Argiope aurantia

Posted 14 September 2009 by

Photograph by Makayla Arvesen, age 8. Photography contest, Honorable Mention.
Argiope aurantia--garden spider.

11 Comments

Adrian Thysse · 14 September 2009

Fantastic.The composition, background and focus are spot-on. You are a very special 8 year old,Makayla! Well done.

wile coyote · 14 September 2009

I would agree. I shoot "bugs" (in the general sense of the word) every now and then and there is nothing much harder to shoot. Anything less than direct bright sunlight means loss of detail and getting good focus is a real pain.

Frank B · 14 September 2009

That reminds me of a few seconds of sheer terror when I was young and walking through tall weeds. I came across a big web and a honking big garden spider. Taking a few steps back, I could calm down. I am sorry that I can't consider them beautiful.

Wheels · 14 September 2009

Inspiring some of that Halloween-y feeling already!

Lynn Rassel · 14 September 2009

What a wonderful thing!

Crudely Wrott · 14 September 2009

A most wonderful and vivid photograph! Startling and beautiful at the same time.

The next time I look up Argiope aurantia this is the picture I want to see.

Way to go, Makayla. Umm, got any more shots like this?

wright · 15 September 2009

Wow. Gorgeous image. Very well done,Makayla.

arachnophilia · 16 September 2009

this wasn't in the running why exactly? i would have voted for it.

Phatty · 18 September 2009

Wow! Excellent photograph! If this is only an honorable mention, I'm excited to see the photographs that are supposedly better.

Julie Stahlhut · 18 September 2009

That photo rocks! Almost no one shoots orb weavers from that angle; the composition of the photo is really original, and quite striking!

Mike Elzinga · 18 September 2009

Matt,

Posting these pictures by these young students is really great. Such talent often gets overlooked, and it’s always nice to see what talented young people can do.