A fairly decent pic of some kind of spider: I wasn't sure where to put this pic. It was probably within a couple inches of MFD on my macro lens, but it looked mean and ran fast, so I...

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

I wasn't sure where to put this pic. It was probably within a couple inches of MFD on my macro lens, but it looked mean and ran fast, so I didn't want to get too close to it. Hand held, flash, ISO 400, 1/60 sec, f/10. Cropped and adjusted in Picasa for sharpening and shadows.

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Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

Immature female Wolf spider? Possibly Rabidosa rabida.
Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae.
http://www.wikihow.com/Identify-a-Wolf-Spider

buglinbilly Loc: Murray, Utah

Very Cool. Thanks for posting. BB

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

That's what it looks like it is. There are a bunch of spider-web-looking masses on our bush (about 4 or 5 scattered around), though as can be seen in the pic. The article mentions brown recluse spiders...my aunt in rural upstate NY (Ithaca) has been bitten twice by them. I guess you don't feel the initial bite, or maybe it's a little sore, but after a while necrosis sets in and it starts really getting painful. I've never seen the result personally, but I just (a minute ago) looked at images of BR bites.....eewwwww! Gross!!

Tomwils Loc: Crofton, Kentucky

Brown Recluse in upstate New York? I thought we in the south eastern quarter were the only ones afflicted with those things. That isn't a brown recluse. They don't spin webs, they hunt at night. About the only way I know to see one in daylight is to uncover him. His body is slick, his legs are very long and he is way fast. Color will vary from light tan to dark brown, but the violin on the head is always present, hence the other name, Fiddler Spider.

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

Tomwils wrote:

Brown Recluse in upstate New York? I thought we in the south eastern quarter were the only ones afflicted with those things. That isn't a brown recluse. They don't spin webs, they hunt at night. About the only way I know to see one in daylight is to uncover him. His body is slick, his legs are very long and he is way fast. Color will vary from light tan to dark brown, but the violin on the head is always present, hence the other name, Fiddler Spider.

I know...Nikonian72 said he though it was a wolf spider and it looks like he was right based on the link he posted. I think my aunt was either in a shed or basement when she was bitten...but I was hoping SOMEONE would say it was a nicely detailed image.

Tomwils Loc: Crofton, Kentucky

Like me, I expect most people were consumed with identifying the spider. The photo is nicely detailed, although the compliment has lost it's punch. I apologize, but in fact, from the detail I think its a grass spider. I think that the wolf, like the brown recluse, don't spin webs to capture their prey. They hunt 'em down. But then, I was wrong once before. I am fairly new here, what is MFD? I figured it out, minimum focus distance.

rlaugh Loc: Michigan & Florida

Fine shot!!

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

Tomwils wrote:

. . . from the detail I think its a grass spider. I think that the wolf, like the brown recluse, don't spin webs to capture their prey. They hunt 'em down.

I concur. The only time a Wolf spider is near a web is when she is trespassing on another spider's domain.

Female Desert Grass spider (Agelenopsis aperta), aka Funnel-Weaver spider, common across south-west U.S., and into Mexico.

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planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

I get my new-to-me used tripod sometime today - it's on a truck right now. then I need to buy a head (thinking of Sirui or Vanguard not sure how heavy-duty) and a softbox and maybe a focusing rail and.... Then I MIGHT be able to get some uber detail on shots like a bunch of you guys on the macro forum. Are tripod support weights conservative or fairly accurate? According to what I've seen, it can support just under 20#. That's probably enough for a while.

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

planepics wrote:

I get my . . . tripod sometime today. then I need to buy a head (thinking of Sirui or Vanguard not sure how heavy-duty) and a softbox and maybe a focusing rail . . .

The vast majority of photographers on the Macro Forum hand-hold in the field. We use L-grip brackets (or similar), ball-joint coldshoe extenders, standard speedlights with inexpensive softbox diffusers. No real need for a tripod.

Typical hand-held macro set-up (modeled on tripod just for photo)