10-17

I was very excited to photograph a spider web this morning. When I saw the thick fog, I grabbed my camera with the macro lens and tripod before heading to work. I planned to look around for a spider's web to photograph, but while walking to my office, I saw a large one beautifully displayed next to the door to my building! It was perfect, and even the height and location made it convenient for pictures. God's birtheve present to me. :) I took several (of course!), and basically got high on the experience. This kind of rare opportunity thrills me! It was a bit harder than I thought, though. I tend to forget that wind is a factor. It wasn't windy, but any slight breeze moves a web, so I had to keep refocusing and taking lots of pictures to get a few that worked.

Now, for my first time during this Project 31, I'm going to post additional photos instead of just the one.


The "large" droplet made it easier for me to focus, so I stuck with it, and I like how it gives a bit of perspective and a focal point.

If an awesome, dewy web wasn't enough, it also happened to be positioned well enough that you could see a tree through the drops. It was hard to focus on both the drops and the reflection, so this is a composite of two photos, plus it's been flipped upside down so the tree is right side up.

More trees!

I also wanted to share a little story that I was thinking about this morning. Several years ago, it was another foggy day like today and a coworker noticed one of the webs and mentioned it to me so I could photograph it. I took several photos, but they didn't really capture it all that well. I sent her one or two, and I remember she said something like, "That's pretty, but I was hoping you could capture the droplets more closely--to show how they look like a beaded necklace." I felt like I had failed because I didn't know how to get the detail she was talking about. At the time, I didn't even know macro lenses existed, so I didn't realize that you need one to photograph such tiny items with any clarity. I wish I had known, because I could've explained it to her instead of feeling like I just wasn't good enough. Anyway, that's a life lesson. ;) Mostly for myself. Maybe you think you're doing something wrong, but the reality is that you just don't have the proper tools, and sometimes that's out of your control.