotos
It is an amazingly ‘compact’ web Dennis!!! Much more work involved in the mountains to down here on the coast!! LOL….
Dennis Gay replied
G’day Deb,
Good to see you along the highway, travelling through the mist to catch a look at this lady in her delicate web.
Thank you so much for your most encouraging ”…amazingly…” comment for my mountain efforts.
GB
Dennis
SharonD
Great detail Dennis.Looks good.
Dennis Gay replied
G’day Sharon,
Good to see you along the highway, travelling through the mist to catch a look at this lady in her delicate web.
Thank you so much for your most encouraging ”…Looks good.” comment for my mountain efforts.
Brave girl!
GB
Dennis
Greg Hale
Nature can surely provide many photographic opportunities….........nice shot
Dennis Gay replied
G’day Camerashy,
Good to see you along the highway, travelling through the mist to catch a look at this lady in her delicate web.
Thank you so much for your most encouraging ”…nice shot” comment for my mountain efforts.
GB
Dennis
Rosalie Dale IPA
The arachnids are something I’d rather not become familiar with, but they must have had a good breeding season – nature (and my house!) is overrun with them lately!!! Great catch of a very intricate web, as well as its owner Dennis!
Dennis Gay replied
G’day Rosalie,
Good to see you along the highway, travelling through the mist to catch a look at this lady in her delicate web.
Thank you so much for your most encouraging ”…Great catch…” comment for my mountain efforts.
You were verrrrry brave! Have a lollipop! 8-)
GB
Dennis
pryere
Fantastic capture, the web is so intricate.
Dennis Gay replied
G’day Pryere,
Good to see you along the highway, travelling through the mist to catch a look at this lady in her delicate web.
Thank you so much for your most encouraging “Fantastic…” comment for my mountain efforts.
GB
Dennis
shirleyscott
dear dennis
great photo. good composition
cheers
shirley
Dennis Gay replied
G’day Shirley,
Good to see you along the highway, travelling through the mist to catch a look at this lady in her delicate web.
Thank you so much for your most encouraging “Great photo…” comment for my mountain efforts.
GB
Dennis
LindaR
wonderful ~ imagine all the work that went into her weave and great capture showing it all to us ~ :)
Dennis Gay replied
G’day Linda,
Good to see you along the highway, travelling through the mist to catch a look at this lady in her delicate web.
Thank you so much for your most encouraging “wonderful…” comment for my mountain efforts.
Thank you too for adding my portfolio to your watchlist. I hope it lives up to your expectations.
GB
Dennis
KellyThomas
wow, she is busy and beautiful. Can’t wait to travel around Australia and take macros of this amazing country.
Dennis Gay replied
G’day Kelly,
Good to see you along the highway, travelling through the mist to catch a look at this lady in her delicate web. Thank you so much for your most encouraging “wow…” comment for my mountain efforts.
GB
Dennis
Dennis Gay
UPDATE: 12-01-09
This lovely Orb Spider has won me a Merit Certificate in my Camera Club’s December 2008 Digital Competition in the Colour Section.
My thanks to all who have supported this work. Without such encouragement and support it may well be lingering away in a folder deep in my hard drive never to see the light of competition.
GB
Dennis
Gilberte
Unusual web for us and unusual colorful spider too!
Dennis Gay replied
G’day Gilberte,
Happy to see you along the highway, travelling through the mist to catch a look at this lady in her delicate web.
My warmest thanks for your most encouraging “Unusual (x2)…” wrap for my misty mountain photography.
GB
Dennis
Dharna
What an amazing web structure. Lovely colour spider
Dennis Gay replied
G’day Dharna,
So lovely to see you along the highway, travelling through the mist to catch a look at this lady in her delicate web.
Thank you muchly for your most encouraging “…amazing…” wrap for my misty mountain photography.
GB
Dennis