I found a veritable treasure trove of dew encrusted spider webs this morning and took an abundance of pictures. Not a single one was in focus. The camera chose the leaf in front or the twig behind, just about anything other than the web.
I know the obvious answer is manual focus, but my eyes don't work that well.
What tips or tricks do you have to make these work?
And post the ones you have taken so I can see some bodies beautiful webs. :)
Use a manual selected auto focus point, increase your f-stop, move back a little from the web (keeping your minimum focus distance in mind). look into your camera's focus lock, so that you can focus, lock it in, then recompose. you can carefully hold a card just in front of the web, focus on that, then do the lock.
Tripod's essential!
A higher ISO will also let you take a shorter exposure, reducing camera shake, which helps as well.
I took this with the flash on a dull evening, it certainly kept the web in focus and I was really pleased with the result. (I had previously attempted to take a flash-shot of my son's spinning bicycle wheel and each and every shot came out looking as if it was stationary so I followed the idea on this when my first shots came out blurred)
Manual focus and continous shooting is how I get mine. That way, if I move a little there will be one shot that will be in focus just by law of averages! And yes, I know using a tripod will get around that, but I find positioning one at the right place to get the shot I want sometimes impossible.
You can also make any lack of focus work to your advantage as it creates a wonderful DoF and bokeh
I go with manual focus every time. I've tried auto focus and can't get on with it at all as it never seems to focus on the area I'd like. This shot was taken on a foggy morning.
here's mine, first thing in the morning against the fence by the beach and with American flag at the background. although not sure if I had used auto focus or Manual.
I wish i could join in..but i still cannot copy and paste! Someone once told me what keys to push on my keyboard but i forgot to write them down ...my laptop is not right clicking right now at all!!!! help! :)
If you're using a DSLR, you can adjust the viewfinder to suit your eyes. I don't know the exact name of it but there's a little dial right next to the viewfinder with a +/- symbol - you can adjust that to suit your eyes' focal length :)
spiders webs are hard because even if you have camera on a tripod the web moves in the slightest wind. I try to focus on a bit where horizontal and vertical parts of the web join or just off centre where the gaps between parts of the web are smallest so there is more web to an inch to actually focus on. It really helps if you can find a spider to focus on. Move position, try closer and further away. Sometimes changing the angle by just moving a step sideways can make a major difference to what the camera can focus on. Just keep on trying ;-)
this one is a fav of mine..it actually made # 12 in the top 20 a few weeks ago!! taken again at sunrise with the sun behind it and handheld. i may have had my camera set on scean mode landscape mode!! i like that setting and use it more frequently since i found it!! :) Otherwise is was shot in Manual settings...Natural Lighting is what i like Best! ISO -100
Here is my recent attempt at a spiders web shot. I too had a problem with focus, since my camera is purely autofocus an usually picks out something other than the web. This shot is of a small web using the macro. The web was in a fence gap, with the background grass well away from the web.
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Tripod's essential!
A higher ISO will also let you take a shorter exposure, reducing camera shake, which helps as well.
Hope this helps..
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Thanks for all the pretty webs
You can also make any lack of focus work to your advantage as it creates a wonderful DoF and bokeh
here's mine, first thing in the morning against the fence by the beach and with American flag at the background. although not sure if I had used auto focus or Manual.
Here is my only spider web shot -saw it on my neighbor's clothesline. . .
@calm Super gorgeous.
Thank you all for the wonderful tips and suggestions.
I used auto focus & lay on the floor with elbows on the ground instead of a tripod!
@pocketmouse - good tip. It's called the diopter adjustment. This link - http://digital-photography-school.com/using-diopter-adjustment - explains how to set it as the scale isn't usually calibrated, so even if you know what your eyesight correction is, it can be difficult to set.
not a spider web, i have a digital camera so the focus switched around and i hit the button at the right point
Here is one of mine i caught real early in the morning when the dew was fresh..no tripod..just hand held and bright morning sunshine!! :)
this one is a fav of mine..it actually made # 12 in the top 20 a few weeks ago!! taken again at sunrise with the sun behind it and handheld. i may have had my camera set on scean mode landscape mode!! i like that setting and use it more frequently since i found it!! :) Otherwise is was shot in Manual settings...Natural Lighting is what i like Best! ISO -100