Entries into Papa-Pepper Contest 4 (Spider Warning)

For information about the contest, please se https://steemit.com/contest/@papa-pepper/combination-photography-contest-from-papa-pepper-week-4

There are two spider shots in the post, so if you don't want to see them, don't look!

I need to post my entries in comments there, but I feel like making a bit of a post about the adventure again. That's what I really enjoy with these shoots--the adventure.

My adventure didn't start well. I found two awesome spiders building webs near the tomatoes, but my camera kept throwing error 99 at me. It worked fine if I put it in the macro mode instead of the Aperture Priority mode. So that's what these shots are based on. I did my shooting over 2 rounds because I came in to do research on the sticky aperture and catch my breath in between. I'm currently on antibiotics for breathing difficulties... nothing serious. It isn't pneumonia or anything, but doctor felt like I needed some help cleaning gunk out of my bronchia. Personally I suspect it's more of a trigger point issue, but at least I am coughing less since the antibiotics.

But anyway... first round got me these two entries.

A caterpillar in my sage. There was a neat crab spider also, but shots aren't as clear as I'd like and it hid when I put the sign down--I hit a strand of web--so I can't use those.

f/5.6 1/500th ISO 200. Focal length 300mm.

You can see a strand of web in the proof shot. The crab spider was on the discolored leaf to the right that sticks up in the air behind the buds. (Yes, my sage is blooming. I keep pinching the buds off and it keeps making more. This sage is now huge and I've made many baby sages from it also.)

I spent some time contemplating butterflies, but I'm bored of entering butterflies.

They're just too easy, as long as a butterfly bush is blooming anyway. Plus we only seem to get the two kinds. This is the admiral (Not an entry).

I wandered around some more in the garden area. Picked up some unrelated shots. Found a very small neat red bug on a dark green leaf of the butterfly bush, but the focus is just not perfect enough to use on those. I think my eyes are off from all the migraines lately (my vision changed significantly in March, got new glasses... suspect they are drifting back towards pre-March state... muscular issues I hope to get fixed in October).

And finally found this little fellow, who I am very happy with, camped out on my husband's leeks. My research makes it seem likely he is very boringly named "Common Green Shield Bug." I think the bug namers were low on creativity the day they named him. I ended up liking a few shots of this guy.

f/5.6 1/640 ISO 100 271mm.

f/5.6 (sensing a pattern here? I think my aperture is stuck open and 5.6 is max aperture on zoom) 1/500, ISO 125, 300mm

f/5.6, 1/500, ISO 250, 300mm

Any opinions on which of these 3 I should enter in the contest on this bug? I'm not entering multiples on same critter.

The proof.

After this I took a break and went to help my husband pick blackberries. I thought about entering the picture of him picking the berries, but I failed to sneak a proof card onto him.... Then I did camera research to no avail.

Headed out later and got a few more.

Did you know snails liked stinging nettles? I didn't. I find it very weird. Found a bunch on them in one big patch of nettles though. This is the only one out of its shell.

f/5.6 1/250 ISO 400. (It was overcast again. The weather doesn't support my idea of entering photo contests).

After that I found some neat fungi (totally irrelevant here), several spiders that didn't have enough plant, a big black beetle that dived into the moss when my sign came out....

Chatted with the ponies. This is Queenie. (again, not an entry)

Saw a toad that I didn't even manage to aim camera at because he hopped away too fast.

And finally found an eligible spider I'm happy with focus on.

It spread its web between the seed heads of two grasses right next to one of the black current bushes (not in good shape, these bushes, got bulldozed last winter).

f/5.6 1/500 ISO 250 300mm.

I caught some more shots after that either without proof or where I'm not happy with the focus (a neat spider).

This is the weather that put an end to the shoot (along with a twisted ankle. yes, I'm injury prone).

I swear I'm cursed. The weather looks great until I go outside with a camera. It is especially gorgeous out when I'm not up to even thinking about going outside with a camera.

A final shot, because it makes me happy. One of the tomato plant spiders. Ineligible.

My thanks to anyone who actually made it all the way to the end of my insanity!