Nature buffs and camera enthusiasts find spiders and their intricate webs fascinating. Photographing them is challenging. Here are some tips to improve your digital photos of spider webs.
Things You’ll Need:
- digital camera with close-up mode
- outdoor area to find spiders
Spider webs with dew on them are more visible in photographs than a plain web. This means getting out early with the digital camera before the sun dries everything out.
Use the macro setting (close-up) on your digital camera. Often this setting is represented by a flower icon.
Keep your hands very steady or use a tripod for macros. Avoid windy days when slight movements of the web will blur your picture.
Look for plain, uncluttered background to show off the web better. Dirt, mulch, or sky work well as a background. The close-up setting on the digital camera helps by putting the background out of focus.
Take multiple shots from different angles. Try getting the whole web, a section of the web, different sides of the web. Then see what turned out the best.
Tips & Warnings
- Fog or a sprinkler or a light shower sometimes creates ideal conditions for photographing webs and can mimic morning dew.
- Black construction paper held behind a web might work when the background is too cluttered.
- Avoid disturbing the web when taking your photo.
(Previously published on eHow in 2008 by Virginia Allain)
Virginia Allain 