# Draiman's photos



## Draiman

I refuse to be outdone. I _will not_ be outdone.

_Lampropelma violaceopes_, juvenile female







_Poecilotheria rufilata_, juvenile male


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## JC50

Those are some cool pictures.


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## Draiman

JC50 said:


> Those are some cool pictures.


Thanks. There are many more to come, as I play around with my very crudely constructed softbox.


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## Draiman

_Lampropelma violaceopes_, juvenile female


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## 4tec84

Nice pics what camera are you using and lens?


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## WS6Lethal

Nice pics of the youngin's. :clap:


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## Draiman

4tec84 said:


> Nice pics what camera are you using and lens?


Nothing special. I use merely the Nikon D40 and 18-55mm kit lens fitted with a 10+ Hoya macro filter. The only thing which makes these new pics (above) different from my old ones is lighting. Once I get a dedicated macro lens (Nikkor 105mm VR probably), and a proper external flash such as the SB900 or R1 macro flash, the results will be spectacular.



WS6Lethal said:


> Nice pics of the youngin's. :clap:


Thanks. Rate the thread as well, will ya? :}


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## 4tec84

Wow didn;t know you could get so close with a regular kit lens.  Im still lookin to purchase my first dslr.


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## Draiman

4tec84 said:


> Wow didn;t know you could get so close with a regular kit lens.  Im still lookin to purchase my first dslr.


I have a macro filter attached to it, that's why.


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## Draiman

How are these? I'm not completely satisfied with the sharpness. Tell me what you think.


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## Draiman

Ah, someone gave my thread a "Bad" rating. Thanks, and would you be kind enough to PM me to let me know who you are? I would love to find out. I'll be waiting. 

Meanwhile, here is another picture.


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## WS6Lethal

Love those OBT shots. Looks sharp to me.


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## JC50

*Outstanding pics*

Those are the kind of pictures that i like.The close ups let you check out the T in amazing detail.Awesome photography skills i must give credit where it is due.Keep them coming!


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## Draiman

WS6Lethal said:


> Love those OBT shots. Looks sharp to me.


Thanks.  I asked a couple of my photography buddies and they agreed the pictures are sharp, so I was just being paranoid, as usual.



JC50 said:


> Those are the kind of pictures that i like.The close ups let you check out the T in amazing detail.Awesome photography skills i must give credit where it is due.Keep them coming!


Thanks, really appreciated.


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## Koh_

very nice pictures gavin.
always love to see more pics!


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## Draiman

Koh_ said:


> very nice pictures gavin.
> always love to see more pics!


Thanks. Unfortunately I'm running out of subjects to take photos of. My collection only comprises 10 tarantulas and a few centipedes, so any more pictures would be of the same old subjects, and that would be boring.


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## Erwynn

Those are just stunning.  I am trying to get some good pics of my Ts, have yet to take actual pics of mine, and not their enclosures.


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## Draiman

Erwynn said:


> Those are just stunning.  I am trying to get some good pics of my Ts, have yet to take actual pics of mine, and not their enclosures.


Thanks. What camera do you use? Anyway please feel free to rate the thread.


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## JC50

Draiman said:


> Thanks. Unfortunately I'm running out of subjects to take photos of. My collection only comprises 10 tarantulas and a few centipedes, so any more pictures would be of the same old subjects, and that would be boring.


 Correct me if i am wrong,but i believe it was said that you live in Singapore?If so are there any native reptiles you could possibly photograph?


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## Draiman

JC50 said:


> Correct me if i am wrong,but i believe it was said that you live in Singapore?If so are there any native reptiles you could possibly photograph?


There are, indeed. But I don't like the idea of capturing them and taking them home just for a few photos.


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## Draiman

Edit: Poor pictures removed.


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## Draiman

Some of my centipedes 

_Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans_ "Red Leg":







_Scolopendra subspinipes subspinipes_ "Java":


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## SeanJo

nice pede pictures :worship:  now take pics of his other end


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## Draiman

SeanJo said:


> nice pede pictures :worship:  now take pics of his other end


Thanks Sean.


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## Draiman

_Poecilotheria rufilata_, juvenile female:


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## JC50

Draiman said:


> There are, indeed. But I don't like the idea of capturing them and taking them home just for a few photos.


 I would not expect you to capture something just for a picture,but thought more about in their natural habitat if you happened to come across something.


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## Draiman

JC50 said:


> I would not expect you to capture something just for a picture,but thought more about in their natural habitat if you happened to come across something.


Here you go


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## JC50

There you go.The ant almost looks like it is challenging you,but those are some great photos.Thanks!


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## Draiman

JC50 said:


> There you go.The ant almost looks like it is challenging you,but those are some great photos.Thanks!


My pleasure, and thanks.


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## Draiman




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## SeanJo

i like the lighting on this last obt shot!  also i like how you can see detail further out from the center compared to some of your other shots which have more focus in the center and get kinda blurry around the edges.  keep it up!


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## Draiman

SeanJo said:


> i like the lighting on this last obt shot!  also i like how you can see detail further out from the center compared to some of your other shots which have more focus in the center and get kinda blurry around the edges.  keep it up!


Thanks! I like how it turned out as well.  

Meanwhile, my juvenile male _P. rufilata_ molted this morning. He's one molt ahead of his future mate. I really need him to slow down.


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## calum

that's a great shot draiman. feels very immerssive.


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## Draiman

calum said:


> that's a great shot draiman. feels very immerssive.


Thanks Calum. By the way - call me Gavin.


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## AlainL

Your photos are amazing:worship:


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## Draiman

AlainL said:


> Your photos are amazing:worship:


Thanks Alain, yours are good as well.


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## Protectyaaaneck

Say hello to my little friends.  lol


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## Draiman

Protectyaaaneck said:


> Say hello to my little friends.  lol


Are you on the right thread? :?


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## Draiman




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## Apophis

I see the "lightbox" is working well for ya!  
Keep up the good work!


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## SeanJo

you need more inverts!  more inverts = more updates = happy seanjo!!


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## Draiman

SeanJo said:


> you need more inverts!  more inverts = more updates = happy seanjo!!


I've got a 7" adult female _P. formosa_ coming next week, so watch this thread.  



Apophis said:


> I see the "lightbox" is working well for ya!
> Keep up the good work!


Yes indeed, thanks.


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## Ritzman

Draiman said:


> Are you on the right thread? :?


I thought he was referring to the OBT pic( which is an awesome shot ). 
Quoting the movie Scarface. Friends being the OBT's fangs. OBT is showing its "guns". 
Meh. That's what I thought of.

Anyway, awesome shot of the OBT.


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## Miss Bianca

I definitely thought that's what he meant also... I laughed when I read it. 
Great shots Gavin keep'm coming.




Ritzman said:


> I thought he was referring to the OBT pic( which is an awesome shot ).
> Quoting the movie Scarface. Friends being the OBT's fangs. OBT is showing its "guns".
> Meh. That's what I thought of.
> 
> Anyway, awesome shot of the OBT.


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## fartkowski

Nice shots man 
Can't wait for the pictures of the P formosa.


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## Draiman

fartkowski said:


> Nice shots man
> Can't wait for the pictures of the P formosa.


Thanks Chris. 



Miss Bianca said:


> I definitely thought that's what he meant also... I laughed when I read it.
> Great shots Gavin keep'm coming.





Ritzman said:


> I thought he was referring to the OBT pic( which is an awesome shot ).
> Quoting the movie Scarface. Friends being the OBT's fangs. OBT is showing its "guns".
> Meh. That's what I thought of.
> 
> Anyway, awesome shot of the OBT.


Lol I completely missed it. Anyway, guess what the postman delivered today?


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## dougle

*Great Close up*

Those are some great close up pictuures .


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## calum

tha's a fantastic carapace shot. poecilotheria something or other lol.


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## Draiman

calum said:


> tha's a fantastic carapace shot. poecilotheria something or other lol.


Horrible picture, but it shows her coloration.


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## Miss Bianca

did you not _loveeee_ opening that package!?


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## Draiman

Miss Bianca said:


> did you not _loveeee_ opening that package!?


Lol it was easy. Easier than unpacking my OBTs at least.


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## Draiman

And a video from yesterday:

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dLbREGE_hvA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dLbREGE_hvA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]


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## JC50

They are indeed some beautiful T`s and the pictures are great as always.

Great video.The t was on the move and i can honestly say i would not want that crawling on my neck or back.But i do not have a problem watching someone else do it.lol.
Thanks for sharing.


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## Draiman

JC50 said:


> They are indeed some beautiful T`s and the pictures are great as always.
> 
> Great video.The t was on the move and i can honestly say i would not want that crawling on my neck or back.But i do not have a problem watching someone else do it.lol.
> Thanks for sharing.


My pleasure, and thanks for the comments.


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## Miss Bianca

great video! and that last pic before the video...
definitely _new material_ that you wanted. (new subject)


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## Draiman

Miss Bianca said:


> great video! and that last pic before the video...
> definitely _new material_ that you wanted. (new subject)


Thanks Bianca.  I rehoused her today - she now lives in a nice spacious glass tank (instead of the KK). Hopefully she settles in fast. She's been pacing the tank since I put her in, and isn't eating either.


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## Draiman

Another carapace shot:


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## HnnbL

Draiman your photos are better and better. congrat :clap:


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## fartkowski

That is one beautiful P formosa 
Nice shots Gavin.


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## VESPidA

beautiful girl:worship:  love the carapace shots


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## SeanJo

great pics of the new girl, and good vid too!  she seems pretty calm


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## Draiman

Thanks everyone for the comments. Sean: she seems calm in the video, but after that she began jumping around, quite literally. And she's in premolt so she's relatively slower than normal.


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## WS6Lethal

Congrats on the new formosa. Pics look great!:clap:


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## Draiman

WS6Lethal said:


> Congrats on the new formosa. Pics look great!:clap:


Thanks! She's made a molt mat and is sitting on it all the time; I'll be keeping my eyes peeled, and I'll definitely take pictures once it happens.


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## Draiman




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## Draiman

Just to accentuate the white tiger's color, here's a B&W picture I tried.


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## Draiman

Gave her a bullfrog today - her first meal in my care.


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## JC50

Gavin.As always great pictures and thanks for sharing! The white Tiger is awesome.


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## Draiman

JC50 said:


> Gavin.As always great pictures and thanks for sharing! The white Tiger is awesome.


Thanks, I really appreciate the comments.


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## seanbond

nice work man!
look like shes luvn that meal you gave her.


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## Draiman

seanbond said:


> nice work man!
> look like shes luvn that meal you gave her.


Yeah she sure is. She's only halfway done, it's a big frog.


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## Draiman

This is what was left of the frog, after 7 hours in the spider's fangs:







And my happy lady:


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## SeanJo

ewwwww lol that "bolus" is pretty disgusting   the reason I don't like giving my T's mice or other vertebrates is because of all the innerds that get in the enclosure and stink it up.  I'm lazier and would rather just use my long tweezers to pick up cricket boluses.  the pic of her, though, is great!  IMO you are showing better progression in this thread than in the last one you were unhappy with and had removed, so be happy, grow your collection, and keep up the good work!


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## Draiman

SeanJo said:


> ewwwww lol that "bolus" is pretty disgusting   the reason I don't like giving my T's mice or other vertebrates is because of all the innerds that get in the enclosure and stink it up.  I'm lazier and would rather just use my long tweezers to pick up cricket boluses.  the pic of her, though, is great!  IMO you are showing better progression in this thread than in the last one you were unhappy with and had removed, so be happy, grow your collection, and keep up the good work!


LOL yeah I added that picture for the "shock value" - and clearly it worked!  

Thanks very much for the encouragement.  I plan on buying a proper softbox soon and that should help improve my pictures.


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## Draiman

Hopefully this will revive the thread:


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## Protectyaaaneck

revive the thread?


That is a sick picture man.  I love the eye.


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## Apophis

GREAT shot!!!


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## SeanJo

amazing pic!  the detail you can see in the eye is superb!!  seriously, that looks like a picture you would see out of some kind of really nice reptile book :clap: :clap:


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## Draiman

Thanks for the compliments guys.  

Now maybe someone could help get the thread to 4 stars


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## Tunedbeat

The viper photo is stunning, nice work!

May want to get your sensors cleaned, I spy two dust spots on the lower left.


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## Draiman

Tunedbeat said:


> The viper photo is stunning, nice work!
> 
> May want to get your sensors cleaned, I spy two dust spots on the lower left.


Lol it's a green tree python, _Morelia viridis_, not a viper! Thanks for the compliment, I definitely feel good hearing that from you. 

And thanks for the heads-up, I hadn't noticed the dust!


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## Rick McJimsey

Tunedbeat said:


> The viper photo is stunning, nice work!
> 
> May want to get your sensors cleaned, I spy two dust spots on the lower left.


I'm pretty sure that's a Morelia viridis (Green tree python)
Sick shot, Draiman!
EDIT: You beat me to it


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## Draiman

Rick McJimsey said:


> I'm pretty sure that's a Morelia viridis (Green tree python)
> Sick shot, Draiman!
> EDIT: You beat me to it


Thanks Rick 

P.S - Call me Gavin from now on, please.


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## JC50

Gavin.Awesome picture of the the green tree python.The detail is incredible and your photography skills are top notch as usual.Thanks for sharing!


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## Draiman

JC50 said:


> Gavin.Awesome picture of the the green tree python.The detail is incredible and your photography skills are top notch as usual.Thanks for sharing!


My pleasure, and thank you for the compliment - it's made my day!


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## Draiman

My 6" adult female _P. formosa_. She is the most aggressive/defensive spider I have ever had, much more so than my female OBT. Please forgive the quality


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## JC50

Hey Gavin.Do you have any photos that show the entire Green tree python?I was curious as they are one of my favorite snakes and their colors are awesome.
Thanks
John


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## WS6Lethal

Draiman said:


> Hopefully this will revive the thread:


Incredible picture. Should get a nomination for picture of the year. Yes, it's that good. :clap:


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## moose35

gavin
most of your pics are horrible   

but i must agree that the pic of the  Morelia viridis is awesome :clap:


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## Protectyaaaneck

moose35 said:


> gavin
> most of your pics are horrible


That's mean. I hope you were being sarcastic, because I think his pictures are great.


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## Draiman

JC50 said:


> Hey Gavin.Do you have any photos that show the entire Green tree python?I was curious as they are one of my favorite snakes and their colors are awesome.
> Thanks
> John


Hey John. 

Unfortunately, I don't. The snake isn't mine either (it's the zoo's), so it could be some time before I get more pictures of it. Sorry.



WS6Lethal said:


> Incredible picture. Should get a nomination for picture of the year. Yes, it's that good. :clap:


Thank you!  



moose35 said:


> gavin
> most of your pics are horrible


My first thought when I read this was that you were being sarcastic, but I could be wrong. Meh.



Protectyaaaneck said:


> That's mean. I hope you were being sarcastic, because I think his pictures are great.


I'm mean to others sometimes (although I'm not as blatant as moose), so it's just payback I guess. I can't impress everyone anyway. I'm glad to know you like my pictures.  

*EDIT: Crap pictures removed.*


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## moose35

Draiman said:


> My first thought when I read this was that you were being sarcastic, but I could be wrong. Meh.


your first thought was correct.




          moose


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## Draiman

moose35 said:


> your first thought was correct.


That's good to know, thanks.

Anyway I made a new softbox and got better pictures, so I've removed the crap pictures I posted earlier. Here is why I love my softbox:


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## JC50

Hey Gavin.That`s cool.I`ll just enjoy the pictures you can post. 
Thanks Anyways
John


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## Apophis

That last shot is very nice!


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## Draiman

Apophis said:


> That last shot is very nice!


Thanks buddy.


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## Draiman

My big _P. formosa_ again:


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## fartkowski

Very nice Gavin 
I noticed a difference when I started using a soft box as well.
Good job.


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## Draiman

fartkowski said:


> Very nice Gavin
> I noticed a difference when I started using a soft box as well.
> Good job.


Thanks Chris.


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## Draiman




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## moose35

hey i think your  P. formosa  has mites







hehe j/k
  nice pics



       moose


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## Draiman

moose35 said:


> hey i think your  P. formosa  has mites
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hehe j/k
> nice pics


   ZOMGZ!!1! WER??


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## Draiman




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## Miss Bianca

That last shot of the formosa in post #100 is _official_!


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## SeanJo

Draiman said:


>


i see you let your formosa out on the street to really let her go at full speed  


keep up the good work!


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## Draiman

SeanJo said:


> i see you let your formosa out on the street to really let her go at full speed
> 
> 
> keep up the good work!


Thanks.   It's not a particularly good picture though; I'm not sure why I even posted it. Meh.


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## Draiman

How's this?







More pictures to come.


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## Draiman




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## Draiman

Damn, when I posted those pictures above I thought they were decent and would garner me some plaudits, apparently I was wrong.


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## JC50

Gavin.There is nothing wrong with those pictures.Top notch as usual. 
John


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## VESPidA

I always appreciate and complement your photography!   What is the black true spider you took a shot of above?

edit:  I even had one of your OBT pics as my desktop for a while.  she was beautiful.
perhaps the focus should be on whether you really like your photos, which shouldn't really be affected by what all of us think.  most of us aren't hobby photographers and couldn't offer constructive advice anyway, beyond saying we like it/don't like it.


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## Noexcuse4you

It really says a lot about a person when the majority of their self-esteem is derived from people on the internet.

Anyway, good photos.


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## pato_chacoana

Cool pictures Gavin, the little poecs are looking good  

Well, anyone with a ''picture thread'' would care about sharing pictures, receiving comments and feedback...otherwise why create a ''picture thread''.

Although I personally don't care much and just post whenever I feel like it, also I'm too lazy to keep up a ''picture thread''  but that's just me heheh

Pato-


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## Thompson08

Noexcuse4you said:


> It really says a lot about a person when the majority of their self-esteem is derived from people on the internet.
> 
> Anyway, good photos.


I couldn't agree more!


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## Draiman

Noexcuse4you said:


> It really says a lot about a person when the majority of their self-esteem is derived from people on the internet.


I actually do have an inferiority complex, as well as self-esteem issues. I'm also introverted and misanthropic. Typically when people compliment me in person, I tend to think they are being sarcastic. On the internet, it's somewhat easier for me to tell, since most people use emoticons. 



HokiePokie727 said:


> I always appreciate and complement your photography!   What is the black true spider you took a shot of above?
> 
> edit:  I even had one of your OBT pics as my desktop for a while.  she was beautiful.
> perhaps the focus should be on whether you really like your photos, which shouldn't really be affected by what all of us think.  most of us aren't hobby photographers and couldn't offer constructive advice anyway, beyond saying we like it/don't like it.


I do like my pictures, otherwise I certainly wouldn't post them. But I seek to impress others - that's the way I am.

Thanks for the comments. She's a subadult female _Nephila antipodiana_, 4-5" in legspan, and can reach 6-7" at adulthood.



pato_chacoana said:


> Well, anyone with a ''picture thread'' would care about sharing pictures, receiving comments and feedback...otherwise why create a ''picture thread''.


Indeed.

Thanks for the compliment.



JC50 said:


> Gavin.There is nothing wrong with those pictures.Top notch as usual.
> John


Thanks John, and thanks a million for being such a loyal visitor and poster to my thread.


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## codykrr

hey gavin can you take a pic of the soft box or light box you made? id like to see your design


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## Draiman

codykrr said:


> hey gavin can you take a pic of the soft box or light box you made? id like to see your design


Cody, it's simply a cardboard box covered in aluminium foil on all sides except the bottom.


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## codykrr

oh ok. thanks.


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## Draiman

codykrr said:


> oh ok. thanks.


No problem.


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## Draiman

_Scolopendra subspinipes subspinipes_ - feeding:

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6PvWV55ll3g&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6PvWV55ll3g&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

_P. formosa_ fangs:


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## JC50

Gavin.cool video.That is the first time i have ever seen a centipede being fed and it was great. 
 Also wouldn`t want to be on the receiving end of those P.formosa fangs. 

Thanks for sharing.
John


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## Draiman

JC50 said:


> Gavin.cool video.That is the first time i have ever seen a centipede being fed and it was great.
> Also wouldn`t want to be on the receiving end of those P.formosa fangs.
> 
> Thanks for sharing.
> John


My pleasure, as always. The formosa can be very aggressive, but I made a handling video anyway. It's currently a few years away from uploading on Youtube rolleyes. I'll post it on here once it's done, together with more pictures.


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## Draiman

Here is a very boring video I made this afternoon. She's quite skittish and (literally) jumpy, as you will see:

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OmShuFwLseE&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OmShuFwLseE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

I've learnt my lesson; I won't handle her at such heights again. The next time I do something like this I'll make sure I'm sitting on the floor or on my bed.

Anyway, a couple of pictures.


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## JC50

That was pretty amazing considering the P.formosa is considered to be a defensive T.It was very tolerant of all the handling  and didn`t try to bite at all and definitely had many opportunities to do so if it wanted.Cool.Thanks for sharing.


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## Draiman

JC50 said:


> That was pretty amazing considering the P.formosa is considered to be a defensive T.It was very tolerant of all the handling  and didn`t try to bite at all and definitely had many opportunities to do so if it wanted.Cool.Thanks for sharing.


My pleasure. I actually thought I'd be flamed for what happened in the video (and I'm sure someone will come in and do so sooner or later). Thanks for the comments once again, John.


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## SeanJo

even though you will probably get crap for the jump, I think you did a good job of keeping your cool and handling it well.  Plus you got some balls messin with a formosa like that, I like to KEEP T's, but I wont even hold my MM Versi    The only T's I've come to consistently hold are my baby versi's when I feed/water them, but they are just so cute how can you not hold them   actually even my girlfriend, who is afraid of true spiders but tolerant of T's, will hold my baby versis.  the close-ups are top-notch too, keep up the good work :clap:


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## Draiman

SeanJo said:


> even though you will probably get crap for the jump, I think you did a good job of keeping your cool and handling it well.  Plus you got some balls messin with a formosa like that, I like to KEEP T's, but I wont even hold my MM Versi    The only T's I've come to consistently hold are my baby versi's when I feed/water them, but they are just so cute how can you not hold them   actually even my girlfriend, who is afraid of true spiders but tolerant of T's, will hold my baby versis.  the close-ups are top-notch too, keep up the good work :clap:


Thanks Sean, John and you are awesome. 

More pictures coming later today. My vinegaroons haven't been featured in this thread yet...


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## Draiman

Freshly molted _P. regalis_:







Teehee.


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## JC50

Cool pics Gavin.Those vinegaroons look like the bouncers of the insect world,and a very nice looking P.regalis.


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## Thompson08

Draiman said:


> Freshly molted _P. regalis_:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Teehee.


Ok I just had to quote on this one. Very nice pic, wish mine were as good.


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## SeanJo

nice vinageroons man!  that piece of wood you always take pics of your P. regalis on is the perfect color to match the long hairs on his legs and abdomen.  looks like your softbox is workin out well for you :clap:


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## moose35

hey gavin awesome vinegaroons.

our american species got me started in inverts.

cool bugs....
good......ok   great pics


      moose


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## Draiman

Thanks for the comments everyone.


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## Protectyaaaneck

Thats a nice looking regalis. :clap:


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## Draiman

Protectyaaaneck said:


> Thats a nice looking regalis. :clap:


Thanks.


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## Draiman

Do you guys prefer this







or this?







I need to delete one or the other.


----------



## Spyder 1.0

darker one


----------



## JC50

Both good but i would agre with keeping the darker one also.


----------



## Draiman

You guys mean the top picture, am I right?


----------



## moose35

imo the bottom 1 is better




       moose


----------



## Draiman

moose35 said:


> imo the bottom 1 is better
> 
> 
> 
> 
> moose


I agree. I suppose I'll keep both for now.


----------



## Bardon

Amazing pics! Beautiful critters! And, quality video's Gavin. I got scared when your formosa made a leap for it! :clap:


----------



## Protectyaaaneck

The 2nd rufilata shot is better IMO.  Great clarity Gavin, I wish my camera could do that.


----------



## Draiman

Bardon said:


> Amazing pics! Beautiful critters! And, quality video's Gavin. I got scared when your formosa made a leap for it! :clap:


Thanks for the kind words. 



Protectyaaaneck said:


> The 2nd rufilata shot is better IMO.  Great clarity Gavin, I wish my camera could do that.


Thanks.

Since you have _P. metallica_ and the like, I don't see why you can't get a Nikon D60 - a very decent entry-level DSLR - for only about $500-600 (including the 18-55mm kit lens). It is, in fact, better than what I have (D40). Go for it.


----------



## Tunedbeat

Your photos are looking good, but it seems you've cropped/framed off the toes on every single shot.  I guess, it was done intentionally?  

Keep up the good work!


----------



## Draiman

Tunedbeat said:


> Your photos are looking good, but it seems you've cropped/framed off the toes on every single shot.  I guess, it was done intentionally?
> 
> Keep up the good work!


The pictures were not cropped. I do not edit or post-process my pictures.

But you're right - composition is horrible for all three of the above pictures. Maybe next time I'll try focus-lock, then re-compose my image to get the entire spider into the frame.


----------



## Draiman

Added music:

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0ITUDo7PkFM&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0ITUDo7PkFM&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Draiman

Another molt.


----------



## Miss Bianca

Gavin that last one rocks... 
I'd like to see that carapace up close.. looks very fuzzy. 
Congrats on your steadily improving talent 

also, I saw your flick in the 'who's behind"...
you look so green!  you don't look a day past 18...
in a few years you may not mind that so much, ha


----------



## Draiman

Miss Bianca said:


> Gavin that last one rocks...
> I'd like to see that carapace up close.. looks very fuzzy.
> Congrats on your *steadily improving* talent


Thanks Bianca, but is it?  

I can't get a carapace shot of that spider, unfortunately, since it's only about 1.5" long and I don't have a macro lens.


----------



## Miss Bianca

Is that so? I thought you did... 
I've seen some macro from you before... or?? 
I mean haven't I?  

anyway yes, this thread remains verye xciting 




Draiman said:


> Thanks Bianca, but is it?
> 
> I can't get a carapace shot of that spider, unfortunately, since it's only about 1.5" long and I don't have a macro lens.


----------



## Draiman

Miss Bianca said:


> Is that so? I thought you did...
> I've seen some macro from you before... or??
> I mean haven't I?
> 
> anyway yes, this thread remains verye xciting


Hehe yes, you have, but I'm not sure if I've actually "steadily improved", as you mentioned.


----------



## JC50

Hey Gavin.Don`t doubt your photography skills bro, because you should be looking to do it professionally,that is in my opinion any ways.Besides,practice makes perfect as i have heard.


----------



## Draiman

JC50 said:


> Hey Gavin.Don`t doubt your photography skills bro, because you should be looking to do it professionally,that is in my opinion any ways.Besides,practice makes perfect as i have heard.


John, if I were competent enough to go pro, what about the likes of Talkenlate04 and Tunedbeat?


----------



## JC50

They both produce some quality photos without question.I just personally think that your drive and obvious talent with photography gives you what it takes to become a professional photographer if that is the path you choose.


----------



## Draiman

JC50 said:


> They both produce some quality photos without question.I just personally think that your drive and obvious talent with photography gives you what it takes to become a professional photographer if that is the path you choose.


These are probably the best words of encouragement I have ever heard. Thank you.


----------



## Draiman

I had a very unproductive session today. This is the only postable picture I got, and it's not even good, not by a mile (too dark).


----------



## Draiman

Not a great photography day today:


----------



## Draiman

The crown jewel of my collection:







EDIT: A couple more.







Here she is doing her "victory dance".


----------



## SeanJo

very nice   I love the front shots where you can see their eyes reflecting and the little mohawk standing up.  could you take a pic of her entire enclosure?  also, lets see some more pede pics!


----------



## Draiman

SeanJo said:


> very nice   I love the front shots where you can see their eyes reflecting and the little mohawk standing up.  could you take a pic of her entire enclosure?  also, lets see some more pede pics!


Thanks man. I'll try getting an enclosure shot tomorrow (remind me ) since it's 11.30pm here right now. Unfortunately though, the only centipede I have left (_S. subspinipes subspinipes_ from Java) appears to be gravid, so I don't think I'll want to disturb her.


----------



## SeanJo

Ah yes, your English is so good that I always forget you are on the other side of the planet    Ya I agree, leave the pede alone, and PERHAPS you can get some good pics of the babies if/when they emerge.  I'll remind you tomorrow about the enclosure


----------



## Spyder 1.0

Is that a roach I see her eating? ;P

awesome


----------



## Draiman

spyderowner69 said:


> Is that a roach I see her eating? ;P
> 
> awesome


It's a large black cricket lol.

Thanks.


----------



## JC50

Those are some great shots Gavin.The wood almost looks like an arch and the bits of web hanging down with her standing there with the cricket in her mouth is awesome.:clap:


----------



## Draiman

JC50 said:


> Those are some great shots Gavin.The wood almost looks like an arch and the bits of web hanging down with her standing there with the cricket in her mouth is awesome.:clap:


Hey thanks John.


----------



## Draiman

_Brachypelma vagans_:


----------



## Draiman

Feeding time.


----------



## Draiman

Handling


----------



## fartkowski

Just like a teddy bear 
Nice shot Gavin


----------



## Draiman

fartkowski said:


> Just like a teddy bear
> Nice shot Gavin


Yeah, she practically becomes a cuddly toy once she's out of her enclosure. A joy to handle. Thanks!


----------



## Protectyaaaneck

She's really gorgeous Gavin.  My female just molted and is nearing the 5" mark.


----------



## JC50

She really is a beautiful spider and her colors and patterns are awesome.It is amazing how calm she is when you hold her,but it just goes to show that there are always exceptions to every rule.


----------



## Draiman

Protectyaaaneck said:


> She's really gorgeous Gavin.  My female just molted and is nearing the 5" mark.


Thanks! That's great to hear. 



JC50 said:


> She really is a beautiful spider and her colors and patterns are awesome.It is amazing how calm she is when you hold her,but it just goes to show that there are always exceptions to every rule.


Thanks John. 

The pictures are actually quite deceptive. She is very, very defensive when in her enclosure, and will bite and strike at anything. It's almost as if she turns into another animal altogether once she is out of her tank.


----------



## Rick McJimsey

Nice shots, Gavin!
I really like the B.vagans shot, I'm sure you're loving the hairs.


----------



## Draiman

Rick McJimsey said:


> Nice shots, Gavin!
> I really like the B.vagans shot, I'm sure you're loving the hairs.


Thanks Rick. 

She really makes me wonder why people even keep NW species. I'm trading her off today. ;P


----------



## Draiman

The entire molt sequence of a juvenile _Selenobrachys philippinus_:


----------



## JC50

Cool pics Gavin.I always find it fascinating when they molt.Thanks for sharing the pictures.


----------



## Draiman

Rotated:


----------



## Draiman

I thought someone would enjoy these.













Well, oh well.


----------



## Spyder 1.0

Hey man, are you using a tripod in any of your work? and if so, any suggestions for a small flexible one?


----------



## Draiman

spyderowner69 said:


> Hey man, are you using a tripod in any of your work? and if so, any suggestions for a small flexible one?


I got a free tripod when I bought my D40 kit, but I have never even opened the box. There is really no need for a tripod unless you are doing long exposures at night - and even then, I improvise with whatever I can use wherever I am. I am quite proud to say I have never had to use a tripod, and probably never will. So I can't help with suggestions, sorry. 

What are you looking to buy a tripod for?


----------



## Draiman

Just realised I haven't posted these here...I think.

























Will someone please do me a favor and rate the thread? :}


----------



## SeanJo

nice updates   I havent stopped by in a few days so I knew when I checked this thread there would be some goodies, and I was right.  Lovin the Formosa shots and the new tiger pics, and I forgot to come back and remind you to show me the enclosure, so I'm going to do that now.


Hey Gavin, show me your formosa's enclosure pleeease


----------



## biomarine2000

Wow.  Nice pics.


----------



## J.huff23

So you got hte Nikon D40? Are you pleased with it? I am getting a new camera soon and was considering this. Is it hard to get use to?


----------



## Draiman

SeanJo said:


> nice updates   I havent stopped by in a few days so I knew when I checked this thread there would be some goodies, and I was right.  Lovin the Formosa shots and the new tiger pics, and I forgot to come back and remind you to show me the enclosure, so I'm going to do that now.
> 
> 
> Hey Gavin, show me your formosa's enclosure pleeease


LOL - alright will do. And thanks!  



biomarine2000 said:


> Wow.  Nice pics.


Thanks!



j.everson23 said:


> So you got hte Nikon D40? Are you pleased with it? I am getting a new camera soon and was considering this. Is it hard to get use to?


The D40 is quite possibly the easiest DSLR to use and get used to.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/NikonD40/

Having said that, you would be better off buying the new D5000 now. The D40 is already out of production anyway.


----------



## JC50

Hey Gavin.Some nice close ups of your spider.I like the white tigers as they are awesome animals and you were able to get some greats shots of them.Thanks for sharing!
John


----------



## J.huff23

Out of production ALREADY!? Geeze. Ok, thanks.


----------



## Mack&Cass

Absolutely fantastic pictures...I love this thread. I rated it too  Can't wait for more pictures!
PS your P. formosa girl is stunning and you capture her really well


----------



## Draiman

Mtisdale said:


> Absolutely fantastic pictures...I love this thread. I rated it too  Can't wait for more pictures!
> PS your P. formosa girl is stunning and you capture her really well


Thanks!!


----------



## Draiman

A vicious, vicious girl she is.







Venom dripping:







And in case you're wondering, she is a subadult female _Selenocosmia javanensis_. 4 inches of pure, unadulterated belligerence.


----------



## Draiman

Juvenile female _Cyriopagopus schioedtei_:


----------



## Draiman

I could do with a comment or two....


----------



## Draiman

She has gained considerable girth.


----------



## Draiman

Once again, I could do with a comment or two...


----------



## Mack&Cass

That 'pede is fantastic looking. I had one but it escaped in my old house and for some reason I'm having a hard time finding one in Canada. Great shots.


----------



## JC50

The centipede pictures are cool and their colors are interesting.I am curious if they darken after a molt like tarantulas do.Your T that has the venom dripping from its fangs looks like it isn`t very sociable.


----------



## Draiman

Thanks guys. 

Anyway, I received a few spiders in the mail today.

The poor man's _Selenocosmia dichromata_ and _Selenocosmia arndsti_. 

_Orphnaecus_ sp. "Sipalay", 4.5" adult female (this is, by far, the _most docile_ Old World tarantula I have ever seen):







_Selenocosmia samarae_, 4.5" adult female:







The second picture isn't very good, unfortunately.


----------



## Rick McJimsey

Awesome additions, Gavin!
Don't get bitten by those two gals


----------



## Draiman

Rick McJimsey said:


> Awesome additions, Gavin!
> Don't get bitten by those two gals


How was your _S. arndsti_ in terms of temperament? I wouldn't get bitten by the _Orphnaecus_ if I tried.  

The _S. samarae_ is a little more defensive and skittish, but still nowhere near as crazy as my _S. javanensis_.

And I've got a female _Chilobrachys dyscolus_ coming next week as well.


----------



## Draiman

Thanks to whoever rated my thread down. Please make it one star. 

Meanwhile, here's my vicious little _C. schioedtei_ girl:


----------



## JC50

I think she just wants a hug.


----------



## Draiman

Adult female _Orphnaecus_ sp. "Sipalay", premolt:


----------



## Skullptor

I think you have a unique style with the camera. I wasn't aware you could rate picture threads so I made my first rating. Sorry, I didn't do what you asked for though. ;P


----------



## Draiman

Skullptor said:


> I think you have a unique style with the camera. I wasn't aware you could rate picture threads so I made my first rating. Sorry, I didn't do what you asked for though. ;P


Whatever you did, thanks.


----------



## Draiman

_Chilobrachys fimbriatus_, subadult female:


----------



## Draiman




----------



## J.huff23

Love the fimbriatus


----------



## bkelley02

*fimbriatus*

Can't wait for mine to get bigger.  Mine just molted and is about 3/4".  Just wee little baby still.

Was the pokie a rufilata?  Trying to get better at telling them apart, but new to them.  I have some, they're all so small and I'm still learning the differences.

Gave you 1 star as requested.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Just kidding.  

Aren't you due for another bite test?


----------



## Koh_

as always awesome pics.thanks for sharing Gavin!
BTW, are those mites on the fangs? lol


----------



## Draiman

A big thank you to everyone for the compliments. 

Koh: They are harmless phoretic mites, so I'm not worried. In fact, all those mites I was panicking over a couple of months ago were actually phorites as well.


----------



## Draiman

Too dark? Tell me what you think.


----------



## Tunedbeat

Draiman said:


> Too dark? Tell me what you think.


Yes, too dark.


----------



## Draiman

Tunedbeat said:


> Yes, too dark.


Yep. Thanks for the input.


----------



## Rick McJimsey

A bit dark, but it's still a fantastic shot.


----------



## biomarine2000

Its dark but nice and clear.


----------



## Draiman

Thanks guys. 

Here is another.


----------



## J.huff23

I love your photos. They are very clear and beautiful.


----------



## Draiman

j.everson23 said:


> I love your photos. They are very clear and beautiful.


Thank you.


----------



## pato_chacoana

Nice eye shot !  Have you considered buying a macro lenses with no zoom? I know they are expensive but it will give you more definition  

Best regards,
Pato


----------



## Draiman

pato_chacoana said:


> Have you considered buying a macro lenses with no zoom? I know they are expensive but it will give you more definition
> 
> Best regards,
> Pato


Of course I have, but money is in short supply at the moment.


----------



## Draiman




----------



## Protectyaaaneck

Awesome pic of the jumper.


----------



## AlainL

Draiman said:


>


Cool photo man:clap: I love jumping spiders.


----------



## Draiman

I think it looks better on the smaller size.


----------



## Draiman

_Selenocosmia samarae_ (I don't _think_ anyone in the US or Europe has one of these):


----------



## Zoltan

Hi Gavin,

How do you know it's _Selenocosmia samarae_?


Draiman said:


> Just to add, apparently _Selenocosmia samarae_ is endemic to the Samar Caves in the Philippines.


It's also known from the island of Negros.


----------



## Draiman

Zoltan said:


> Hi Gavin,
> 
> How do you know it's _Selenocosmia samarae_?
> 
> It's also known from the island of Negros.


I got her from someone in the Philippines who had collected her personally - and I see no reason to doubt him.

Since you seem to think the spider is not _S. samarae_, what do you think she is?

I wasn't 100% sure about its distribution, hence my use of the word _"apparently"_.


----------



## Zoltan

I'm not saying it's not _Selenocosmia samarae_, I have no idea what it is. I don't even have any literature about this species, and there doesn't seem to be many publications on it anyway. I just asked out of curiosity what does the collector base the identification on? Does he *know* it's _S. samarae_ (compared the specimen to the holotype or original description) or is the ID just guesswork? Since it's a relatively unknown species, I'm guessing there aren't many pictures of it floating around, making "Kodax taxonomy" less likely.


----------



## Draiman

Zoltan said:


> Does he *know* it's _S. samarae_ or is the ID just guesswork?


I think he collected the specimen from the Samar Caves. I will have to clarify with him to know for sure. Are there any other Theraphosid species in those caves?

Anyway; _S. javanensis_:







Some strange flaw in the lens caused that purple patch:


----------



## Draiman

Zoltan said:


> I'm not saying it's not _Selenocosmia samarae_, I have no idea what it is. I don't even have any literature about this species, and there doesn't seem to be many publications on it anyway. I just asked out of curiosity what does the collector base the identification on? Does he *know* it's _S. samarae_ (compared the specimen to the holotype or original description) or is the ID just guesswork? Since it's a relatively unknown species, I'm guessing there aren't many pictures of it floating around, making "Kodax taxonomy" less likely.


Yup - I have just received confirmation that this specimen was indeed collected in the Samar Caves.

Are there other Theraphosids residing in those caves?


----------



## Zoltan

Draiman said:


> Are there other Theraphosids residing in those caves?


I don't know if there are any other theraphosids known from those caves - note the word 'known', because there always could be undescribed species anywhere, even though I don't know how big those caves are.


----------



## Draiman

Young _Cyriopagopus schioedtei_ molted:


----------



## seanbond

Selenocosmia samarae 
looks like a orphaneous sp, kewl spida tho!


----------



## Draiman




----------



## J.huff23

Love that last T! Very beautiful!


----------



## Draiman

j.everson23 said:


> Love that last T! Very beautiful!


_Cyriopagopus schioedtei_. 

She turned from this:







to this:







...After just two weeks in my care.


----------



## TiberiuSahly

Beautiful animal and gorgeous macro! I have one Cyriopagopus schiodtei too and he/she has been eating like a pig for almost 3 weeks now and just can't seem to get enough. I was hoping it would stop and prepare to molt but just keeps going  . Anyway beautiful species, must have for the collection!

Regards!


----------



## Draiman

TiberiuSahly said:


> Beautiful animal and gorgeous macro! I have one Cyriopagopus schiodtei too and he/she has been eating like a pig for almost 3 weeks now and just can't seem to get enough. I was hoping it would stop and prepare to molt but just keeps going  . Anyway beautiful species, must have for the collection!
> 
> Regards!


I agree, they do have large appetites. Thanks!


----------



## jreb29

Draiman said:


> _Selenocosmia samarae_ (I don't _think_ anyone in the US or Europe has one of these):


its definitely S.Samarae..I'm on the process of breeding of this specie here
in Philippines..Thank you for collecting one of our tarantulas..


----------



## Goomba

Draiman, I must say, these are some of the most amazing photos I've seen on here! Thank you so much. I really appreciate you sharing these gems!


----------



## JC50

Hey Gavin.Your Selenocosmia samarae is an awesome looking T with the dark brown color.How big is it as it is hard to tell by the picture.


----------



## Draiman

jreb29 said:


> its definitely S.Samarae..I'm on the process of breeding of this specie here
> in Philippines..Thank you for collecting one of our tarantulas..


Do you think you could loan or trade a mature male to me? A loan would mean a standard 50/50 split of any resulting slings, of course. Let me know via PM if you're interested. Thanks! 



Goomba said:


> Draiman, I must say, these are some of the most amazing photos I've seen on here! Thank you so much. I really appreciate you sharing these gems!


My pleasure. I must say, I really appreciate your compliments - thank you! 



JC50 said:


> Hey Gavin.Your Selenocosmia samarae is an awesome looking T with the dark brown color.How big is it as it is hard to tell by the picture.


She is about 4" TL.


----------



## JC50

Beautiful girl you have there Gavin.As always.Thanks for sharing your pics.


----------



## Draiman

Went for a hike:







Some dragonfly:







Unidentified jumper; could well be a new species:







Then I took a little walk around town:


----------



## Julia

Wow.  Awesome pictures!!  (I'm sure you hear that a lot.)     Makes me want to visit your part of the world.  Wildlife, nightlife....what more could a person ask for?


----------



## Koh_

nice pics Gavin!
just wondering where you are from?


----------



## Fingolfin

Koh_ said:


> nice pics Gavin!
> just wondering where you are from?


Singapore?


----------



## Draiman

Can anyone identify this sparassid?


----------



## Draiman

Grainy as hell:


----------



## Draiman

_Psalmopoeus cambridgei_, 3" juvenile female:


----------



## TiberiuSahly

Nice macros and gorgeous female! It always freaks me out to see them in that position. They're just... lurking, waiting to strike.

Keep'em coming! Regards!


----------



## JC50

Gavin.Those are some nice close up pictures of your Psalmopoeus cambridgei.I love the colors and patterns on these T`s.


----------



## Draiman

Thanks for the comments guys. 

Here is a new video:

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lxxJUydbi0A&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lxxJUydbi0A&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## calum

great shots as usual. that one of the dragonfly is top class. :clap:


----------



## J.huff23

Awesome video. Great song choice too!


----------



## Draiman

Thanks guys. 

Here is another one of my _P. cambridgei_, *all* of which have turned out to be male. Why do I have such rotten luck with this hobby?


----------



## biomarine2000

Look at the bright side.  When he is mature you can send him off to make you some babies.


----------



## Draiman

biomarine2000 said:


> Look at the bright side.  When he is mature you can send him off to make you some babies.


It would be very inconvenient for anyone with a female, considering my location.

In short, these males will most likely go to waste.


----------



## TiberiuSahly

Absolutely magnificent macro :worship: . Sorry for no female  . Still he makes a wonderful photo subject!

Regards!


----------



## Immortal

Wow... great pictures!


----------



## TiogaWhiteTiger

Very nice macro! :}


----------



## biomarine2000

Draiman said:


> It would be very inconvenient for anyone with a female, considering my location.
> 
> In short, these males will most likely go to waste.


Thats too bad.


----------



## Draiman

Thanks for the compliments everyone.

I now have three useless immature males which will die in about a year.


----------



## J.huff23

I have four P.cambridgei. I have only sexed two and of course they are male. Also, both of my sub-adult A.versicolor turned out to be male, and both of my tapinauchenius have turned out to be male.

I also have rotten luck when it comes to getting females.


----------



## Draiman

j.everson23 said:


> I have four P.cambridgei. I have only sexed two and of course they are male. Also, both of my sub-adult A.versicolor turned out to be male, and both of my tapinauchenius have turned out to be male.
> 
> I also have rotten luck when it comes to getting females.


Well, that does suck, but if you have read my recent threads, my spiders have been afflicted with all sorts of problems - mites, ants, and more recently, sudden, random, unexplained deaths with signs of nematode infection.


----------



## Draiman




----------



## Draiman

_Orphnaecus_ sp. "Sipalay", adult female, premolt.


----------



## Draiman




----------



## Draiman

Adult female _Orphnaecus_ sp. "Sipalay", freshly molted.


----------



## rd_07

very nice! how big is she now?


----------



## Draiman

rd_07 said:


> very nice! how big is she now?


Unfortunately she didn't grow at all with this molt.

Her exuvium measures just over 4".


----------



## Koh_

ah,,.....
amazing macro shot! :clap:


----------



## Draiman

Thanks Koh, I appreciate it.


----------



## rd_07

this is one of my females that gave me healthy sack last year


----------



## Draiman

I need to get her a male.


----------



## Draiman




----------



## rd_07

awesome macro!


----------



## Draiman

rd_07 said:


> awesome macro!


Thanks. 

You are evidently the only one who thinks so, though.


----------



## jani taler

Its really, really hard to find better pics than yours....
And these are all great-loking spiders!


----------



## Spyder 1.0

Only way to improve is to, of course, buy more tarantulas to take photos of!


----------



## TiberiuSahly

Draiman said:


>


:clap: :worship: . This is... breathtaking. You have THE skills my friend. One of the best photo threads on this forum and always active!

TFS! Regards!


----------



## Draiman

TiberiuSahly said:


> :clap: :worship: . This is... breathtaking. You have THE skills my friend. One of the best photo threads on this forum and always active!
> 
> TFS! Regards!


Thanks, I really appreciate it.


----------



## Draiman

Received a 3" subadult female _Haplopelma albostriatum_ today:



















Forgot to take a full-body shot, oops.


----------



## J.huff23

I love your photo thread. Great pics and awesome variety of Ts.


----------



## Draiman

j.everson23 said:


> I love your photo thread. Great pics and awesome variety of Ts.


Thanks. 

I feel this one looks a lot better on the smaller size:


----------



## Draiman

A full-body shot:







Also, I need you guys to help me make a decision:

This,







or this?


----------



## TiberiuSahly

I'd say the second one, the first is kind of a tight crop. The second picture has the background more visible allowing for a better contrast with the animal. Just my opinion.
Great shots as always and best wishes for your new aquisition!
Regards!


----------



## Draiman

TiberiuSahly said:


> I'd say the second one, the first is kind of a tight crop. The second picture has the background more visible allowing for a better contrast with the animal. Just my opinion.


I'm inclined to agree. Thanks! 

So here we go:


----------



## Thompson08

Draiman said:


> Thanks.
> 
> I feel this one looks a lot better on the smaller size:


This pic is very nice draiman. Very nice pics and photo thread :clap:


----------



## Draiman

More _H. albostriatum_:













These two are a tad underexposed, but I decided to put them up anyway:


----------



## Draiman

Subadult, probably penultimate, _Coremiocnemis_ sp., mislabelled as _Lyrognathus robustus_, WC from Tapah, Perak, Malaysia.


----------



## Draiman

_Poecilotheria formosa_. One of the best looking species in the genus IMO.


----------



## jani taler

Wow!!! Great macro shots, and beautifful spiders!


----------



## biomarine2000

Could you show us your lighting setup?


----------



## Draiman

biomarine2000 said:


> Could you show us your lighting setup?


It is quite similar to what Apophis uses:

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/1916/21052009052.jpg


----------



## biomarine2000

Draiman said:


> It is quite similar to what Apophis uses:
> 
> http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/1916/21052009052.jpg


That was unexpected.  You use the same thing as me.  Do you use the small lights that came with the light box?  Is that a difuser on the flash?


----------



## Draiman

biomarine2000 said:


> That was unexpected.  You use the same thing as me.  Do you use the small lights that came with the light box?  Is that a difuser on the flash?


I don't even have an actual, proper lightbox. I merely took a large-ish cardboard box and covered the interior with aluminium foil. I also taped a piece of foil in front of the camera's onboard "pop-up" flash - hence when I take pictures, light is reflected onto the top and sides of the box and then "bounced" onto the subject.

This, coupled with the fact I use only a Nikon D40, the 18-55mm kit lens and a cheap macro filter, means my photos are the result of a _VERY_ cheap set-up.


----------



## TiberiuSahly

Are you serious? This means you are even a better photographer than I first thougt  . Seriously man, those photos are just WOW!!! Love all of them! Keep them coming!


----------



## Draiman

TiberiuSahly said:


> Are you serious?


I am.

Here is the EXIF data for this shot:







Camera: Nikon D40 
Exposure: 0.017 sec (1/60) 
Aperture: f/13.0 
Focal Length: 55.0 mm

You can see all the details here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arachnophark/3800711746/meta/


----------



## TiberiuSahly

Very nice :worship: :worship: :worship: !!! I AM STUNNED!


----------



## biomarine2000

TiberiuSahly said:


> Are you serious? This means you are even a better photographer than I first thougt  . Seriously man, those photos are just WOW!!! Love all of them! Keep them coming!


I have to agree with that.  Your doing very well with what you have.


----------



## Draiman

Thank you both. 

Anyhoo, I got my _P. cambridgei_ out for a short photoshoot.


----------



## TiberiuSahly

That cambridgei is really FAT!!! Nice cloe-ups. Can you take a look at the pictures I posted of one of my P. cambridgei. I heard doughts as to wheather it is really cambridgei or not. It is kind of strangely coloured...

Regards!


----------



## Draiman

TiberiuSahly said:


> Can you take a look at the pictures I posted of one of my P. cambridgei. I heard doughts as to wheather it is really cambridgei or not. It is kind of strangely coloured...


Oh wow, indeed. It is either a _P. irminia_ or a hybrid of the two species, IMO.


----------



## TiberiuSahly

Well I don't think it's irminia, unless there are individuals that never exibit the specific markings... Could be a hibrid. I really find the lack of coloration weird... very weird! Thank you for your help!

Best regards!

P.S.: Some pics of L. violaceopes?


----------



## Draiman

I personally think these could be some of the best photos I have taken in a while.


----------



## seanbond

talk about crispy shape Gavin!


----------



## TiberiuSahly

Great pix. The details are amazing on these ones!!! I personally like the first most of all :clap: .


----------



## Mack&Cass

The pictures of your formosa are the reason I plan on picking one up next month. Fantastic pictures, Gavin.


----------



## Draiman

Thanks guys. Here are three more:


----------



## TiberiuSahly

Second one rocks! The POV and details are :drool: !!!

Regards!


----------



## T-REX

Beatiful spiders on gorgeous photos...


----------



## Draiman

Thank you both. 

Down to a mere 5 spiders now, but anyhoo;

Adult female _Selenocosmia javanensis_, heavy premolt (still as aggressive as ever):



















Adult female _Orphnaecus_ sp. "Sipalay":


----------



## TiberiuSahly

Nice species and great close-ups! Of course, all tarantulas look very alien and primitive, but these species really look... primordial  !
Regards!


----------



## Draiman

TiberiuSahly said:


> Nice species and great close-ups! Of course, all tarantulas look very alien and primitive, but these species really look... primordial  !
> Regards!


Thanks!


----------



## Draiman

ùWmIÌ|ÎY‡H]û ý!ŠÉ4iìC¾UÒÀŠ


----------



## TiberiuSahly

The larger one looks much better. Detail are more obvious. Nice portrait!

Regards!


----------



## jani taler

Awesome macros:clap: :clap: :clap:, and beautiful T!
:worship:


----------



## seanbond

nice shots!
these seem to be healthy for ya.


----------



## Draiman

Thanks guys. 

Sean, I certainly hope it stays that way.


----------



## Draiman

Subadult female _Psalmopoeus cambridgei_, 24 hours post-molt:



















Adult female _Orphnaecus_ sp. Sipalay, not too happy with me:


----------



## micheldied

amazing pictures gavin.simply wow...


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> amazing pictures gavin.simply wow...


Thanks!


----------



## Loudog760

Awesome thread!


----------



## Draiman

Received three of these little 1" spiders today, labelled as CB _Haplopelma minax_. I'm not sure they are true minax though; time will tell.


----------



## micheldied

very nice pic!


----------



## Draiman

Adult female _Orphnaecus_ sp. "Sipalay":


----------



## seanbond

Orphnaecus sp. "Sipalay, man thats my fav t of yours!
looks like a female i had last yr, iv got pix of her on my thread.
i havent seen a minax sling yet so ill have to watch yours grow, iv got 2 different color forms, jet black, faint tiger stripes and a olive green black form.


----------



## Draiman

seanbond said:


> Orphnaecus sp. "Sipalay, man thats my fav t of yours!
> looks like a female i had last yr, iv got pix of her on my thread.
> i havent seen a minax sling yet so ill have to watch yours grow, iv got 2 different color forms, jet black, faint tiger stripes and a olive green black form.


Yeah, a very pretty species indeed; too bad they don't get very large (4-4.5").

I'm hoping these "minax" turn out to be the true _H. minax_ - jet black and BIG, and not _H. vonwirthi_ or something. I'll be sure to check out your pics of yours.


----------



## seanbond

yeah, one of my female minax is pushing 6, the other is about 5.
i breed the biggest female but didnt get a sac. finding a male is like finding a needle in a haystack.


----------



## Draiman

EDIT: Crap pictures removed


----------



## JC50

Wow.Those are some really cool close ups of the pede.


----------



## Draiman

JC50 said:


> Wow.Those are some really cool close ups of the pede.


Thanks. I actually think they're rather poor, nowhere near my usual work. There are some problems with my lighting I need to iron out, but I can't really seem to find out what's wrong. My set-up is identical to that used by Apophis and Biomarine, but their pictures are a lot better.


----------



## JC50

Gavin they might not look that good to you,but i think they are awesome.I know you strive for perfection with your photography and believe you sometimes sell yourself short,but your photography skills are top notch and i am sure you will resolve the problem.


----------



## Draiman

JC50 said:


> Gavin they might not look that good to you,but i think they are awesome.I know you strive for perfection with your photography and believe you sometimes sell yourself short,but your photography skills are top notch and i am sure you will resolve the problem.


Thanks John, appreciated. 

I think I've solved the problem:


----------



## TiberiuSahly

You surely have! The light fill in these pictures is way better and the details are stunning! :clap:  :clap: 

Regards!


----------



## micheldied

you take amazing pics no matter what you think haha.
very nice pede.


----------



## JC50

I think you have it solved Gavin.Great pictures and much better detail.


----------



## Draiman

Thanks for the kind words guys.


----------



## Draiman

Now for something a little more uncommon


----------



## biomarine2000

What kind of macro lense are you using?  When I use my macro lense the sides end up blury.  Yours are perfectly clear.


----------



## J.huff23

Im jealous of your camera skills.


----------



## JC50

The macro shots are definitely cool.It`s cool to be able to see how the spiders look that close.


----------



## Draiman

biomarine2000 said:


> What kind of macro lense are you using?  When I use my macro lense the sides end up blury.  Yours are perfectly clear.


I've noticed that the depth of field in your pictures is almost always very shallow. Try stopping down your aperture to about f/13. 



j.everson23 said:


> Im jealous of your camera skills.


Nah, they're nothing to be jealous over. 



JC50 said:


> The macro shots are definitely cool.It`s cool to be able to see how the spiders look that close.


Thanks John.


----------



## biomarine2000

Draiman said:


> I've noticed that the depth of field in your pictures is almost always very shallow. Try stopping down your aperture to about f/13.


I was wondering that.  Thanks.  Do you use a tripod?


----------



## Draiman

biomarine2000 said:


> I was wondering that.  Thanks.  Do you use a tripod?


No problem.

I don't use a tripod, monopod, or any stabilising device.


----------



## Draiman

_Euscorpius italicus_, unsexed adult:


----------



## TiberiuSahly

Gorgeous frontal! 
Looks like the shots are coming along just fine. Glad you managed to fix the problem.

Cheers!


----------



## T-REX

Amazing shots...


----------



## Draiman

Thanks guys. But I'm not too happy with that scorpion picture, to be honest.







_Selenocosmia samarae_.


----------



## Protectyaaaneck

Sick shots of the scorp Gavin.


----------



## micheldied

really cool scorp!


----------



## J.huff23

You have the neatest species!


----------



## Draiman

_Psalmopoeus cambridgei_, subadult female:


----------



## J.huff23

That last one came out perfect!


----------



## codykrr

hey gavin...is it just me or does your scorp look like it has worms crawling all over it?


----------



## Draiman

j.everson23 said:


> That last one came out perfect!


Thanks!



codykrr said:


> hey gavin...is it just me or does your scorp look like it has worms crawling all over it?


It does look that way to me as well. Unfortunately I found her dead this morning. She was feeding only two days ago. :?


----------



## Draiman

This is what I do when my boredom levels reach an unprecedented high:


----------



## micheldied

sorry for the loss dude.
and brilliant photos!
please get bored more often.


----------



## biomarine2000

Sweet man.  I do the same thing when I get bored.  Only difference is my pics aren't as good as yours but I'm working on it.


----------



## Draiman

biomarine2000 said:


> Sweet man.  I do the same thing when I get bored.  Only difference is my pics aren't as good as yours but I'm working on it.


I mean it when I say your current lighting is superior to mine!

I've been experimenting but I still haven't attained the desired effect. Maybe it's time I bought a real, proper softbox.


----------



## biomarine2000

Draiman said:


> I mean it when I say your current lighting is superior to mine!
> 
> I've been experimenting but I still haven't attained the desired effect. Maybe it's time I bought a real, proper softbox.


Thanks Gavin.  I dont know how much more improving you can do.  Your thread is my favorite to look here on ab.


----------



## Draiman

biomarine2000 said:


> Thanks Gavin.  I dont know how much more improving you can do.  Your thread is my favorite to look here on ab.


Hehe that's nice to know, thanks.


----------



## Draiman

I am very pleased with how these turned out. Here's a teaser:


----------



## micheldied

thats simply gorgeous...wow.


----------



## biomarine2000

That is one sweet shot.


----------



## Draiman

Thanks for the comments guys.













I must admit I like these. :}


----------



## biomarine2000

I can see why.  I have to agree.


----------



## Draiman

biomarine2000 said:


> I can see why.  I have to agree.


Thanks. 

_Haplopelma minax_, unsexed juvenile:


----------



## JC50

Gavin.Some very cool pictures and as always,great close up shots.The centipede pics came out great as do all your pictures.


----------



## Draiman

JC50 said:


> Gavin.Some very cool pictures and as always,great close up shots.The centipede pics came out great as do all your pictures.


Thanks John.


----------



## Draiman

Could someone teach me how to make my own watermark?


----------



## micheldied

LOL   
which T is that?


----------



## J.huff23

Im going to say selenocosmia species....maybe S.ditchotrimus or how ever its spelled.


----------



## Draiman

j.everson23 said:


> Im going to say selenocosmia species....maybe S.ditchotrimus or how ever its spelled.


I wish it was _S. dichromata_.

It's my adult female _Orphnaecus_ sp. "Sipalay".


----------



## micheldied

great detail in every pic!


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> great detail in every pic!


Unfortunately I still haven't got my lighting right.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Unfortunately I still haven't got my lighting right.


hmmm....i cant help with any advice,but i can say i cant wait til you fix your lighting.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> hmmm....i cant help with any advice,but i can say i cant wait til you fix your lighting.


I've been trying various things, changing just about everything, but I still haven't got it right - it's frustrating.


----------



## Draiman

_Psalmopoeus cambridgei_, subadult female:













You can't see me...







Maybe not


----------



## JC50

Gavin.Sweet close up shots.I love these because you can see details on the spiders you would never see with your eyes.The little tuft of hair between the eyes is cool.


----------



## Draiman

JC50 said:


> Gavin.Sweet close up shots.I love these because you can see details on the spiders you would never see with your eyes.The little tuft of hair between the eyes is cool.


Thanks John, once again.

_Selenocosmia samarae_, adult female, premolt:


----------



## Draiman

More of the "minax".


----------



## micheldied

awesome pics!gorgeous T!


----------



## JC50

Gavin.Nice pictures and it looks like you have made some progress with your lighting problem.


----------



## Draiman

Thanks for the kind words again guys. Too bad you two are the only ones who enjoy my pictures.

Anyway...

These are the frogs I feed to my _P. formosa_:


----------



## JC50

Nothing like a good frog leg dinner.


----------



## micheldied

nice froggy...
too much calcium...


----------



## Tunedbeat

_Sharp pics! _

:clap:


----------



## Draiman

Tunedbeat said:


> _Sharp pics! _
> 
> :clap:


Yeah, the sharpness actually surprised me, especially for the _P. cambridgei_ photos.


----------



## Draiman

I absolutely cannot wait for her to molt.


----------



## Rick McJimsey

Draiman said:


> Yeah, the sharpness actually surprised me, especially for the _P. cambridgei_ photos.


I agree, probably some of the best photos I've seen in this thread!
Keep up the good work Gavin


----------



## Draiman

Rick McJimsey said:


> I agree, probably some of the best photos I've seen in this thread!
> Keep up the good work Gavin


Thanks Rick!


----------



## JC50

Gavin i would be happy if my ability to take pictures was 1/3 of the skills you posses.I always appreciate the quality and detail of your pictures and enjoy looking at them,so keep on posting.


----------



## Endagr8

JC50 said:


> Gavin i would be happy if my ability to take pictures was 1/3 of the skills you posses.I always appreciate the quality and detail of your pictures and enjoy looking at them,so keep on posting.


+1.


----------



## Draiman

Thanks for the kind words.


----------



## JC50

Gavin some very nice pictures.Looks like you have your lighting problems resolved.


----------



## Draiman

Thanks John, as always.

A couple more:


----------



## micheldied

P formosa?
amazing pics.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> P formosa?
> amazing pics.


Thanks.


----------



## Draiman

No, not the same spider.


----------



## JC50

Hi Gavin,great pics as always,but i like the coloration of these last two spiders that you posted pictures of.Some good looking spiders.


----------



## Draiman

JC50 said:


> Hi Gavin,great pics as always,but i like the coloration of these last two spiders that you posted pictures of.Some good looking spiders.


Thanks.


----------



## Draiman

A bite from her would have been very fun...







Got tangled up in her own silk:


----------



## biomarine2000

Your lighting in the pics of her on your hand are really nice.  What did you do different?


----------



## micheldied

very nice BRIGHT  pics.


----------



## Draiman

biomarine2000 said:


> Your lighting in the pics of her on your hand are really nice.  What did you do different?


Nothing. My hand was just positioned in such a way that the light hits much more directly. I actually think it's a bit too harsh, in fact.



micheldied said:


> very nice BRIGHT  pics.


Thanks, I'm glad to hear that.

My photos are becoming really trivial and lame now. I'm trying to change that, but I'm still struggling with my lighting. The fact that I have only seven different spiders doesn't help with variety either.


----------



## micheldied

you could always help me take photos of my spiders.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> you could always help me take photos of my spiders.


For a fee?


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> For a fee?


for....roaches.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> for....roaches.


I was jesting lol.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> I was jesting lol.


i know you were.


----------



## Draiman

Went out looking for jumping spiders today, because tarantulas are quickly becoming very boring photo subjects.

_Menemerus bivittatus_, adult female:













Here she began baring her chelicerae at a large, aggressive, carnivorous weaver ant, _Oecophylla smaragdina_:













Same individual:







Further down the broadwalk, I came across this brilliantly colored jumper. No idea what species he is though.







Some strange fly:


----------



## biomarine2000

Very nice Gavin.


----------



## Agent Jones

Very cool photos of the jumping spider


----------



## micheldied

nice pics gavin,makes me remember my old days of catching jumpers..


----------



## Draiman

Thanks for the comments everyone.


----------



## Mack&Cass

Hey Gavin just thought I'd let you know that we recently picked up a P. formosa and your pictures of your girl had a lot to do with that decision. Keep the pictures coming, I love seeing when you've updated this thread. It's one of the few I actually keep an eye out for.


----------



## Draiman

Mtisdale said:


> Hey Gavin just thought I'd let you know that we recently picked up a P. formosa and your pictures of your girl had a lot to do with that decision. Keep the pictures coming, I love seeing when you've updated this thread. It's one of the few I actually keep an eye out for.


That's nice to hear. Thanks!


----------



## Draiman

_Selenocosmia samarae_, 2 or 3 weeks post-molt:







Handling:


----------



## seanbond

wow!
this is the stuff nightmares are made of


----------



## micheldied

a very pretty girl.


----------



## Draiman

Mature female _Psalmopoeus cambridgei_, preparing to molt:


----------



## sharpfang

*Macro lenses - affordable?*

Great pix!  I need new cam!  Jason - any suggestions?:?


----------



## Draiman

Draiman said:


> Mature female _Psalmopoeus cambridgei_, preparing to molt:


She turned from the brown ugly thing in the above picture, to this:


----------



## biomarine2000

I wouldn't say she was ugly but she sure is stunning now.


----------



## skippy

wished you lived closer draiman, my MM would have loved to meet her i'm sure 

sweet pics as always:clap:


----------



## Draiman

Thanks for the comments guys.


----------



## Endagr8

Amazing shots, Gavin. :clap:


----------



## micheldied

really nice!


----------



## Draiman

Thanks!


----------



## Draiman

Newly molted, unidentified _Haplopelma_ species, juvenile female:


----------



## skippy

very nice! did you find that yourself?


----------



## micheldied

unidentified?


----------



## Draiman

skippy said:


> very nice! did you find that yourself?


I wish I did.



micheldied said:


> unidentified?


Well she was sold to me as _H. minax_, but now I doubt it.


----------



## skippy

i was never really a fan of haplopelmas until recently when i got a H lividium and it's _*super*_ cool 

that one's pretty too, hopefully it will grow fast so you can id it soon:}


----------



## Draiman




----------



## Draiman

_Psalmopoeus irminia_, ultimate male:







Doing a very good impression of a sparassid:

























And the best for last:


----------



## micheldied

whats that beetle?

gonna breed the P irminia?


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> whats that beetle?
> 
> gonna breed the P irminia?


A superworm beetle.

Unfortunately I don't have a female for him.


----------



## Draiman

Unidentified vinegarroon, _Thelyphonus_ sp.:







Cleaning her first pair of legs (which essentially function as feelers) with her chelicerae:


----------



## micheldied

very cool.
is he a local?


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> very cool.
> is he a local?


Yep, these are native animals.


----------



## Draiman

More:


----------



## TiberiuSahly

Nice closeup! These creatures look very very alien.


----------



## Draiman




----------



## LovePets

This spider is cuuute :drool:


----------



## skippy

great jumper macro


----------



## Draiman

Thanks guys.  

I think we haven't seen her in quite a while, so here are a couple of very poor pictures from today of my adult female _Poecilotheria formosa_ eating a bullfrog:


----------



## micheldied

still waiting for the roaches to breed. 
very nice pics and pokie.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> still waiting for the roaches to breed.
> very nice pics and pokie.


Best of luck with them, and please keep me updated.


----------



## Draiman

Feeding time for the whipscorpion today.


----------



## Draiman

Back from a 3259762459436-year hiatus, and here are some tropical jumpers. I've reduced my tarantula collection to just three adult females, and I am now concentrating mainly on high-magnification macro photography, as you will shortly see...

None of these spiders are any larger than 10mm in length; the last one below is no more than 5mm long.

_Epeus flavobilineatus_, male & female:













_Hyllus diardi_, immature female:













_Hyllus_ sp., juvenile:







_Viciria praemandibularis_, mature male:







Unidentified species, possibly _Phintella_ sp.:







Plenty more to come.


----------



## Mack&Cass

Those are some fantastic macro shots Gavin, the detail is great!


----------



## Draiman

Mack&Cass said:


> Those are some fantastic macro shots Gavin, the detail is great!


Thank you. 

Those are some pretty old shots, here's something from yesterday:


----------



## Teal

*I just love macro photography! Those shots are great! *


----------



## skippy

i wish i could swear on here to exclaim just how freaking cool those shots are! very, very nice:worship:


----------



## micheldied

wow!
those shots are out of this world.


----------



## Protectyaaaneck

Sick photos Gavin.  I wish I could take shots like those.  :drool:


----------



## JC50

Gavin.Those are some awesome pics and as always your photography skills come shining through.


----------



## Draiman

Thanks for the kind words everyone.


----------



## Draiman




----------



## Spyder 1.0

Contact National Geographic man. I bet they would pay you for those!


----------



## micheldied

i totally agree!


----------



## codykrr

what happened gavin!  you leave for a while and now you have to slam us with awsome photo's...lol

but seriously, did you get your own 105mm or what..i know those wernt taken with screw on magnifying lenses....  

still the same camera...nikon d40?  c'mon man fill us in!

beautiful shots i may add!   i love the "gummy worm looking jumper"!


----------



## Draiman

codykrr said:


> what happened gavin!  you leave for a while and now you have to slam us with awsome photo's...lol
> 
> but seriously, did you get your own 105mm or what..i know those wernt taken with screw on magnifying lenses....
> 
> still the same camera...nikon d40?  c'mon man fill us in!
> 
> beautiful shots i may add!   i love the "gummy worm looking jumper"!


Lol thanks Cody. Oh no I didn't get a new lens; I simply found a much cheaper and better way of achieving high magnification - mounting a lens on reverse (with a reverse ring adaptor).

Yeah, I'm still using the D40, though I am long overdue for an upgrade.

More photos:













I mated them (in the fourth picture you can actually see the sperm packet):


----------



## Teal

*Wow, nice shots! Good luck, hope you get a sac  *


----------



## Mvskokee

Agreed those shots are killer


----------



## ReMoVeR

Wow you got me just... wow  amazing macro pictures!!


----------



## Protectyaaaneck

Nice shots of the jumpers.


----------



## Draiman

Thanks guys.


----------



## Draiman

Paradise Tree Snake


----------



## Teal

*THAT is the cutest thing I've seen today! *


----------



## Protectyaaaneck

Sick shots of the snake Gavin!


----------



## micheldied

wow!
magnificent shots!
is he yours?


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> wow!
> magnificent shots!
> is he yours?


Thanks Michel. 

Yep, found him at a park. My first snake!



Protectyaaaneck said:


> Sick shots of the snake Gavin!


Thanks for the kind words 



Teal said:


> *THAT is the cutest thing I've seen today! *


Looks are deceiving  He's pretty feisty and can be extremely nippy and bitey on a bad day!


----------



## micheldied

the first snake i found tried to get away from me everytime i came near...LOL
arent paradise tree snakes pretty hard to find here?
ive only seen a wild one once.

what kinda slings are those?


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> the first snake i found tried to get away from me everytime i came near...LOL
> arent paradise tree snakes pretty hard to find here?
> ive only seen a wild one once.
> 
> what kinda slings are those?


Lol, strangely enough I came across two that day!

_Phlogiellus inermis_ ("Singapore Brown").


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Lol, strangely enough I came across two that day!
> 
> _Phlogiellus inermis_ ("Singapore Brown").


wow thats pretty awesome!
how bout you catch me one.

and congrats on the sac.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> wow thats pretty awesome!
> how bout you catch me one.
> 
> and congrats on the sac.


In exchange for a _Hydrocynus goliath_?


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> In exchange for a _Hydrocynus goliath_?


that would cost me as much as a B smithii would cost here in singapore.;P


----------



## Draiman

Better shots of the babies (the earlier ones were rubbish):


----------



## Dark Raptor

You should upload jumping spiders to gallery in "True spiders" 

I showed your pics taken with reversed lens to my friends, who were complaining that it is not possible to take a good macro without the equipment for a big ammount of $$$$$. You are proving that still the photographer takes the pictures, not the camera...  Damn, this is one of the reasons why I've returned to old, manual lenses


----------



## Draiman

Dark Raptor said:


> You should upload jumping spiders to gallery in "True spiders"
> 
> I showed your pics taken with reversed lens to my friends, who were complaining that it is not possible to take a good macro without the equipment for a big ammount of $$$$$. You are proving that still the photographer takes the pictures, not the camera...  Damn, this is one of the reasons why I've returned to old, manual lenses


Thank you for the compliments - very much appreciated coming from you!


----------



## ErikWestblom

You're really skilled with that camera Gavin


----------



## Draiman

ErikWestblom said:


> You're really skilled with that camera Gavin


Thank you


----------



## Draiman

One spider I will never part with:


----------



## micheldied

i can see why.
very beautiful.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> i can see why.
> very beautiful.


Indeed Michel 

Anyway, this morning I decided to snap my last few photos of this girl before she undertook her long and treacherous journey in a box across the planet to the UK, and I think she was a bit excited about getting a new owner.

The spots on her are (obviously) water droplets, not mites.

Nice and calm...







Umm maybe not:













A little sad about her leaving after being with me for nearly a year but at least I know she's going to a good home.


----------



## Draiman

Even with a $700 SB-900 speedlight I struggle to remotely match the brilliant lighting achieved by some of the other guys on here...

I am finally receiving some new spiders from next week onwards, and I'll try some different things then and hopefully I'll get the results I want.


----------



## Teal

*Sooo lovely!  *


----------



## biomarine2000

That pic of the cambridgei looks pretty close to the real color.  I'm not sure how much brighter and better you can get.  Nice work as always.


----------



## Draiman

biomarine2000 said:


> That pic of the cambridgei looks pretty close to the real color.  I'm not sure how much brighter and better you can get.  Nice work as always.


Thanks 

Nevertheless, Ice Cold Milk, for one, definitely has some very nice light in his photos, and so do you. I've been trying different angles and I can't get it.


----------



## Dinho

You've got very impresive collection.
My congratulationes


----------



## Draiman

Dinho said:


> You've got very impresive collection.
> My congratulationes


Hi there, and thanks 

Although I need to state the fact that I only have two spiders...

0.1 _Poecilotheria formosa_
0.1 _Psalmopoeus cambridgei_

Not impressive at all, actually.


----------



## Draiman

This afternoon I decided to give my _P. formosa_'s enclosure a complete overhaul, and set it vertically instead of horizontally to suit her better. I definitely plan on adding some live plants, but this is it for now; please tell me what you think! You can just about see her butt as she sneaks into her new apartment:







Plus a bonus picture of the lovely lady:


----------



## Mvskokee

Love that close up shot!


----------



## Draiman

Mvskokee said:


> Love that close up shot!


Thanks 

Here is a full-body shot. For some reason I simply cannot capture the bright iridescent purple on her carapace, despite having tried various lighting methods. Under natural light her carapace and femurs literally glow purple. _P. formosa_ is quite possibly the most underrated species of its genus...







I managed to nail it once, at a time when I did not even have my $700 SB-900 speedlight, yet now with all my expensive equipment and fancy diffusers I struggle to match that!


----------



## Draiman

These pictures do not do her any justice.







Almost got bitten here:


----------



## Draiman

Adult female _Poecilotheria formosa_ enclosure:


----------



## Draiman

A very poor video I took tonight while transferring my 7" adult female _P. formosa_ from a holding container into her new, refurbished enclosure:

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6uce24WpMNc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6uce24WpMNc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## Draiman

A pair of jaguars:


----------



## Draiman

I'm definitely getting well accustomed to the lack of comments by now.

Anyway, here is a (supposedly) mated adult female _Ceratogyrus darlingi_. Not the best photo, but it will have to do for now.


----------



## ribonzz

The snake was great! where did you find/buy it?


----------



## Draiman




----------



## EDED

if you think formosa is pretty, i hope you get more pokies and cant wait to see some great pics,,,you should get ornata next!


----------



## Draiman

EDED said:


> if you think formosa is pretty, i hope you get more pokies and cant wait to see some great pics,,,you should get ornata next!


Definitely, I have been looking for rufilata and ornata for ages now, but expendable money is in short supply and I am not in the United States so sellers are hard to come by!


----------



## Draiman

Together with the _C. darlingi_, I also received two _Stromatopelma calceatum_ juveniles and one subadult/adult female _Chilobrachys "burmensis"_ (most likely _C. dyscolus_) today.

She made a mad dash for freedom right after this photo was taken and I nearly lost her!


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Indeed Michel
> 
> Anyway, this morning I decided to snap my last few photos of this girl before she undertook her long and treacherous journey in a box across the planet to the UK, and I think she was a bit excited about getting a new owner.
> 
> The spots on her are (obviously) water droplets, not mites.
> 
> Nice and calm...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Umm maybe not:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A little sad about her leaving after being with me for nearly a year but at least I know she's going to a good home.


is that a p inermis?
i never had one that displayed a threat like that...they just ran for cover.

how do you cover your pokie's enclosure?
im thinking of doing something like that,but materials are tough to find in singapore...or at least where i am.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> is that a p inermis?
> i never had one that displayed a threat like that...they just ran for cover.
> 
> how do you cover your pokie's enclosure?
> im thinking of doing something like that,but materials are tough to find in singapore...or at least where i am.


That's actually an adult female _Selenocosmia samarae_. I hear what you're saying about the inermis - they probably are the most skittish spider I've ever seen! With the exception of mature males and females with eggsacs, I have almost never had one threaten to bite me.

The cover I am using is the one that came with the tank (made of clear hard plastic), it stays put even when vertically oriented. Just to prevent an escape though, I used a tiny bit of tape near the top, to make sure it's secure. There is a large section of the cover which broke off before, and I used that to my advantage by getting wire mesh from my hardware store and made it a permanent fixture by attaching it to the tank cover with aquarium-grade silicone sealant, also from that same store (you can get these anywhere, really). I know there are stories of spiders escaping by biting through wire mesh, but I've been using it for my formosa for at least four or five months and have never had a problem.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> That's actually an adult female _Selenocosmia samarae_. I hear what you're saying about the inermis - they probably are the most skittish spider I've ever seen! With the exception of mature males and females with eggsacs, I have almost never had one threaten to bite me.
> 
> The cover I am using is the one that came with the tank (made of clear hard plastic), it stays put even when vertically oriented. Just to prevent an escape though, I used a tiny bit of tape near the top, to make sure it's secure. There is a large section of the cover which broke off before, and I used that to my advantage by getting wire mesh from my hardware store and made it a permanent fixture by attaching it to the tank cover with aquarium-grade silicone sealant, also from that same store (you can get these anywhere, really). I know there are stories of spiders escaping by biting through wire mesh, but I've been using it for my formosa for at least four or five months and have never had a problem.


oh cool,you sold her?

how do you keep the substrate in at the bottom then?


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> oh cool,you sold her?
> 
> how do you keep the substrate in at the bottom then?


I took a large piece of black plastic board and cut it to the right dimensions and put it between the substrate and the inside of the rim of the tank. The weight of the substrate holds the board right in place, so I didn't even have to use any adhesive. So essentially this plastic board is between the substrate, the rim of the tank and the tank cover (which sits on the _outside_ of the rim of the tank).

I hope that wasn't too confusing lol.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> I took a large piece of black plastic board (not sure what exactly they call it, but they can be found at Popular bookstores and Evergreen stationery stores) and cut it to the right dimensions and put it between the substrate and the inside of the rim of the tank. The weight of the substrate holds the board right in place, so I didn't even have to use any adhesive. So essentially this plastic board is between the substrate, the rim of the tank and the tank cover (which sits on the _outside_ of the rim of the tank).
> 
> I hope that wasn't too confusing lol.


i just figured it out from the pics.LOL
just couldnt tell what it was since it was so dark.
imma try that when i do an arboreal tank!
do you know if every lfs has covers for the tanks?


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> i just figured it out from the pics.LOL
> just couldnt tell what it was since it was so dark.
> imma try that when i do an arboreal tank!
> do you know if every lfs has covers for the tanks?


Not exactly, I've been wanting to get more of these tanks but they're either unavailable or the ones that have them in stock just do not have the covers, which is quite stupid really. I've only tried two shops though lol. You might have better luck at C328, I just haven't gone there to find out because its so far from where I am.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Not exactly, I've been wanting to get more of these tanks but they're either unavailable or the ones that have them in stock just do not have the covers, which is quite stupid really. I've only tried two shops though lol. You might have better luck at C328, I just haven't gone there to find out because its so far from where I am.


im practically next to c328.
they dont have tanks with lids either.:wall:


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> im practically next to c328.
> they dont have tanks with lids either.:wall:


Rofl! Well there's always the expensive ExoTerras and fancy little 2ft tanks which come with a hood and light.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Rofl! Well there's always the expensive ExoTerras and fancy little 2ft tanks which come with a hood and light.


no way...unless i find cheap exoterras.
i can just use storage containers.LOL
they just dont make a nice display.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> no way...unless i find cheap exoterras.
> i can just use storage containers.LOL
> they just dont make a nice display.


I was being sarcastic lol. Yeah indeed, although large-ish kritter keepers can make decent display tanks as well, if done nicely. They definitely lack the "feel" of a big glass display tank though.


----------



## Draiman

_Stromatopelma calceatum_, young juvenile:


----------



## Draiman

This is an old photo I came across while going through my files. Liked it, so here it is.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> I was being sarcastic lol. Yeah indeed, although large-ish kritter keepers can make decent display tanks as well, if done nicely. They definitely lack the "feel" of a big glass display tank though.


the problem with those KKs is that they cant be turned vertically due to the diagonal sides.


----------



## Draiman

Edited

The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 10 characters.


----------



## Draiman

Replying to myself again, and again, and again...

Are my pictures that horrible?


----------



## Draiman

For some of you, those fangs may hurt to even _look_ at...


----------



## <3exoticpets

That is the stuff horror movies are made of!  Nice macro shots- they are quite amazing!


----------



## Ritzman

Very cool shots of the pede man. 
What is going on with eyes of the last macro pic of that T/spider?


----------



## Draiman

<3exoticpets said:


> That is the stuff horror movies are made of!  Nice macro shots- they are quite amazing!


Thanks man, appreciated 



Ritzman said:


> Very cool shots of the pede man.
> What is going on with eyes of the last macro pic of that T/spider?


It's just water; I was misting her enclosure. 

Anyhoo, here's a shot of one of my S. calceatum. I really do think the lighting in my photos is getting worse and worse. It is too direct, too harsh, too artificial - in short, it is horrible. Trying different angles doesn't seem to yield much better results either...


----------



## Protectyaaaneck

I think you have the lighting right, you just need to have a different backdrop.  The white backdrop is a little too bright.  I think if you placed your T's on something a bit darker to take pictures on they would turn out a bit better.


----------



## Mack&Cass

Gavin, I know nothing about camera lighting and such...all I know is if I could take pictures that are half as good as yours, I would be ecstatic. You take fantastic pictures and I love it when you update this thread. It's one of the few I always check when it's updated.

Also, I would like to request some more pictures of your C. darlingi, she's absolutely beautiful. Any chance you could take some shots of her horn? 

Cass


----------



## Draiman

Protectyaaaneck said:


> I think you have the lighting right, you just need to have a different backdrop.  The white backdrop is a little too bright.  I think if you placed your T's on something a bit darker to take pictures on they would turn out a bit better.


In comparison:

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=173095

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=123509&page=15

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=146359&page=15

Look at Kyle's photos, in particular. Stunning soft light, perfectly diffused. I get nowhere near that kind of quality, to be honest.

I think I agree about the white background though, it gets overblown and makes the entire photo look rather blown-out. Still, the light is much harsher than what I'd like to achieve.



Mack&Cass said:


> Gavin, I know nothing about camera lighting and such...all I know is if I could take pictures that are half as good as yours, I would be ecstatic. You take fantastic pictures and I love it when you update this thread. It's one of the few I always check when it's updated.
> 
> Also, I would like to request some more pictures of your C. darlingi, she's absolutely beautiful. Any chance you could take some shots of her horn?
> 
> Cass


Thank you for the kind words 

Sure of course, she's a real joy to photograph. It should be fun looking at her horn through a lens at 4:1 life size!


----------



## VESPidA

+1 for the foveal horn shots.  i love _Ceratogyrus_ sp.  great photos, as always


----------



## Draiman

Here's one for now 













She has a considerable number of _phoretic_ mites around her cheliceral fringes and on the underside of her cephalothorax. Fortunately, these mites are actually not harmful and are simply "hitchhikers", since they only use the spider as a means of transport to get from place to place.


----------



## Draiman

I am having a hard time deciding between the above photo (shot at a custom high-contrast image setting) and this (shot at the _"Portrait"_ setting):


----------



## Tunedbeat

Draiman said:


> Thanks man, appreciated
> 
> 
> It's just water; I was misting her enclosure.
> 
> Anyhoo, here's a shot of one of my S. calceatum. I really do think the lighting in my photos is getting worse and worse. It is too direct, too harsh, too artificial - in short, it is horrible. Trying different angles doesn't seem to yield much better results either...



Your lighting is fine, looks natural enough.  What are you using as diffuser?  I believe Kyle uses a shoot through umbrella.  Distance and size of the diffuser can play a factor, the larger your diffuser, the softer your light.  

And, your S. calceatum photo is not overblown.  In fact, it's a bit underexposed.


----------



## codykrr

great shots gavin!  but is it just me or does the T in that last pic seem to have a mite infestation on its mouthparts?


----------



## Draiman

Tunedbeat said:


> Your lighting is fine, looks natural enough.  What are you using as diffuser?  I believe Kyle uses a shoot through umbrella.  Distance and size of the diffuser can play a factor, the larger your diffuser, the softer your light.


I use a homemade diffuser made of a box, aluminium foil and white paper. It is not extremely large, but I didn't want to construct something so big that I would not be able to use it when out in the field photographing bugs, especially small jumping spiders which would easily be scared away.



Tunedbeat said:


> And, your S. calceatum photo is not overblown.  In fact, it's a bit underexposed.


I haven't looked at the histogram, but just looking at the picture it appears properly exposed to me.  I think my monitor is a tad brighter than most people's screens though.


----------



## Draiman

codykrr said:


> great shots gavin!  but is it just me or does the T in that last pic seem to have a mite infestation on its mouthparts?


Cody,



Draiman said:


> She has a considerable number of phoretic mites around her cheliceral fringes and on the underside of her cephalothorax. Fortunately, these mites are actually not harmful and are simply "hitchhikers", since they only use the spider as a means of transport to get from place to place.


:}


----------



## codykrr

sorry man, missed that post.:wall:


----------



## Draiman

I got up just on time this morning to find one of my centipedes molting. Here are some (poor!) pictures.

About to pop:













Too bad these colors don't last:













All done!







In typical centipede fashion, she ate her exuvium shortly afterward.


----------



## Protectyaaaneck

Cool pics of the pede Gavin.


----------



## skippy

while the pic quality isn't as good as your usual, the fact that you got the pics in the first place is impressive my pede just disappeared when it was time to molt... for a month and a half!


----------



## micheldied

i say your pics are just stunning.
if you think yours are bad,look at mine.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> i say your pics are just stunning.
> if you think yours are bad,look at mine.


That isn't a fair comparison. My photos _are_ bad, considering the equipment I use.


----------



## Draiman

Subadult female _Chilobrachys dyscolus_ in need of a molt:


----------



## skippy

even considering your equipment, they're not bad. i would go so far as to say that they are well above average, actually. 

remember, practice can only make you better so take some more!(i particularly like the pics of random stuff you find outdoors there)


----------



## Draiman

skippy said:


> remember, practice can only make you better so take some more!(i particularly like the pics of random stuff you find outdoors there)


I've been practising for well over _a year_ and have made no remarkable progress; it just shows how poor I am as a photographer.

So I have given up on this lighting fiasco and on trying to compete with everyone. If you like my pictures then good for you


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> I've been practising for well over _a year_ and have made no remarkable progress; it just shows how poor I am as a photographer.
> 
> So I have given up on this lighting fiasco and on trying to compete with everyone. If you like my pictures then good for you


everyone has their own styles.
while you try to improve,stop thinking about others taking better pictures than yourself.
i for one love your pics.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> everyone has their own styles.
> while you try to improve,stop thinking about others taking better pictures than yourself.
> i for one love your pics.


I personally think competitiveness is essential for improvement.

What I'm frustrated about is the fact that I have built three or four different diffusers/softboxes and yet still have not achieved the results I want.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> I personally think competitiveness is essential for improvement.
> 
> What I'm frustrated about is the fact that I have built three or four different diffusers/softboxes and yet still have not achieved the results I want.


while thats true,stop telling yourself youre not a good photographer.
many would be envious of your skills.

keep trying!
oh,and i have those dubias you wanted.


----------



## Draiman

I keep trying and trying and trying, and get pictures like this, which are essentially no improvement from my earlier shots, despite tweaking various things in my set-up. I had to brighten this photo significantly because it was so underexposed. I *consistently* get underexposure with almost all my shots, and the problem has been perpetuated by this new diffuser which gives me softer light but also makes me lose at least one stop of light. I had to take this picture at 1/4 power with my SB900 speedlight - I normally use only up to 1/8. This speaks volumes about the light loss I get with trying to achieve softer lighting. The fact that my D40 has horrible ISO performance only makes things worse; it means I am forced to go no higher than ISO 400. To put all of this in context: I am using Nikon's _best and newest flash_, and these are the results. I am ashamed of myself, to be honest.













I also tried to replicate dimocritus's stunning photo of his centipede, and spectacularly failed. I laugh at myself sometimes.


----------



## Hobo

Draiman said:


> I keep trying and trying and trying, and get pictures like this, which are essentially no improvement from my earlier shots, despite tweaking various things in my set-up. I had to brighten this photo significantly because it was so underexposed. I *consistently* get underexposure with almost all my shots, and the problem has been perpetuated by this new diffuser which gives me softer light but also makes me lose at least one stop of light. I had to take this picture at 1/4 power with my SB900 speedlight - I normally use only up to 1/8. This speaks volumes about the light loss I get with trying to achieve softer lighting. The fact that my D40 has horrible ISO performance only makes things worse; it means I am forced to go no higher than ISO 400. To put all of this in context: I am using Nikon's _best and newest flash_, and these are the results. I am ashamed of myself, to be honest.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I also tried to replicate dimocritus's stunning photo of his centipede, and spectacularly failed. I laugh at myself sometimes.


I have no idea what all that camera mumbo jumbo you just said means, but your pics always look great, no matter how you try to undervalue them!:clap:

If ever you feel like your photos are no good because the diffusor-whats are underexpo-whosits, I welcome you to come browse my photos for a while. You'll feel better in no time!


----------



## Leetplayer

Draiman said:


> I keep trying and trying and trying, and get pictures like this, which are essentially no improvement from my earlier shots, despite tweaking various things in my set-up. I had to brighten this photo significantly because it was so underexposed. I *consistently* get underexposure with almost all my shots, and the problem has been perpetuated by this new diffuser which gives me softer light but also makes me lose at least one stop of light. I had to take this picture at 1/4 power with my SB900 speedlight - I normally use only up to 1/8. This speaks volumes about the light loss I get with trying to achieve softer lighting. The fact that my D40 has horrible ISO performance only makes things worse; it means I am forced to go no higher than ISO 400. To put all of this in context: I am using Nikon's _best and newest flash_, and these are the results. I am ashamed of myself, to be honest.
> 
> I also tried to replicate dimocritus's stunning photo of his centipede, and spectacularly failed. I laugh at myself sometimes.


You might want to try bouncing the flash. It works great for close ups


----------



## Draiman

Hobo said:


> If ever you feel like your photos are no good because the diffusor-whats are underexpo-whosits, I welcome you to come browse my photos for a while. You'll feel better in no time!


Honestly, no I won't, since you don't have the equipment I have, and so there is no basis for comparison. I'm sure if you had the camera gear I have you would easily be churning out pictures like these as well (which are actually extremely ordinary). 



Leetplayer said:


> You might want to try bouncing the flash. It works great for close ups


How do you do it?


----------



## Leetplayer

How do you do it? [/QUOTE]

Not the best but I tried 






1. Normal setup. Harsh light and will create pronounced shadow under the subject

2. With a homemade(cost me almost nothing)diffuser. Light is more even and less shadow under the subject.

3. Bounce off the light with a a4 paper or the ceiling. It will even distribution of light and create very little shadow.

4. Bounce the light off the wall. It will create a shadow on either left or right depends on the direction the light is bounced back.

5. Go shoot some pictures


----------



## Draiman




----------



## Draiman

Replying to myself, as usual...


----------



## Leetplayer

Great shot on the jumper. It is 2:1 ?


----------



## Draiman

Leetplayer said:


> Great shot on the jumper. It is 2:1 ?


Thanks. The last photo was shot at a reproduction ratio of about 2.5:1.


----------



## micheldied

very nice shot of the jumper!
and a beautiful horned baboon.
hope you get some slings!


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> very nice shot of the jumper!
> and a beautiful horned baboon.
> hope you get some slings!


Thanks Michel, you'll be the first to know if I'm successful


----------



## Draiman

Alright guys, I need your input. So here is a photo of a tiger beetle I took today. I looked at it, as well as the ones of the jumping spider posted earlier above, on another PC in my home and literally got the shock of my life. Browns had turned to reds, cyan to dark blue - everything was disgustingly *over*saturated. My problem is, I upload all my photos on a laptop that has a very _under_saturated monitor (and I seem to have no way of calibrating it), and so many of my photos may actually be grossly oversaturated on other people's screens. Can you *PLEASE* post a reply to let me know whether this shot (or any other of mine, for that matter) looks *oversaturated* on your computer monitor? A million thanks in advance 

For instance, the background here is supposed to be *brown*, in various shades, but NOT red. If you see even the _slightest_ hint of red, then it is definitely oversaturated:







I need all the input I can get, so please help me out just this once. Again, thanks in advance.


----------



## skippy

it is slightly rust colored to my eyes, the pic is awesome though


----------



## Draiman

skippy said:


> it is slightly rust colored to my eyes, the pic is awesome though


Thanks Skippy. 

Nobody else even deigns to help me out. Am I so obnoxious that you won't do me this smallest of favors?


----------



## Mack&Cass

It looks pretty brown to me. I don't see any red in the background.

Cass


----------



## JC50

I have not been to AB in a while,but Gavin you have not lost your talent for awesome Photos as far as i am concerned.


----------



## Protectyaaaneck

Awesome photos Gavin. Seriously everytime I check out your thread I'm impressed even more.  Keep up the photography on "non-white" backgrounds. 

p.s.-   I see no red. The colors are just crazy.


----------



## Mvskokee

Wow man. You are taking some seriously good pics man!


----------



## micheldied

i dont see red,but i do see some dark reddish brown on my computer.


----------



## Teal

*Looks rusty on my end, too! An awesome photo, as usual  *


----------



## shakw0n

Wish i had your equipment man.
You`ve got some beautiful pics.
I hope i`ll get myself a better camera soon.
Keep `em coming


----------



## Chaika

Draiman said:


> For instance, the background here is supposed to be *brown*, in various shades, but NOT red. If you see even the _slightest_ hint of red, then it is definitely oversaturated:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I need all the input I can get, so please help me out just this once. Again, thanks in advance.


The backgroung of that looks like a warm brown with a hint of red, definitely not a flat brown if you know what I mean... Hope that helps


----------



## Draiman

Thank you everyone for the invaluable input. The photo is indeed slightly over saturated, which is strange, considering the saturation setting on my camera was set to _Normal_ when the photo was taken. Oh well...

Anyhoo:


----------



## jbm150

Gavin, you are your own worst critic.  I suppose you need to be to keep pushing to become the best photographer that you can be.  But I just want to say I really enjoy your pics and hope you'll be getting more Ts soon.

Personally, I like pics of your animals when they're against a natural backdrop caught in a special moment.  Rather than focus so much on getting lighting and coloration JUST right, work on getting better, artistic angles (like with your jumpers) and unusual action shots.  Your skills as a photographer are formidable, trust in yourself and move on.  Thats my humble suggestion 


Edit:  By the way, that pic of the P. cambridgei and Ceratogyrus together is awesome but freaky.  I'd be terrified they'd lock up and the psalmo would mortally wound the baboon before I could separate 'em!  Took guts to get that shot


----------



## VESPidA

jbm150 said:


> Edit:  By the way, that pic of the P. cambridgei and Ceratogyrus together is awesome but freaky.  I'd be terrified they'd lock up and the psalmo would mortally wound the baboon before I could separate 'em!  Took guts to get that shot


i was wondering that too!  how long were they together?  i never would have risked that...

unless you're just fooling us w/ superimposed images...?


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Thank you everyone for the invaluable input. The photo is indeed slightly over saturated, which is strange, considering the saturation setting on my camera was set to _Normal_ when the photo was taken. Oh well...
> 
> Anyhoo:


beautiful!you got another?


----------



## Draiman

jbm150 said:


> Gavin, you are your own worst critic.  I suppose you need to be to keep pushing to become the best photographer that you can be.  But I just want to say I really enjoy your pics and hope you'll be getting more Ts soon.
> 
> Personally, I like pics of your animals when they're against a natural backdrop caught in a special moment.  Rather than focus so much on getting lighting and coloration JUST right, work on getting better, artistic angles (like with your jumpers) and unusual action shots.  Your skills as a photographer are formidable, trust in yourself and move on.  Thats my humble suggestion


Thank you for the words of encouragement, I really appreciate it 



HokiePokie727 said:


> i was wondering that too!  how long were they together?  i never would have risked that...
> 
> unless you're just fooling us w/ superimposed images...?


I put them together for less than a minute, just for a couple of shots. They never actually came into any physical contact with each other.



micheldied said:


> beautiful!you got another?


Oh no it's the same one. It's going to be difficult to find and collect another one of these, I'm sure. Prior to this I had never even encountered any large Scolopendrid in the wild here before, let alone something as unusual as this. 

I'll go back there sometime and try looking again anyway though.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Oh no it's the same one. It's going to be difficult to find and collect another one of these, I'm sure. Prior to this I had never even encountered any large Scolopendrid in the wild here before, let alone something as unusual as this.
> 
> I'll go back there sometime and try looking again anyway though.



sao it isnt your old female S.S.subsinipes right?
you caught this in the wild here?


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> so it isnt your old female S.S.subsinipes right?
> you caught this in the wild here?


Oh definitely not. That old lady died last year after laying eggs and then eating them 

Yep, an incredible find!


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Oh definitely not. That old lady died last year after laying eggs and then eating them
> 
> Yep, an incredible find!


yeah thats what i was thinking.
if you find another you have my number!
how large is it?


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> yeah thats what i was thinking.
> if you find another you have my number!
> how large is it?


'Bout 6 inches, and I'm not sure if it is even fully grown yet. Can't wait for it to molt!

I'll go back there next week and see if I can find another. This may well be an arboreal centipede though (I found this one on a tree!) so it's not going to be easy. Just makes it even cooler to have one though


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> 'Bout 6 inches, and I'm not sure if it is even fully grown yet. Can't wait for it to molt!
> 
> I'll go back there next week and see if I can find another. This may well be an arboreal centipede though (I found this one on a tree!) so it's not going to be easy. Just makes it even cooler to have one though


wow!thats big!ive never found a pede larger than 4" in singapore.
and arboreal!


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> wow!thats big!ive never found a pede larger than 4" in singapore.
> and arboreal!


Before this one I had never found a pede larger than 2" (those blue-black _Otostigmus/Rhysida_ species)! What was that 4" centipede you found?


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Before this one I had never found a pede larger than 2" (those blue-black _Otostigmus/Rhysida_ species)! What was that 4" centipede you found?


im not sure about the species.
back when i was younger i used to flip bricks around my condo and i would often find them.
theyre pretty much jet black in color,largest i saw was about 4" if i remember right.
i barely see any now a days.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> im not sure about the species.
> back when i was younger i used to flip bricks around my condo and i would often find them.
> theyre pretty much jet black in color,largest i saw was about 4" if i remember right.
> i barely see any now a days.


I haven't seen any of those in a while either, they used to be very common.

Anyway..._Heteropoda venatoria_ (Sparassidae) exuvium:


----------



## Protectyaaaneck

That's crazy looking.


----------



## jbm150

Where'd you get a H. venatoria in Singapore?  We have this species here in Florida, are they widespread?  Or in the hobby over there?

Cool shots, very wicked looking


----------



## Draiman

jbm150 said:


> Where'd you get a H. venatoria in Singapore?  We have this species here in Florida, are they widespread?  Or in the hobby over there?
> 
> Cool shots, very wicked looking


They're native here (along with _H. boiei, H. davidbowie_ etc, although these are more uncommon and found only in the forests) and are everywhere. In fact they are a cosmopolitan species and can be found in most tropical and subtropical areas around the world.

Thanks for the compliment


----------



## skippy

very cool shot


----------



## TiogaWhiteTiger

Nice shot man!


----------



## Draiman

A handling video gone wrong...

I was actually planning to make a(nother) handling video, first of this adult 6" _Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans_, and then of my (probably more venomous!) unidentified 6" _Scolopendra_ sp., but I guess I'll have to put that off for now... Maybe tonight.

20 minutes after the bite, and I'm getting some mild "bone ache" in the wrist, pain in my lymph nodes in my right armpit, plus plenty of swelling and bleeding at the bite site. Nothing out of the ordinary though, pretty much the same effects as I got with the dozen-odd bites I have had from this species. The pain in the lymph nodes is a first though, but I think that's because I was bitten right on top of a large vein in my arm. I had entertained the unsavory prospect of developing a sensitivity to this species' venom before, considering the number of times I have allowed myself to be bitten, but now it's pretty clear I haven't. Nonetheless this guy really dug deep (I watched as he embedded his entire left fang into my skin and flesh)! Watch how I waited for him to let go, but he didn't so I had to look for my pair of tweezers but couldn't find it lol.

Either I am really insensitive to _S. subspinipes mutilans_ venom, or it's simply weak. A bite from my other pede (unidentified, but likely a color variant of _S. subspinipes subspinipes_) would be a lot more "fun"...

[YOUTUBE]<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xdDvm9f2kgQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xdDvm9f2kgQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## ribonzz

She is really healthy and beautiful! like it very much


----------



## Draiman

ribonzz said:


> She is really healthy and beautiful! like it very much


And really, really bitey. Thanks


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> And really, really bitey. Thanks


seems like most subspinipes are.
very cool,and scary at the same time,video.
and nice pic of the molt!


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> seems like most subspinipes are.
> very cool,and scary at the same time,video.
> and nice pic of the molt!


Thanks Michel. Strangely enough the big _S. subspinipes subspinipes_ I had were not bitey at all. In fact, I handled two different individuals of that species (both about 7") and didn't get bitten by either:

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1xfBdrvnDnc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1xfBdrvnDnc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qFxC0IwahTM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qFxC0IwahTM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

It seems the ones with the more potent venom are actually less inclined to bite than the ones with weaker venom.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Thanks Michel. Strangely enough the big _S. subspinipes subspinipes_ I had were not bitey at all. In fact, I handled two different individuals of that species (both about 7") and didn't get bitten by either:
> 
> [YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1xfBdrvnDnc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1xfBdrvnDnc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]
> 
> [YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qFxC0IwahTM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qFxC0IwahTM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]
> 
> It seems the ones with the more potent venom are actually less inclined to bite than the ones with weaker venom.


that seems pretty logical,stronger venom,no need to bite unless its a real threat.
one bite would be enough.
weaker venom,more bitey "just in case".


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> that seems pretty logical,stronger venom,no need to bite unless its a real threat.
> one bite would be enough.
> weaker venom,more bitey "just in case".


Indeed lol. Perhaps like a pretence or a facade the mutilans put up - "pre-emptive biting", if you will. It's not working against me though!


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Indeed lol. Perhaps like a pretence or a facade the mutilans put up - "pre-emptive biting", if you will. It's not working against me though!


LOL,they seem very skittish too!


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> LOL,they seem very skittish too!


Oh yeah, no wonder they have to live in groups - safety in numbers.


----------



## Draiman

Just wanted to show how I house some of my centipedes:













This is a new method I've recently adopted. Previously I always housed subadult or adult centipedes in large kritter keepers, providing plenty of space. It's always good to experiment, so I decided to keep some of my centipedes in these big tall jars, with plenty of substrate for them to tunnel in but much less space to wander around, and others in the big plastic tanks, and see what kind of results I get.


----------



## Draiman

_Chilobrachys dyscolus_ adult female having a superworm for a midnight snack:


----------



## micheldied

nice pics!
do the pedes tunnel a lot in your care?
i gave up giving them deep substrates since mine never burrowed,they mostly hid under things.
but the mutilans i have now never hides.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> nice pics!
> do the pedes tunnel a lot in your care?
> i gave up giving them deep substrates since mine never burrowed,they mostly hid under things.
> but the mutilans i have now never hides.


The one in the pics above used to typically stay in its burrow during the day and only come out at night, but now it seems to stay above ground all the time. I've noticed that subspinipes pedes hardly burrow at all, and when they do they rarely stay underground for long (in comparison to other pedes I have had such as _S. cingulata_, which remained burrowed literally 100% of the time).


----------



## Draiman

In case people were wondering how an idiot like me would look:


----------



## sharpfang

*Cool Pic of yourself!*

Take it Easy Drai - Day - JJ


----------



## *Self_DeFenCe*

What's that snake ?
Julien


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> In case people were wondering how an idiot like me would look:


i thought that snake was bigger.LOL.
what do you feed it?frogs?


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> i thought that snake was bigger.LOL.
> what do you feed it?frogs?


Yeah, the larger bullfrogs as well as those tiny brown ones. I let the snake go where I found it a few days ago though.

Oh and I'm actually not as tan as I look in that picture lol.


----------



## Draiman

Male _Lychas_ sp., maybe _scutilus_:


----------



## Mack&Cass

Very cool scorp! Too bad it's missing its telson. Great photos as usual!
Mackenzie


----------



## micheldied

thats a cool looking native!


----------



## Draiman

Female _Lychas scutilus_ cleaning up after a cricket snack:













_Chaerilus_ something. This one is almost microscopic!


----------



## Draiman




----------



## J.huff23

love the pictures of the jumper.


----------



## crawltech

The green jumper is sweet...nice scorps aswell!


----------



## Draiman




----------



## jbm150

What a nightmare that thing is!  What kind of spider?


----------



## Draiman

jbm150 said:


> What a nightmare that thing is!  What kind of spider?


A ctenid; wandering spider.


----------



## Draiman

_Stromatopelma calceatum_, hours after molting:


----------



## micheldied

very sweet,now how about a brachy for you to take pictures of?


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> very sweet,now how about a brachy for you to take pictures of?


Lol I'll have to pass, running low on funds and am saving up for a couple of particular species.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Lol I'll have to pass, running low on funds and am saving up for a couple of particular species.


aw too bad.
but hey,next time you make an order remember to count me in!


----------



## Draiman




----------



## Mvskokee

You take some sick lookin pics bro.


----------



## sharpfang

*Best Images of...*

Stromatopelma Calceatum, that I have seen so far. TY so much! - Jason


----------



## Draiman

Mvskokee said:


> You take some sick lookin pics bro.





sharpfang said:


> Stromatopelma Calceatum, that I have seen so far. TY so much! - Jason


Nah, you guys flatter me.


----------



## Draiman

Adult female _Hyllus diardi_:


----------



## x Mr Awesome x

Draiman said:


> Adult female _Hyllus diardi_:


I'll be damned


----------



## Draiman

x Mr Awesome x said:


> I'll be damned


Sorry, not familiar with American slang.


----------



## Draiman

I will be selling (well, trying to sell) these at wholesale prices once they molt into second instars. Not that anyone will want them though, but it's worth a shot I suppose...


----------



## Draiman

44 spiderlings.


----------



## Draiman




----------



## micheldied

very sweet shorts gavin!
ever caught any portias(spelling error?) here?


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> very sweet shorts gavin!
> ever caught any portias(spelling error?) here?


Strangely enough, nope. Their spider-hunting strategies are absolutely fascinating and I would love to keep one, but no luck so far. :/


----------



## Fily

Beautiful shot of jumping spider! :O


----------



## Protectyaaaneck

All I have to say is that I'm glad I got a new laptop.  The screen on this thing makes your pictures look brilliant. I love that jumper man, awesome detail.


----------



## Draiman

Protectyaaaneck said:


> All I have to say is that I'm glad I got a new laptop.  The screen on this thing makes your pictures look brilliant. I love that jumper man, awesome detail.


Thanks man 

I hadn't seen my adult female _Ceratogyrus darlingi_ out in a while, and I knew she was long overdue for a molt, so I checked on her and found her looking absolutely stunning. My _Poecilotheria formosa_ is also molting as I type this.

(sorry about the horrible shots)


----------



## Protectyaaaneck

Beautiful c. darlingi.  :drool:


----------



## Draiman

Protectyaaaneck said:


> Beautiful c. darlingi.  :drool:


She's a stunner indeed! Too bad the subadult male I have hasn't matured yet, I really hope to be able to breed these guys.


----------



## micheldied

too bad she wasnt gravid then...or at least didnt give you any eggs.
shes a beauty.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> too bad she wasnt gravid then...or at least didnt give you any eggs.
> shes a beauty.


Yeah. I'm trying to powerfeed the penultimate male to maturity.

Anyway...


----------



## micheldied

wow...beautiful.
best looking arboreals second to singapore blues IMO,but very close.
i need a pokie...


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> wow...beautiful.
> best looking arboreals second to singapore blues IMO,but very close.
> i need a pokie...


Definitely


----------



## x Mr Awesome x

I feel like yours is the most famous formosa on the boards and she looks even more amazing with her new molt. Congrats!


----------



## mario13

very nice shtos. can you tell me pls what camera and what lens do you have?


----------



## Draiman

x Mr Awesome x said:


> I feel like yours is the most famous formosa on the boards and she looks even more amazing with her new molt. Congrats!


Lol, thanks 



mario13 said:


> very nice shtos. can you tell me pls what camera and what lens do you have?


Thanks, I use a Nikon D40 with its 18-55mm kit lens (mounted on reverse for up to 4:1 macro). I also use an SB-900 speedlight off camera (typically on a tripod) and with various light diffusers. I'm still working on the lighting aspect of my photography - I don't think it is soft and even enough.


----------



## mario13

what light diffusers  I'm curious. I have a Canon 350D + Sigma 70-300mm APO DG MACRO and I don't like the shots that I make. Tried different settings but.. 0 result.  can you help?


----------



## Draiman

mario13 said:


> what light diffusers  I'm curious. I have a Canon 350D + Sigma 70-300mm APO DG MACRO and I don't like the shots that I make. Tried different settings but.. 0 result.  can you help?


What is your lighting set-up?


----------



## Draiman

Centipede with a large clutch of freshly laid eggs:


----------



## J.huff23

Very cool!


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Centipede with a large clutch of freshly laid eggs:


very nice!a mutilans?


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> very nice!a mutilans?


Yeah, yellow leg mutilans. I have yet to have a centipede raise a successful clutch for me, so fingers crossed this time. I have always wanted to try and mate the red and yellow colorforms together, but it seems the shops at C328 (Polyart actually) have stopped importing the red form  Have you seen any there recently?


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Yeah, yellow leg mutilans. I have yet to have a centipede raise a successful clutch for me, so fingers crossed this time. I have always wanted to try and mate the red and yellow colorforms together, but it seems the shops at C328 (Polyart actually) have stopped importing the red form  Have you seen any there recently?


they did?i saw the red legs at polyart a week ago i think.
hmmm,maybe you can try the row of fish shops at ang mo kio?
ive always preferred the yellow variety,they seem to be harder to kill.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> they did?i saw the red legs at polyart a week ago i think.
> hmmm,maybe you can try the row of fish shops at ang mo kio?
> ive always preferred the yellow variety,they seem to be harder to kill.


I went there last Sunday and all they had were the yellow ones. Interestingly I have had the opposite experience - the yellow ones have always seemed less hardy. Plus the reds look better and are more in demand 

Maybe I'll pay them another visit tomorrow. AMK is toooo far for a lazy bum like me lol.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> I went there last Sunday and all they had were the yellow ones. Interestingly I have had the opposite experience - the yellow ones have always seemed less hardy. Plus the reds look better and are more in demand
> 
> Maybe I'll pay them another visit tomorrow. AMK is toooo far for a lazy bum like me lol.


really?
hmmm,the red ones i had always succumbed to that disease where they start getting black spots and then die...but i cant remember what its called.
the yellows never died like that,but rather they seemed less communal.
i had more cannibalism issues with the yellows than with the reds.
i kinda prefer the look of the yellows.;P


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> really?
> hmmm,the red ones i had always succumbed to that disease where they start getting black spots and then die...but i cant remember what its called.
> the yellows never died like that,but rather they seemed less communal.
> i had more cannibalism issues with the yellows than with the reds.
> i kinda prefer the look of the yellows.;P


Yeah, but the reds are worth more in Europe :}

That sounds like mycosis, a fungal infection. I've never had that with my pedes since I began keeping them semi-dry with a water dish; never lost a pede to mycosis either, though I did lose a fair few of the yellow legs for no apparent reason at all (as pedes tend to do). Maybe it was just a poor unhealthy batch, since the ones I have bought recently to sell/trade off had a 100% survival rate from the shop to my buyer's doorstep!

I have only observed one instance of cannibalism after dealing with dozens of these pedes, and yeah it was a yellow leg lol (though to be fair, the reds almost always have their fangs clipped). It was clearly a one-off though, and I am still not convinced of the notion that this communal behavior is "conditioned", as some people on here have suggested.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Yeah, but the reds are worth more in Europe :}
> 
> That sounds like mycosis, a fungal infection. I've never had that with my pedes since I began keeping them semi-dry with a water dish; never lost a pede to mycosis either, though I did lose a fair few of the yellow legs for no apparent reason at all (as pedes tend to do). Maybe it was just a poor unhealthy batch, since the ones I have bought recently to sell/trade off had a 100% survival rate from the shop to my buyer's doorstep!
> 
> I have only observed one instance of cannibalism after dealing with dozens of these pedes, and yeah it was a yellow leg lol (though to be fair, the reds almost always have their fangs clipped). It was clearly a one-off though, and I am still not convinced of the notion that this communal behavior is "conditioned", as some people on here have suggested.


ah yes,mycosis thats it.
you may be right,since i always had the reds moist.
i agree that it isnt conditioned.
ive put pedes from many different batches together (but always the same color form),and never had problems.
they gladly accepted their new "friends".
often i watched that,when feeding,they would bite each other.
but they never hung on,they released immediately.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> *often i watched that,when feeding,they would bite each other.
> but they never hung on,they released immediately*.


Yep, this! I've seen this numerous times myself, when they share prey items. It's almost as if they distinguish friend from food.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Yep, this! I've seen this numerous times myself, when they share prey items. It's almost as if they distinguish friend from food.


indeed.
some ive found to be selfish though...grabbing the cricket and then running from everyone else.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> indeed.
> some ive found to be selfish though...grabbing the cricket and then running from everyone else.


Rofl! Just goes to show they all have individual personalities. I have had some that were extremely bitey, some that were the most docile pedes on earth, some that would burrow and come out only at night and some that would sit on the surface all day, everyday.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Rofl! Just goes to show they all have individual personalities. I have had some that were extremely bitey, some that were the most docile pedes on earth, some that would burrow and come out only at night and some that would sit on the surface all day, everyday.


indeed!
most ive kept before would hide under something all day long.
the one i have now is active and always out,never hides.


----------



## mario13

Draiman said:


> What is your lighting set-up?


just the stock lighting :8o


----------



## Draiman

mario13 said:


> just the stock lighting :8o


You may want to try using something like this, except that you put that on your onboard flash obviously.

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm177/Ichthyophile/diffuser.jpg?t=1270914191


----------



## mario13

thanks mate  apreciate your help.. if you want to help me more I'll read your posts. thanks for the advice :worship:


----------



## Draiman

mario13 said:


> thanks mate  apreciate your help.. if you want to help me more I'll read your posts. thanks for the advice :worship:


No problem, there's nothing special about my pictures anyway.


----------



## mario13

you are kiddin' ))) what kind of macro filter can I try?


----------



## Draiman

mario13 said:


> you are kiddin' ))) what kind of macro filter can I try?


I am not 

There are plenty of macro filters on the market. I use a cheap Hoya one but apparently the Raynox one is good:

http://www.bugeyedigital.com/product_main/ray-dcr250.html


----------



## mario13

mate, I'm from Romania and I didn't find anywere...


----------



## Draiman

4" female _Heteroscodra maculata_, the most underrated species in the hobby:


----------



## biomarine2000

Stunning! :clap::clap::clap:


----------



## micheldied

H macs look so awesome.


----------



## ametan

I don't think any other T looks more like it belongs in the Star Wars movies than that one.


----------



## Draiman

biomarine2000 said:


> Stunning! :clap::clap::clap:


Thanks man


----------



## Teal

*Amazing!! Love H macs *


----------



## Arachnoholic420

Wonderful shots bro!!! lovin that H mac.... my one is currently in pre-molt and being camera shy.... awsome pic n collect!! keep em comin bro!!!

peace 
Armando


----------



## Draiman

Today I decided I would take my 5" adult female _Heteroscodra maculata_ out for a bit of fun and make a video of it, but as usual things didn't go as planned (the music obviously doesn't suit the video at all, but I like the song so I thought what the heck):

[YOUTUBE]<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5OykqvRfGy8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5OykqvRfGy8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## micheldied

so jealous...its beautiful.
and man you are daring...


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> so jealous...its beautiful.
> and man you are daring...


Yeah, she is.


----------



## Mvskokee

What a beauty man


----------



## Tunedbeat

Gorgeous H.mac!  

And, I love Placebo.


----------



## Draiman

Tunedbeat said:


> Gorgeous H.mac!
> 
> And, I love Placebo.


Hehe, me too. Thanks!


----------



## Draiman

Anyone up for a guessing game?


----------



## micheldied

your ceratogyrus darlingi?
stunning shot once again.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> your ceratogyrus darlingi?
> stunning shot once again.


Narp, try again


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Narp, try again


chilobrachys?though im betting thats wrong as well.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> chilobrachys?though im betting thats wrong as well.


_Chilobrachys dyscolus_ she is. This species is absolutely stunning post-molt:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/earthtiger2/3643295252/


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> _Chilobrachys dyscolus_ she is. This species is absolutely stunning post-molt:
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/earthtiger2/3643295252/


that was my first guess,but that leg coloration seemed off.
and no wonder,she just molted.


----------



## mario13

hi Draiman, I just ordered a macro filter hope that I will make some bether shots. I find the macro filter that you adviced me but here in Romania is verry expensive  maybe next month I will oder it. but..thanks for the help and awsome shot & specie is the Chilobrachys dyscolus


----------



## Draiman

Day 11, eggs turning into embryos:













Adjusting herself:







The golden brood:


----------



## mario13

wow, awsome!


----------



## micheldied

super sweet!
good luck with the pedelings!


----------



## Draiman

Thanks Michel.

I decided to redo the H. maculata vid, this time using the Halo soundtrack 

[YOUTUBE]<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ddF-CrZu5LI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ddF-CrZu5LI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## micheldied

you should try handling my OBT...
oh,and excellent choice in soundtrack.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> you should try handling my OBT...
> oh,and excellent choice in soundtrack.


I have an old vid of me handling an adult female OBT I had, no big deal lol. If I still have it stored somewhere I'll dig it up and upload.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> I have an old vid of me handling an adult female OBT I had, no big deal lol. If I still have it stored somewhere I'll dig it up and upload.


well,mines no wuss.
it stayed in threat display for over 2 hours just because i moved its container...
then again,it could all be an act right?


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> well,mines no wuss.
> it stayed in threat display for over 2 hours just because i moved its container...
> then again,it could all be an act right?


Invariably, they all calm down once they're out of their enclosure. Last year I had an adult female _Selenocosmia javanensis_ which was absolutely INSANE. *Any* sort of movement or vibration around her tank and she would fly into a threat posture and start biting and striking. I thought to myself, "I don't believe in an unhandleable tarantula" and eventually I took her out and did it. The pics below will tell the story better...

Her fangs are dripping venom in this picture:







Here she got so mad she flipped on her back:


----------



## x Mr Awesome x

You're friggin' nuts dude. My H. maculata scares me worse than anything else in my invert room. In your opinion do they tend to calm down a bit as they mature? Also, I love Halo. Add my tag if you play XBL so we can play! Later.
-ben


----------



## Draiman

x Mr Awesome x said:


> You're friggin' nuts dude. My H. maculata scares me worse than anything else in my invert room. In your opinion do they tend to calm down a bit as they mature? Also, I love Halo. Add my tag if you play XBL so we can play! Later.
> -ben


I got this girl recently as an adult. I have had a few H. mac slings, and none of them was ever aggressive/defensive, though incredibly quick. They definitely slow down as they get older of course. I have yet to see a single threat display from this particular spider, skittish as she is. Personally from what I have seen, I don't think this species is as defensive as its reputation suggests (many other people also seem to have similar experiences with their H. macs - skittish but not really defensive or bitey).

My xbox is down unfortunately, good thing I have Halo on the PC.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Invariably, they all calm down once they're out of their enclosure. Last year I had an adult female _Selenocosmia javanensis_ which was absolutely INSANE. *Any* sort of movement or vibration around her tank and she would fly into a threat posture and start biting and striking. I thought to myself, "I don't believe in an unhandleable tarantula" and eventually I took her out and did it. The pics below will tell the story better...
> 
> Her fangs are dripping venom in this picture:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here she got so mad she flipped on her back:


and you've never been bit?


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> and you've never been bit?


Narp. Wouldn't have been fun if I did, _Selenocosmia_ venom has been documented to kill dogs within hours.


----------



## Draiman




----------



## Mvskokee

Wow sick picture!


----------



## nhaverland413

Draiman said:


> Narp. Wouldn't have been fun if I did, _Selenocosmia_ venom has been documented to kill dogs within hours.


Wow! do you happen to know where I could see that information? (was there a paper or anything?)


----------



## Draiman

nhaverland413 said:


> Wow! do you happen to know where I could see that information? (was there a paper or anything?)


Abstract:

"The aim of this study was to describe the clinical effects of bites by Australian theraphosid spiders in both humans and canines. Cases of spider bite were collected by the authors over the period January 1978–April 2002, either prospectively in a large study of Australian spider bites, or retrospectively from cases reported to the authors. Subjects were included if they had a definite bite and had collected the spider. The spiders were identified by an expert arachnologist to genus and species level where possible. There were nine confirmed bites by spiders of the family Theraphosidae in humans and seven in canines. These included bites by two _Selenocosmia_ spp. and by two _Phlogiellus_ spp. The nine spider bites in humans did not cause major effects. Local pain was the commonest effect, with severe pain in four of seven cases where severity of pain was recorded. Puncture marks or bleeding were the next most common effect. In one case the spider had bitten through the patient's fingernail. Mild systemic effects occurred in one of nine cases. There were seven bites in dogs (_Phlogiellus_ spp. and _Selenocosmia_ spp.), and in two of these the owner was bitten after the dog. *In all seven cases the dog died, and as rapidly as 0.5–2 h after the bite.* This small series of bites by Australian theraphosid spiders gives an indication of the spectrum of toxicity of these spiders in humans."

From: http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...serid=10&md5=c9a6358cd8d50f6e25af9c7304a508fe


----------



## Draiman

_Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans_, Day 18:


----------



## micheldied

sweet.they'll be pedelings in no time.


----------



## Draiman

Day 20. Oh boy they are absolutely adorable.


----------



## Protectyaaaneck

Nice.      How big is she?


----------



## Draiman

Protectyaaaneck said:


> Nice.      How big is she?


Thanks 

She's about 5.5 inches bodylength. It looks like a substantial brood; I think I'll leave some of them in with her and see how they fare. This is a "communal" species after all.


----------



## micheldied

That was fast! Good job!
Let us know how the babies fare with the mom.


----------



## Draiman

One of the babies had fallen off mum, so gently I picked it up and put it on my hand and the clumsy way it tried to move around with its little legs was nothing short of adorable! (I returned it to the mother immediately afterward, of course)







Here she is, eating a piece of beef in her first meal in 3 weeks:


----------



## Draiman

I can't quite decide between that shot above and this:


----------



## TiogaWhiteTiger

Wow! Nice shot man!


----------



## biomarine2000

So cool...........


----------



## micheldied

Sweet! At this stage you could easily mess around with her and the babies will be fine.
I've taken babies from her at this point to observe them, and of course, I put them back.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> Sweet! At this stage you could easily mess around with her and the babies will be fine.
> I've taken babies from her at this point to observe them, and of course, I put them back.


Yeah, I've noticed. For the past week development has been very slow though, they're still at the yellow nymph stage.

Anyway, here's my adult female _Heteroscodra maculata_ out on her nightly stroll:


----------



## Draiman

7.5-inch adult _Scolopendra alternans_ from the Dominican Republic.


----------



## micheldied

God, I'm so envious!


----------



## Terry D

*Killer thread*



Draiman said:


> 7.5-inch adult _Scolopendra alternans_ from the Dominican Republic.


Gavin, Been looking at the thread on and off since last Nov. and will have to agree that no one has OUTdone you yet- :clap:. Amazing photos. I should've had my little sister find me a a few Scolopendra when she was in DR awhile back........yeah, like that was gonna happen..... 

Terry


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> God, I'm so envious!


Hehe 



Terry D said:


> Gavin, Been looking at the thread on and off since last Nov. and will have to agree that no one has OUTdone you yet- :clap:. Amazing photos. I should've had my little sister find me a a few Scolopendra when she was in DR awhile back........yeah, like that was gonna happen.....
> 
> Terry


Thanks for the kind words Terry, appreciated!


----------



## Teal

*HOW did I miss those pede pics? Holy crap those plings are cuuuuuute!! *


----------



## Draiman

Teal said:


> *HOW did I miss those pede pics? Holy crap those plings are cuuuuuute!! *


Thanks Teal 

They're beginning to disperse now:







Scolopendra alternans:







Handling:

[YOUTUBE]<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/huHjmKYbZ5k&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/huHjmKYbZ5k&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## mario13

wow awsome  the vid is WOW!


----------



## Draiman




----------



## micheldied

So sweet. :drool:


----------



## Draiman

Scorpion mother with 1st instar scorplings in the wild (sorry for the poor photo, I didn't have my SB900 speedlight with me so this was taken with the onboard flash):







I found an entire communal group of these scorpions under a pile of rock slabs, at least 20 individuals of various ages and sizes.


----------



## Teal

*That scorp shot is awesome! The babies look so funny at that size lol

*


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Scorpion mother with 1st instar scorplings in the wild (sorry for the poor photo, I didn't have my SB900 speedlight with me so this was taken with the onboard flash):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I found an entire communal group of these scorpions under a pile of rock slabs, at least 20 individuals of various ages and sizes.


Nice to see more local fauna!
Which species is that?


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> Nice to see more local fauna!
> Which species is that?


_Liocheles_ sp., most likely _L. australasiae_. Unfortunately I couldn't find any centipedes. I literally flipped every rock and every log, dug through leaf litter and soil and even the rotting bark inside fallen logs, and didn't find a single centipede (apart from a very large and very fast Scutigeromorph and a nice yellow Geophilomorph). I did come across plenty of HUGE wingless spiny cockroaches though. They were quite attractive, with red patterning on the thorax; too bad I didn't have containers large enough to collect them.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> _Liocheles_ sp., most likely _L. australasiae_. Unfortunately I couldn't find any centipedes. I literally flipped every rock and every log, dug through leaf litter and soil and even the rotting bark inside fallen logs, and didn't find a single centipede. I did come across plenty of HUGE wingless spiny cockroaches though. They were quite attractive, with red patterning on the thorax; too bad I didn't have containers large enough to collect them.


Nice, I've rarely found any roach a part from the Surinam roaches, which are tiny.
I'll see what I find on Friday evening, plus I'll set traps and check em the next day.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> Nice, I've rarely found any roach a part from the Surinam roaches, which are tiny.
> I'll see what I find on Friday evening, plus I'll set traps and check em the next day.


Traps are a nice idea! How do you set them up?


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Traps are a nice idea! How do you set them up?


I'm thinking just pitfall traps, container in the ground.
It'll only work for inverts that can't climb plastic, of course.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> I'm thinking just pitfall traps, container in the ground.
> It'll only work for inverts that can't climb plastic, of course.


Hehe keep me posted on that - definitely something I'm planning to try.


----------



## Draiman

A little "tribute" of sorts for my lovely female _Poecilotheria formosa_ - I acquired this spider in May 2009 and one year and two molts later, she's beautiful as ever. Here she is making a rare public appearance - she tends to come out and sit proudly on her cork bark only on cool rainy nights.


----------



## micheldied

Will do, and she's looking great!


----------



## Draiman

Adult female _Psalmopoeus cambridgei_ - by far the greenest spider I have:







Michel, let me know if you want her :}


----------



## jbm150

Such an underrated beauty, she looks to be in great shape.  Nice shot Gavin, I wish I had that kind of courage


----------



## micheldied

Oh yes I do... 
She's beautiful!
I love the psalmopoeus genus.


----------



## Draiman

_Ceratogyrus darlingi_ female, plagued by a bunch of pesky mites.


----------



## micheldied

Those damn mites!
My big mutilans has its first and second tergites covered by them.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> Those damn mites!
> My big mutilans has its first and second tergites covered by them.


Yeah, they are very annoying, both from my (aesthetic) perspective and the spider's perspective. Good thing they aren't parasitic though.


----------



## Draiman

Juvenile female _Stromatopelma calceatum_, premolt:


----------



## TiogaWhiteTiger

crushing darlingi ;]


----------



## x Mr Awesome x

Hey Draiman. I've always thought your pic thread is awesome and it sounds like you're feeling under appreciated. So here it is: I love your pics. I also love your animals. I love your videos especially when you're getting fanged by one of your pedes! There you go. You're welcome. I'd appreciate it if you'd check out this video of my centipede and let me know what you think! By the way I've also subscribed to your youtube page. Later!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rxsMKQcdHE

-ben


----------



## Draiman




----------



## Draiman

I really have lost touch with my photography.


----------



## Draiman

Adult female _Lampropelma violaceopes_, three days post-molt:


----------



## kovsejr

wow! i really can't stop watching over and over your pictures! You truly have some amazing photography skills!
:worship::worship:


----------



## micheldied

I hope my baby blue turns out like that. WOW.


----------



## Draiman

kovsejr said:


> wow! i really can't stop watching over and over your pictures! You truly have some amazing photography skills!
> :worship::worship:


Lol, thanks 

Having said that, there are a _LOT_ of people on here with much better photos than me 



micheldied said:


> I hope my baby blue turns out like that. WOW.


The camera flash completely ruined her colors - she's an incredible blue-violet all over, even on the fringes of her carapace. I'll get some better shots tonight


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> The camera flash completely ruined her colors - she's an incredible blue-violet all over, even on the fringes of her carapace. I'll get some better shots tonight


Yeah I know right.
Even my 3-4 incher is pretty blue all over its abdomen. Hoping it's a female...


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> Yeah I know right.
> Even my 3-4 incher is pretty blue all over its abdomen. Hoping it's a female...


I hope so too! Meanwhile I have a mature male coming this week or the next, for my freshly molted lady. I'm seriously hoping to get a captive breeding project running; to be honest I want nothing more than to be able to see this species in the wild here again.

Oh and also, alternans eggs looking good. Not sure when exactly she laid them but I think it's day 7 or 8 at least now.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> I hope so too! Meanwhile I have a mature male coming this week or the next, for my freshly molted lady. I'm seriously hoping to get a captive breeding project running; to be honest I want nothing more than to be able to see this species in the wild here again.
> 
> Oh and also, alternans eggs looking good. Not sure when exactly she laid them but I think it's day 7 or 8 at least now.


I too would like to see that.

And the alternans.... Wow.


----------



## Draiman

Here's a lovely spider and a very underrated species. This big girl comes out of her hide to wander her enclosure EVERY night - yet people say these are reclusive? In comparison I see my _P. formosa_ adult female less than 10 times a year.


----------



## crawltech

Ya, i here ya man.....ive always moticed my H.macs out 'n about....chillin in various spots around the enclosure.....only to hide out near the last bit of premolt......one of my faves fo sure!......and yours is lookin great, and very comfortable might i add


----------



## VinceG

Love the shot of the H.Mac! Really nice specimen!


----------



## micheldied

You only see your pokie ten times a year???
How did you get all those shots then.


----------



## Draiman

crawltech said:


> Ya, i here ya man.....ive always moticed my H.macs out 'n about....chillin in various spots around the enclosure.....only to hide out near the last bit of premolt......one of my faves fo sure!......and yours is lookin great, and very comfortable might i add





Vince89 said:


> Love the shot of the H.Mac! Really nice specimen!


Thanks guys 



micheldied said:


> You only see your pokie ten times a year???
> How did you get all those shots then.


Almost every single time I get pictures of her I have to get her out of her hide. Technically though I see her every day because of the way her enclosure is set up, but she emerges from her hide less than once a month, and mostly on cool rainy nights. So if not for her hide being right beside the glass I would hardly ever see her. To put this in context, my Ornithoctoninae sp. "Borneo Orange Fringe", an obligate burrower, comes out of her burrow about every other night. So yeah, my formosa is the biggest pet hole ever.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Almost every single time I get pictures of her I have to get her out of her hide. Technically though I see her every day because of the way her enclosure is set up, but she emerges from her hide less than once a month, and mostly on cool rainy nights. So if not for her hide being right beside the glass I would hardly ever see her. To put this in context, my Ornithoctoninae sp. "Borneo Orange Fringe", an obligate burrower, comes out of her burrow about every other night. So yeah, my formosa is the biggest pet hole ever.


LOL at least she doesn't web til you can't see her.
She's a beauty, it'd be a waste.
My H. Lividum's burrow is right against the plastic, but she webbed it up so much I can only see her shadow...
And the P. Inermis are rarely ever visible.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> LOL at least she doesn't web til you can't see her.
> She's a beauty, it'd be a waste.
> My H. Lividum's burrow is right against the plastic, but she webbed it up so much I can only see her shadow...
> And the P. Inermis are rarely ever visible.


Lmao _P. inermis_ are surely the lamest tarantulas ever, I don't even bother keeping them anymore. They're literally everywhere, under every log and rock, at any and every place that has logs and rocks. Makes me wonder if they could have displaced other terrestrial species that used to be present (such as _Coremiocnemis valida_; according to Abraham's description paper for _L. violaceopes_ from 1924 one female was collected from the Singapore Botanic Gardens).


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Lmao _P. inermis_ are surely the lamest tarantulas ever, I don't even bother keeping them anymore. They're literally everywhere, under every log and rock, at any and every place that has logs and rocks. Makes me wonder if they could have displaced other terrestrial species that used to be present (such as _Coremiocnemis valida_; according to Abraham's description paper for _L. violaceopes_ from 1924 one female was collected from the Singapore Botanic Gardens).


Yeah they are.
But them being so small and un-dieable, they're pretty cool, or at least different.
I was actually wondering the same thing.


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> Yeah they are.
> But them being so small and un-dieable, they're pretty cool, or at least different.
> I was actually wondering the same thing.


Yeah, and they are so prolific. I have found females with eggsacs or abandoned, fertile eggsacs in the wild at least 3 or 4 times.


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Yeah, and they are so prolific. I have found females with eggsacs or abandoned, fertile eggsacs in the wild at least 3 or 4 times.


Yeah... First time I found one, years ago, it was a HUGE female with a huge eggsac.
Just several days later, another one.


----------



## Draiman

Adult female _Lampropelma violaceopes_:


----------



## micheldied

Nice.
I just found my recently escaped juvi. Thank god!


----------



## NevularScorpion

Draiman said:


> Here's a lovely spider and a very underrated species. This big girl comes out of her hide to wander her enclosure EVERY night - yet people say these are reclusive? In comparison I see my _P. formosa_ adult female less than 10 times a year.


that is one beautiful H mac how big is it ?


----------



## Draiman

micheldied said:


> Nice.
> I just found my recently escaped juvi. Thank god!


Wow, indeed. How big is it now?



NevularScorpion said:


> that is one beautiful H mac how big is it ?


About 5 inches. She molted a few days ago and is looking absolutely stunning now - I'll see if I can get some pics tonight.


----------



## opticle

great looking maculata mate theres something about that species which sets it apart from all the others, probably one of the nicest looking sp. in my opinion


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Wow, indeed. How big is it now?


Just about 3.5 inches.
Mostly legs though.:}


----------



## Draiman

grsougjsuiohrjshiosrjmyrsh


----------



## Draiman

Subadult female Ornithoctoninae sp. "Borneo Orange Fringe", 24 hours post-molt:


----------



## TiogaWhiteTiger

It is amazing ;]


----------



## Dangergirl

Draiman said:


> Adult female _Lampropelma violaceopes_, three days post-molt:


Your T looks so serious ...
Beautiful photos, always a pleasure to visit your thread !!


----------



## BCscorp

NICE!
:clap:


----------



## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Subadult female Ornithoctoninae sp. "Borneo Orange Fringe", 24 hours post-molt:


A beauty!:worship:


----------



## Motorkar

Drainman as always, these are some amazing shots!:clap:


----------



## Draiman

Subadult female _C. schioedtei_:


----------



## rd_07

Draiman said:


> Subadult female Ornithoctoninae sp. "Borneo Orange Fringe", 24 hours post-molt:


wow! didnt know they'd get this look!


----------



## Draiman

1080p HD video, shot on my Nikon D7000 with 50mm f/1.8:

[YOUTUBE]TM-bAqmBOg8[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## becks0303

*nice pics*

Hey Draiman great pics!

Im a fellow Singaporean, also interested in T's, but only have P.inermis. Was wondering how to get the other local species like brown C validus , and the Lampropelma violaceopes.

My p. inermis is really quick and jittery, retreating to the burrows very quickly.


David


----------



## nhaverland413

You have the most awesome gear and an incredibly enviable collection! Your _C. shioedtei_ vid made my day! (my very favorite species)

Keep 'em coming!


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## micheldied

Great looking girls.


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## Draiman

nhaverland413 said:


> You have the most awesome gear and an incredibly enviable collection! Your _C. shioedtei_ vid made my day! (my very favorite species)
> 
> Keep 'em coming!


Thanks for the comments!


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## Draiman

She is very close to a molt now.


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## biomarine2000

I never get tired of looking at your pictures. Nice and clean as usual.


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## Royal_T's

Awesome pics and videos. I especially like the L.V. on your wrist...  How big is she now?  Mine is 7.5 inches and I'm curious if anyone has one over 9 inches.


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## Draiman

[YOUTUBE]Q8fAqNnkqEY[/YOUTUBE]


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## Draiman

_Heteroscodra maculata_


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## biomarine2000

Wow!  What lens did you use to get that shot?


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## Draiman

biomarine2000 said:


> Wow!  What lens did you use to get that shot?


Lol, as usual - my 18-55mm kit lens and a Hoya macro filter.

A few new pictures:

_Poecilotheria regalis_







_Stromatopelma calceatum_







_Cyriopagopus schioedtei_ - a big, big girl


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## micheldied

Superb!

I wonder though, is that P. Regalis a male or a female?

Looks to be much bigger than mine is, but mine seems to already have more color.


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## Draiman

micheldied said:


> Superb!
> 
> I wonder though, is that P. Regalis a male or a female?
> 
> Looks to be much bigger than mine is, but mine seems to already have more color.


I have no idea lol, it's only about 2". Here's something you won't believe - it's already 2 years old! I got it together with a bunch of its siblings as tiny second instars in March 2009 and while I've sold some of the rest and even got a mature male from those, this little one has hardly grown. They were all kept in the same conditions too.


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## micheldied

Draiman said:


> I have no idea lol, it's only about 2". Here's something you won't believe - it's already 2 years old! I got it together with a bunch of its siblings as tiny second instars in March 2009 and while I've sold some of the rest and even got a mature male from those, this little one has hardly grown. They were all kept in the same conditions too.


WOW it doesn't look 2" in your picture.

LOL interesting, it's a runt.;P


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## Draiman

_L. nigerrimum_, 2nd instar:


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## Protectyaaaneck

Sweet!  Please don't tell me you only got one.


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## Motorkar

Where you've been man? Missed your photos.


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## Draiman

Protectyaaaneck said:


> Sweet!  Please don't tell me you only got one.


Lol, definitely not. I initially ordered four but two arrived dead, and then I simply ordered three more.


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## mcluskyisms

Nice pics as always Gavin. I might have to get me one of those macro filters!!! :}


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## Draiman

Cheers for the comments everyone. Here's a better version of the same picture after a few adjustments:


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## Draiman




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## Draiman




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## Draiman

Adult female _Poecilotheria rufilata_:













Adult female _Cyriopagopus schioedtei_:


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## micheldied

That P. Rufilata is to die for. :drool:


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## x Mr Awesome x

Good job man! These are some amazing pics!


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## biomarine2000

Your lighting in your pictures looks perfect.  The bottom picture of the Cyriopagopus schioedtei is absolutely awesome!


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## Draiman

[YOUTUBE]10OD1Fo25wU[/YOUTUBE]

Juvenile female _Poecilotheria subfusca_ "lowland":



















Recently molted adult female _Poecilotheria rufilata_:


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## micheldied

Very nice, Gavin. Unbelievable pictures.


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## Draiman

micheldied said:


> Very nice, Gavin. Unbelievable pictures.


Cheers mate! I still have a young female P. miranda I have yet to take pictures of. Maybe this weekend


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## micheldied

Draiman said:


> Cheers mate! I still have a young female P. miranda I have yet to take pictures of. Maybe this weekend


Maybe I should have given you my male...:wall:


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## Draiman

Juvie female _P. miranda_ with a mite problem:


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## Draiman

A certain Hexathelid


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## Draiman




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## Draiman

Juvenile female _Poecilotheria subfusca_ (lowland)







Just a little extra:

[YOUTUBE]bw8qGIZghG0[/YOUTUBE]


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## synyster

Draiman said:


>


No way! The picture and Hmac are wicked! 

And I salute your cobalt blue balls cause just seeing the fangs out like that makes me nervous for ya ;P

Amazing pics as always Gavin:worship:


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## Draiman

synyster said:


> No way! The picture and Hmac are wicked!
> 
> And I salute your cobalt blue balls cause just seeing the fangs out like that makes me nervous for ya ;P
> 
> Amazing pics as always Gavin:worship:


Thanks dude 

A couple of enclosure shots

Scolopendra hardwickei:







Cyriopagopus schioedtei:


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## Draiman

_T. apophysis_


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## angrychair

wow your pictures are AWESOME


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## micheldied

Definitely agree, simply marvelous.

Do you use live plants in your setups(which, by the way, are magnificent)?


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## Hendersoniana

Amazing photos daiman! Real life doesnt do justice to your photos... :?:}


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## Motorkar

Great pics as always man ! H. maculata, P. miranda and P. subfusca are just stunning !


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## Draiman

Thanks guys. 

Michel: yep, live low-requirement plants.


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## Draiman




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## Hendersoniana

oh my! So beautiful, what species is that?! Btw, she ate an adult male S Lateralis .


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## Draiman

---------- Post added 11-04-2011 at 10:44 PM ----------




Hendersoniana said:


> oh my! So beautiful, what species is that?! Btw, she ate an adult male S Lateralis .


Poecilotheria subfusca "lowland"


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## Draiman




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## Draiman

Last one:


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## advan

Beautiful spiders and photos as always! Keep them coming.


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## jbm150

Wow those are some great shots of a gorgeous schioedtei!


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## Crysta

draiman draiman draiman...stunning photos, beautiful spiders! gah!


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## Draiman

Cheers guys!


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## Motorkar

Great pics as always, keep them comming !


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