Critique Spider At Virginia Water

[emdiesse]

Hi,

I took a trip to Virginia Water on the weekend and I saw a spider in front of the waterfall and thought it might take a nice photo, I'm looking for critique of everything, composition, exposure, white balance, anything (ever willing to learn and improve)

I have cropped, resized and applied a little sharpening to try and bring out the web a little more.
View attachment 22011

Camera:Canon EOS 550D
Lens:Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Shot at 135 mm
Exposure:Auto exposure, Shutter priority AE, 2.6 sec, f/9, ISO 100

Honestly, my thoughts - Skimming over the image, as if I didn't know the spider was there, (or from a distance) I might just see a blurry photo of a waterfall - how could I have prevented that to really draw attention to the spider whilst keeping the scenario a part of the image?

Thanks,
Matt

 

[DBT85]

I'd agree with your thoughts there Matt. I'm not sure where the focal point is as it doesn't look right on the spider/web and the spider and it's web are far too small in the frame. Were it a larger or more intricate web with water drops on it might be different.

Personally, get closer and wider. The spider/web would be a little more prominent and might give you some better results.

The shutter speed has given you some blurry water but likly hasn't helped with the sharpness of the web as a slight wind will move it.

Up your ISO so that you can have a slower shutter speed, get closer and go wider on your lens to keep the waterfall in the background.

Keep at it I've taken plenty like that and continue to do so at times!

 

[emdiesse]

Excellent, thanks for the feedback. I saw the web and just fancied something different than 'another waterfall shot' (I already had plenty of those )