Spider in the bath....

Ok guys this creepy lilttle thing found itself trapped in my bathtub last night so I thought i would try to capitalise and practice a little.

Only prob I found (excpt for the horrible angle caused by the bath walls!)when I EVENTUALLY managed to get the lil begger to look at me my camera kept focusing more on his legs than his body. Well atleast thats what it seems like.

Any input appreciated

[IMG]http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv129/titchgamer/new%20camera%20shots/IMGP0603.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv129/titchgamer/new%20camera%20shots/IMGP0616.jpg[/IMG]

http://s676.photobucket.com/albums/vv129/titchgamer/new%20camera%20shots/?action=view¤t=IMGP0637.jpg

[IMG]http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv129/titchgamer/new%20camera%20shots/IMGP0637.jpg[/IMG]

Sorry coppied the wrong link for the front on

Lil Andy sorry to say they are all out of focus,

I know thats my problem lol

Sorry Lil Andy not with it today Have you tried to focus on other small thing's if so what's the outcome, the spider looks big enough for a focus lock on.

well only that damsell fly and a few flowers like the buttercup in my gallery.

his body was about 15mm

i was wondering do you think it could of been a prob with to much light? ie the reflection from the white ceramic all around him?

Try using manual focusing and then see the difference.

One method of practising your AF and MF is this:

push the focus lever to MF and then focus manually, then keep steady, do not move and with your left hand reach the tab again and lift it to either AF.C or AF.S ( I find AF.S better for this exercise) and then gently push the shutter release button slowly only to allow the camera to autofocus.
Keep your eye on the viewfinder and notice if the focus moves. If it moves check if its just trying to lock into a different area (this could be just because it has found another patch with higher contrast to lock in) or it remains exactly in the same position and you hear the bleep (which means it has achieved focus).

Once you start doing it you will build your confidence into your manual focusing and will learn which is the sweet spot.

On the pictures above I think there is a glitch there somewhere. Did you have your focus lever on AF.C or AF.S?
If you had it on AF.C and the spider was moving even very very slowly, due to the physical distance you were from it you are bound to have an out of focus spider. At certain close physical distance even the spider's body vibration which might not be detectable by the naked eye could influence your result. In fact that could have been the case as the legs might have stayed still on the tub and the body has that minute shake which all living things have and that would be enough to throw your image out of focus.
I have read that for close focusing images even for people the the human skin which breaths and never stays still in microscopic terms is enough to throw the focus out of the window depending upon your focusing requirements this is enough to show a blur, or better less than a perfect focus on the person.

Hope this helps.
But hey, I am still in the learning category and a novice (well I have been kindly told by some respected members here that I should consider myself an improver rather than a novice, which is quite a boost for my ego ha ,so may be one of the more experienced and knowledgeable ones might have a different view on your images.

Thanks

Amin

I notice you used MATRIX metering mode. That would affect wrongly the metering also because you are getting alot of light reflected from the white surface.
In this case I would definitely have used SPOT METERING.

Again please seek advice from the veteran members here , they know best

Amin as allways your answers are full of knowlege and ideas. Thanks. You may well be right, the AF was strugleing a bit, i think the top image i used MF on but i strugle with manual focus due to poor eye sight!

I couldnt say wether it was on single or continuous i was playing around with different f stops and focusing methods just couldnt seem to get it right!!

Knowing me tho prob on single.

guess I shal just have to have anouther go once I get a spider trapped in the bath lol.

yes I tryed spot metering to. just didnt seem to focus right at all.

Always manual focus and make sure its aimed at the eyes.
You will also need around f16 and flash is usually a must as well.

I would recommend that everyone should learn to manual focus and not rely on auto.
You say that your eyesight isn't great, but mine isn't, but I use the viewfinder correction slider at the top of the viewfinder.
This isn't meant as nasty, but don't let poor eyesight be an excuse. Try taking pictures with your glasses on.
I find that when I do macro shots, auto focus hunts for a lock on and when it finally does, well you miss that great shot.

Maybe if you use a touch of flash and bounce it off the ceiling. This will give a much more even light.
The bottom shot looks like there's flash added as you have lost the shadows on it's legs. Plus there's a glint of light on it's head.

What's causing the light band in the first shot? Is it the reflection from the bathroom lights?

I agree with what Amin has said, he is spot on.


Paul

Edited: On reading back it didn't make sense

Thanks Paul. Thats a awesome shot.

The light band was a reflection of the bathroom light like you said.
I havent yet got a flash gun (thats the next thing on the shopping list lol) so ime stuck with natural and camera flash for the moment.

I wont let my eyesight stop me, ime quite determined to work around it and improvise lol.

I think it might of helped if i was able to get down to the target like you have with the above.

Can i ask what conditions you took that photo in? looks like a bath tub to lol.