Julia Tanner
November 2026 - Chameleon
About the Image(s)
Crab spiders are chameleons of the arachnid world. They can slowly shift body color to blend with petals. This one has turned light pink as it awaits unwitting pollinators in a vibrant zinnia at the Delaware Botanic Gardens.
I'd be interested in how you tend to crop when a naturally symmetric secondary subject, such as this zinnia bloom, has the primary subject on one side of it. While I was pleased with my eventual choice, it did take me a while to decide how far to move the center of the zinnia in order to minimize its slight lack of symmetry in frame while still giving the spider a space buffer on the side.
For this, my second macro outing, I attached an extension tube to my macro lens. I may add a second the next time and try in-camera focus stacking, since I am not yet satisfied with the level of texture and detail I am getting. One step at a time.
Nikon Z8, Z FC 105mm f2.8 VR S, ISO 200, 1/200, f/11
Processed in LR Classic and Topaz Photo AI
1 comment posted
Interesting photo and I appreciate your "one step at a time" approach and the problem you pose about the subject being to one side of a symmetric object. I've uploaded one option for consideration. Doesn't always work, but sometimes it's not necessary to show the symmetric object in its entirety and doing so can even detract. Not sure if your original would allow for this sort of crop, but taking the image with focus stacking could help with this type of crop. Also, probably obvious, but I added a 90 degree rotation to put the main subject - the spider - on top with a horizontal orientation rather than vertical, which may make it easier for observers to "focus" on the subject. Posted: 11/02/2026 12:43:33
