Eureka Springs Shutter

The Black Widow

2009-06-15T20:30:00.005-05:00

Bite Basics

The same time each year here in Arkansas we all have to start watching were we walk, reach and sit because the Latrodectus mactans, but many know it as the black widow. This highly venomous species is a native of the USA and its usually the female who sends people across the country to the ER, as the male counterpart almost never bites and when he does is hardly as potent as the female widow. Seeing as the male will become food for his mate after the impregnation of his female, he is somewhat on the short end in the defence of himself. Johan Christian Fabricius worked primarily with arthropods and was a specialist on insects, classifying many spiders including the black widow, which he described in 1775 and placed in the genus Aranea. He was professor of natural history, economy and finance at the University of Kiel from 1775.

The weigh in

The mature female stats is around 1.5 in long and 0.25 in in diameter. The female is very shiny and deep black in color, with a red marking in the shape of an hourglass on the ventral (under) side of her perfectly rounded abdomen. There is a plethora of sizes the female come in, particularly in egg-carrying (gravid) females. The abdomen of a gravid female widow can be larger than 0.5 in. in diameter. Quite a few female widows also have an orange or red patch right above the spinnerets on the top of the abdomen.The male is either black, or closer to the look of the juveniles in color, and is alot smaller with a body smaller than 1/4 in. Juveniles have a very different appearance to the adults, the abdomen is gray shaded to black and white stripes running around it and is spotted with yellow and orange. These spiders are not extremely large, their venom is ridiculously potent, compared to many other species of spiders. Their chelicerae, mouth, are not large or even powerful.The mature female, the hollow, con caved shaped part of each chelicera, the part that penetrates the skin, is approximately .04 in. long,enough to inject the venom to a place where it can be harmful. The males, much smaller, inject alot less venom with smaller chelicerae. The amount injected, even by a mature female, is extremely small in physical volume. When this minuscule amount of venom is absorbed through the body of a healthy human it usually doesn't amount to a fatal dose. Deaths in healthy adults from Latrodectus bites are somewhat rare in terms of the number of bites per thousand people. Sixty-three deaths were reported in the United States between 1950 and 1959.

Here comes the pain!

So your staring at a bite wound and have know idea what sunk it's teeth into you. Was it a black widow? Well twenty minutes after a widow bite the symptoms will arrive. Localized severe muscle aches, abdominal, weakness, and tremor. Large muscle groups (such as shoulder or back) are often affected, resulting in considerable pain. In severe cases, nausea, vomiting, fainting, dizziness, chest pain, and respiratory difficulties might ensue. People rarely die from a black widow's bite. Life-threatening reactions are usually seen in small children and the elderly.

Is there a doctor in the house?

The treatment for reactions to a black widow spider's bite will be beyond the ability of a doctor office or ER. Pain relief may require the use of narcotics and antivenin (antitoxin to counteract the effects of the spider venom). The decision to get emergency care should be made very early. If the person that was bitten by a black widow spider has more than minor pain or has full-body symptoms, seek out care at a ER. If symptoms are severe, call 911 for emergency medical transport so that diagnosis and treatment can start en route to the ER.

What the @#$% is composition? (Part 1)

2009-04-11T22:04:00.021-05:00

What the @#$% is composition? (Part 1)

Easily the single most important aspect of a great photo. Composition can and WILL make or break a photo from being a stupendous capture to an average generic snapshot. Wikipedia defines composition as such: "Composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art. It can also be thought of as the organization of the elements of art according to the principles of art." Kinda Vague huh? There are many elements in composing a photograph, lets go over a few.

-Light-

Weither it be low light, high contrasts, flash, strobe, or long exposures, these situations contribute alot to the end result of your photos. Remember that experimentation goes along way to understanding lighting.

Here is more info on some lighting techuniques---->http://photography.about.com/od/takingpictures/tp/photographylighting.htm

-Depth of Field (DOF)-

Your choice in selecting the DOF of a photo can remarkably affect the focal point of the frame. Proper use can isolate your subject from the foreground or background or just as easily put into context that same subject by revealing its surroundings with a bigger DOF.

Can't get enough DOF? Check this out -----> http://www.livingroom.org.au/photolog/tips/depth_of_field_in_digital_photography_tutorials.php

-Textures- Photographers work in a two dimensional space. With a keen eye and some forethought one can make elements of the photograph pop into 3-D... well almost. Use of high contrasts or light hitting odd angles on the photo will be extremely useful.

Want more texture tips? -----> http://www.cgtextures.com/content.php?action=tutorial&name=shootingtextures

-Symmetry-

This somewhat contradicts the very well known Rule of Thirds( http://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds#ixzz0CUW1n9Ry ) but putting your photos focal point directly in the middle of your view finder might net you with surprisingly peaceful situations. Most of the time composing a photo from symmetrical purposes results in lame-ass shots, therefore training your eagle-eyes to look for situations where symmetry plays a strong role is critical.

Find your center with more symmetry info----->http://digital-photography-school.com/two-shot-strategy-symmetry

-Lines-

Yes, lines can and do make some quite interesting photos. Intersecting, converging, diagonal, horizontal and yes even vertical lines affect the shot, so teaching your self to notice and utilize these lines is essential on the long road to capturing great photos.

Here is some indepth info on converghing lines---->http://digital-photography-school.com/converging-lines

-Timing-Timing IS everything. The saying is true, regardless of other composition rules, a perfect timed shot is coveted by many. No matter the exposure, DOF, shutter speed or lens length getting that once a lifetime shot is epic.

Thats it for now... I hope your shutter actuations last a lifetime.

Insect Macro Photography

2009-03-18T15:18:00.014-05:00

My favorite subjects are those most easily overlooked and dismissed, insects! Insect macro photography is not for the faint of heart or easily scared. Many times I found myself coming within a couple of inches from a subject that could have easily caused the best of bug hunting days to end badly.

So lets start on a list of items to get started. Point and shoot cameras these days can give remarkable results but for the best results a single-lens reflex camera (SLR)or (DSLR) would net you the most noticeable "macro" photos, I use the Nikon D80. Should you choose a SLR then the matter of one of the many macro specialty lens comes into play, I use a Sigma 1:1 105mm. From this point on you can go two ways; attach the camera to a tripod then focus on a flower or leaf and wait for the action to come to you OR get a flash unit, ring or speed, and go look for the action. I prefer the stalking approach using the pop-up flash and the wireless CLS (Creative Lighting System) with a SB600 speed light. With two sources of light it becomes a matter of letting the pop-up fill the horizontal areas in front of the camera and using the SB600 to shoot more light into the frame where desired. Then there are teleconverters, which allow you to get closer to the subject at a price of losing f/stops, and converter rings, which enable the user to attach 2 lenses together, which is a complete different ball game which we will play at a later point in time.

Many bug shooters, along with me, want to capture nature in all its beauty and believe killing and posing the little guys we are taking pictures of is not good etiquette. Chasing anthropods around the backyard can become frustrating but with a little patience you'll find they, more times than not, seem to enjoy their picture taken.

There is a world of wonder below our feet that gets passed by daily without a glance. Take time to enjoy the bugs.

For a more informative indepth

guide on macro photography visit----------> http://photo.net/learn/macro/