I guess some people are more focused on the lighting than on the rare treat of seeing a spider eating (or are grossed out by the subject).
This was taken at the National Zoo, where there's a corner dedicated to these spiders with no glass in front. I was there for an hour shooting this and another spider that wasn't eating. It never stopped being fun watching a new family come up and point and then realize there was no glass protecting them (the families, not the spiders!). :)
I wound up leaning way over under the web - the spider was probably 3 feet nearly directly overhead, facing down and to the left - this is rotated 90 degrees.
The enclosure was very dark, so there was no way to shoot this without onboard flash.
What was fascinating was looking at the last shot in the batch - after an hour of working on this cricket, it was an unrecognizable ball.
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I'm gonna go with the whole yuck factor. That said, it's a cool macro. Mary's advice is good - I may have to find one of those gizmos, too. I've also been known to use a white paper napkin over my onboard flash to diffuse it a bit.
Back despite this STILL being a spider to note that I got a thing called a Puffer which fits over the onboard flash to diffuse it some. Cheap gizmo (and I've seen some reviews saying it breaks easily) but for situations like this it's a great little accessory.
Wow. this is a great macro. I don't know if I have ever seen a spider putting out web before in person! I find that part as fascinating as the meal. I am very freaked out by spiders but this is an amazing shot.
I took some shots of one this summer that looked similar. It was called a Black And Yellow Garden Spider. not very scientific sounding. Is that was this one is?
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