Mexican Red-kneed Tarantula (Brachypelma smithi)

[sabbath999]

EXIF: D300, 105 VR, ring flash unattached, directed down from the top, shot through plexiglass, 1/60, f/20, ISO 200.

 

[Antarctican]

You shot that through Plexiglas???!!! Dang! Such wonderful detail in the hairs on its legs. Wonderful work, and interesting (albeit creepy) subject

 

[sabbath999]

Well, it was an acrilic of some type, not sure which brand it was (Plexiglass or other) but yes, it was through plastic.

I made these shots yesterday for a tutorial I am doing, but I will share them... I use a dismounted cheapo TTL ring flash to do these shots, so I can move the ring wherever I need lighting from (it has about 9 inches of cord on it). For the tarantula, I put the flash unit on the top of the enclosure (which is smaller than the one I am shooting in this picture) and shot with the light coming from above. The second photo shows what the setup actually looks like... since I have been having people asking how to do this. The trick is to find the angle through the glass or plexiglass that causes the least distortion, then take the flashhead and find the best angle for the lighting... really hard to do when there are lots of leaves in the enclosures.

 

[Antarctican]

^^^ Very helpful! Thanks for sharing the info. Many of the zoo enclosures I have seen for insects/poison dart frogs etc are that acrylic/Plexi material, which is often dirty and very tough to shoot through. That ring flash makes a big difference for being able to position the light for optimum results.

 

[Chiller]

Stellar shot man. Thanks for sharing the tips too. I have often shot through glass at the zoo, but trying to find a spot that do not have scratches or handprints can be a challenge. I also hold my lens right against the glass, but never get anything close to this result. I might have to look into one of those flashes. Might come in handy in my Cellar
Excellent work....:thumbup::thumbup:

 

[bradsperry]

the colors look to saturated and blown out (mainly the orange, or is it red ... can't tell) the hair looks like it got help w/ ps. nice try though.

 

[LaFoto]

The red-kneed tarantulas simply have these colours... :roll:
Brilliant photo, given that you had to photograph right through the plastic-kind of glass enclosure.
Remember these ? I had to photograph through the plexiglass, too, but for lack of a ring flash, I did most with the given light of each enclosure...