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day 4 - tarantula
day 4 - tarantula
rachelellen


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Camera: Nikon D70s
Lens: Tamron AF 28-200mm f/3.8-5.6 Aspherical XR IF Super Zoom for Nikon
Location: central California foothills
Date: Oct 4, 2007
Date Uploaded: Oct 4, 2007

Viewed: 337
Comments: 17
Favorites: 1 (view)

 It's that time of year in the California foothills. A psychologist could have a terrific time creating profiles of local residents based solely on their treatment of tarantulas making their slow, creeping way across the road in search of mates. There are those who swerve to miss them. There are those who don't swerve, but don't aim for them either. Then there are those who swerve to hit them, and those like my husband (who is horribly, nearly cripplingly arachnophobic) who will back up to try again if he thinks he missed the first time.

What they would say about me -- I slam on the brakes and pull out my camera -- I don't know. (For the record, I'm in the no-swerving category if the light's not good enough for photography.)

This guy wasn't on the road; he was beside the house. I tormented him by steering him around the yard and following him with a camera until I'd taken all the shots I wanted, and then I left him alone, but I will not vouch for his safety after that, as my son (who follows in his father's footsteps) was outdoors and there were rocks nearby.

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AuthorThread
 10/17/2007 10:57:47 PM
This thing gave me the shivers! Great capture and DOF. I love the different kinds of drivers. I am not particularly fond of arachnids but I can't purposefully kill anything.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/07/2007 12:53:51 AM
Oh lordy, lordy!! No thank you! big hairy spiders + me = heeby-jeebies. :) The story of your husband cracks me up and I can so relate though I don't think I could/would run one over.... *shiver* more heeby-jeebies.

I agree with mucky though, great macro. *shivers again*
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/06/2007 11:11:21 PM
See, now at this size, they're almost gerbils, not spiders. One could conceiveably give them a little cage and an exercise wheel and name them. Well, maybe not the exercise wheel because if they fell, they'd break - their bodies are very fragile. This is a very cool shot - and I think it's kinda neat you chased him around, too.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/05/2007 02:16:24 PM
EWWW & YUCK!! Man I would definitely be under the "Swerve to hit & back up to make sure I didn't miss" category. Ek, I really do not like spiders & the bigger they are the more I dislike them! SO, I give you props for getting that close to the bugger! Nice detail on his front legs!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/05/2007 08:45:49 AM
ew. but your macro skillz are awesome.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/05/2007 03:10:01 AM
excellent photograph and a great read ..
we have tortoises come out during and after the rain and they make their slow way over the roads in our area .. i often stop the car and get out and carry them to the side they were walking towards, so that they get there safely .. once i'd gone past a tortoise and decided to help him to the other side coz it was a three lane road and a few cars were on it ..
so i backed up a fair distance pretty quickly coz i didnt want to muck around .. i'd put my hazard warning lights on and i was on the side of the road with plenty of distance between me and any cars using the road ..
anyway ... i'd nearly got level with the tortoise and this ute drove by .. (a ute is like a car with a tray at the back, sort'v) ..
when i got level with the tortoise he'd been squashed and i realised that the guy in the ute had swerved to hit him ..
me and ali, my daughter, were very upset by this and it was something we still remember .. obviously coz i'm writing about it now .. but it made quite an impression on her .. a bad one ..
wot was particularly gross was the bits of tortoise with these sort'v tubes that had sort'v oozed out .. it was horrible that someone had intentionally aimed to hit the tortoise and it was horrible the sight of the poor squashed little guy .. fortunately his death was immediate ..
sad wot ppl do ..
a spider isnt like a tortoise tho .. most ppl squash them without a second thought .. or spray them with the insect repellant .. the fact that they can maime and kill might have something to do with that .. but a poor old tortoise .. wouldnt harm anyone .. except a fly maybe or a spider !!! :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/04/2007 11:28:46 PM
That's just too funny about the different type of drivers. Good use of DOF to really put the focus on the tarantula.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/04/2007 08:08:45 PM
Sure am gald we dont have those things here!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/04/2007 07:38:46 PM
Love your story!!! I hate spiders, I can't imagine living where these live! (of course you probably can't imagine living where you get 12 feet of snow over the course of a winter) Excellent photo.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/04/2007 07:32:47 PM
Wow! For a spider that is a nice image. Fitting for an October day. Well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/04/2007 06:31:49 PM
I acTUALLY have never seen one- thanks ! A great image with sharp detail and fitting bokeh.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/04/2007 06:05:58 PM
I know some people own them but they pretty much freak me out. YIKES
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/04/2007 05:30:19 PM
If reactions to snakes are any indication, I would be in the "willbackupto hititagain" category. :) I'm not commenting on teh picture itself, because, well, i'm not looking at the picture. hahaha :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/04/2007 05:29:08 PM
Ohmy. . .I love it. And I hate it. And I am in awe of how awesome is the detail on his furry legs and face! Wow Rachel!

I love your story! That made me smile. I would be the kind that may not swerve if I saw one in the road. . .away from my house. But if I lay eyes on one of those suckers close by where I live. . .eeee.. .I'll go get the neighbor kid to get the rocks :)

Awesome photo, Rachel!

  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/04/2007 04:36:13 PM
Oh, you're so brave...you got in nice and close for this one. Nice detail on the bristly fella.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/04/2007 04:29:36 PM
Nice crisp shot of the spider with good DOF. I haven't seen them in the wild around San Diego, but they're probably here too.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/04/2007 03:54:31 PM
Totally creepy and totally beautiful all at once! I sure love this image, your choice of dof and focal point is wonderful Rachel, the color is great and clarity fantastic!
Too bad folks would smash this fellow without thinking, since tarantulas in this area are generally not a threat :-( Ah well, gotta love we humans and our phobias!
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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