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bleedingrosecmc — Black Widow Spider
Published: 2006-09-11 08:28:00 +0000 UTC; Views: 2031; Favourites: 11; Downloads: 11
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Black Widow Spider (Latrodectus mactans)Well, I can honestly say this was not an easy picture to take, considering I'm not so good with spiders. Mostly because they are a bit on the unpredictable side, but then again I'm a snake person. So people who didn't know much about snakes, could say the samething.
However, with that said, she was a perfect little lady and was surprisingly easy to work with. These guys aren't really aggresive at all, sadly misunderstood, I believe.
By the way, Black Widows are venomous and extreme caution should be taken around them. It's best to respect them and walk away, and trust me, they'll leave you alone.
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Comments: 63
i am greatly impressed by your ability to get "the shot(s)" of normally uncooperative beasties (generally speaking) though i can't even stand to look at the spiders behind glass at the zoo without getting the shivers and queasies... i'm going to keep an eye on your work because its quite impressive!
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Thank you! I'll actually be updating with a few shots of some inverts. 
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How did you get her to show her underside like that? Did you just tip her over or something?
She's very pretty.
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Nice series of shots here, she is quite large and the green background is fabulous.
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hey, points to you for bravery! your black widows look very much like our Redbacks here in Oz, from the photo, it looks like the only diff is that the Widow's red stripe doesn't extend up and around the abdomen. interesting... we have some pretty huge redbacks in our backyard, their webs are heaps messy, and sometimes they catch penny skinks that have fallen into them on the ones under the back stairs... kinda scary finding all these hanging, emacitated lizard corpses.
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I have no problem at all killing spiders, especially black widows. Our woodpile in New Mexico was infested with them and we killed about 600 of them living in it.
This shot is awesome, but it is definitely staged. Black widows don't hang out on leaves showing off their belly (though photographically, its definitely a great background for it).
It's hard to get their belly unless they are posed just right, and often, the lighting where they live is not condusive to photography. Still, they are a WONDERFUL subject to photograph. These are excellent shots of a black widow!
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-lol- I don't think I ever claimed it wasn't staged, thought it was kinda obvious.
As you see it's on the same porch I take a large majority of my other photos on, do you really think I'd set my reptiles where a black widow built her nest? No..
I actually saved her from squished, she was in my garbage can and people around my house do not share the same values as me for all things...eight legged.
It was much harder having to "stage" her, rather than finding her, but unlucky for us, her life was indanger and I don't think rotten eggs and beer would have made a nice backgroud.
The fact that she is showing off her belly, they only do this when aggitated. Take a long piece of grass and gently run it across their back a couple of times and she will go into the second pose. Next take it and do not touch her with it, but lightly sway the grass right in front of her. She'll hit the third pose. Of course the first pose was right after I moved her and she was aggitated by my exsistence.
I know a professional photographer who helps me out and tells me who to get little spiders into the pose you need. I think it's returned though, because I help him out with snakes.
-wishes she had a better camera, then I could steal his job, muhahahahahahaha. j/k.-
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try getting a Konika Minolta Z3 -- you can get them online for about $209 (I'll find the link if you are really interested)
12x optical zoom -- best on market for zoom
macro and supermacro features are utterly incredible -- check out my spider close ups -- that was with zoom in and macro.
excellent shutter speed
continuous and progressive shots at 2.5 frames per second
video camera mode at 30 frames per second, with recording also
manual or auto adjustmentof all features
built in flash and hotshoe for additional external flash
simply a delightful camera to use
couple it with a 1 gyg memory card from newegg.com for $22 bucks, and you are set for life.
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Hey thanks a lot. I am very interested 
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[link]
you can do your own searches for prices. this was among the best. I would go with the refurbished one for $164. Or you could spring for a new one for around $220 -- prices fluctuate.
It's a great camera. You can get a 1 gig memory card at Newegg.com for $24 bucks -- works great. I have one, my daughter has one, one of my students has one, my son has one.
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Thank you so much!!!
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I love spiders, I can't even kill the ones in the house. I just take a tissue and pick them up, then put them outside. Spiders are so interesting.
I don't think I have ever really seen a black widow up close. This is a really cool photo.
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Heh, Spiders are awsome..behind glass -lol-. Otherwise they can make me pretty nervous..
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hee hee, spiders don't bother me. I love them.
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-lol- That makes you like one of the only people I know that feels that way...
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Heh... It's funny how I can love snakes so much, yet a wee spider like that gives me the creeps, and somehow, tarantulas and scorpions still don't bother me.
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-lol- Most spiders give me the shivers. Tarantulas behind glass are awsome though
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*shudder*
good work.. but.. *shudder*
im terrified of spiders. excellent quality photos tho
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You got some amazing photos of that spider ^^ I probably wouldn't have gone anywhere near it =o Very well done for getting these excellent shots ^__^
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Awwww, thank you for the comment, I'll pass it on to her that she may have a future in modeling
I'm stupid, that's the whole reason I went near her 
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Lol X3 Thanks for passing on the message to the spider X3
And Spiders tend to freak me out a little. I don't mind them so much if they're behind glass o.O
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Spiders are awsome behind glass
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Couldn't agree more ^^
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Whoa scary! 
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-lol- I dare not post on your deviant board...
Thank you so much
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Thanks
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yes indeed, i've never seen one though, thankfully
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Good job. I don't have a lot of luck with spiders, so I can appreciate yours. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks a lot 
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I'm "chasing" a white spider that lives on my roses right now...lots of frames and no success. I'll post if I ever get a decent shot.
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-lol- I find the best thing to do with wild animals/spiders, let them do what they want. Focus in and wait..and wait..and if you need them on a different background, gently move them and of course replace them when you are done.
Also with spiders, get at their level or you'll never get a good picture. I admitt my photo isn't in the best of focus, but I was standing back a bit more than usual.
I'd love to see what kind of spiders it is though, and I will be waiting for it
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Beautiful work on it my freind!
great photos!! and great pose i must say lol
lucky u've catch a good view of the "sand watch" on the abdomen 
i definitely love it
fave...!
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I was actually quiet proud of these photos too, considering spiders worry me a bit.
She was showing her "hour glass/sand watch" because she got tired of me being there, she was trying to nicely tell me to go away, before she had to bite me. It's a defense mechanism and if I remember correctly, they'll kick web on you as a first resort and then if you continue to harass them, they'll bite.
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hmm never heard that black widow do that lol
and come on u worry about spiders?? hehe
there's no reason to afraid of any animal as long as u respect them and know to give them the right space, i dont need to tell u that most of animals attack ppl only when they feel threatened or when u crowding them to the corner...
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I saw it on a tv show, so it could have been bull crap, but I doubt it. If I remember the context correctly, the guy was poking her with a stick and explaining why she was kicking web 
Well, spiders worry me a touch because they have no real body language, except the actual biting..or at least, they don't have a body language I understand
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lol hehe!
same about me even i've mess with more then 1-2 spiders in my life (and got bitten of course)
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Never been bit by a spider and that makes me ever so happy -lol-. The only snakes I've been bit by, I knew it was coming if I made the move and I chose to make it anyway.
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lol thats not fun!
it was a poisonous 1??
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Nope, never been bit by a venomous snake. Mostly just local water snakes
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thats better my freind!
i got bitten by Israeli viper once... thats not fun at all i tell u !
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I bet not..ouch 
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wow, that's a good picture for the caution you had to take. Yeah, you're pretty brave, hah. I prefer snakes, actually. Bugs aren't my favorite thing in the world, but they surely are beautiful
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Spiders, to be honest, give me the creeps. There is no more unpredictable creature in this world, it's hard put to say there is a more interesting critter though.
I'm a snake person myself, and I'm sure non-snake people can say the samething about snakes as I say about spiders. I mean to me, it's very obvious what a snake is going to do next. They are just like any other creature, they have body language even though they have no limbs.
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Yes, that is true. I don't really find spiders all that appealing to me, but they are extremely interesting and incredible creatures. Of course snakes have body language!
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Most people will tell you snakes are very unpredictalbe and that is why they don't like them. I was simply stating, they aren't
Spiders are in the top ten of my favorite critter, at a far distance anyway. I'd never own one because I'd hate to scream so much around it -lol-.
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Spiders are in my top 15, hah. The are very beautiful, along with snakes!
More predictable than a dog? Sheesh!
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-lol- Yeah, dogs are unpredictable. I mean, say you don't know a dog, it can be wagging it's tail and eat your butt up at the same time.
Don't get me wrong, I adore dogs, I have 5 myself..but when I was 3 a Pitbull chewed on my face. I wouldn't have blamed the dog, but unfortunately I was unable to voice my opinion.
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