Sunday, July 9, 2017

Color combinations

I've continued to photograph spider web strands in our backyard.  I'm so taken by this phenomenon and the amazing color combinations, it's hard not to take a few photos when the conditions are right.  It's especially nice in the early morning, when the light is interesting and the air is calm (and the spider webs are still).

These are my favorites from the past two days, although it's hard to choose.  See what you think:

 


 


 


 



The pictures above show highlights on single strands, but sometimes several strands are lit up at once:

 


 


And here's one series that shows the same two highlighted areas, just in slightly different positions along the strands:

 


 

 

Whenever I look at these colors, I just shake my head in disbelief.  The diversity and beauty is astounding.

With many thanks to the spiders and the sun, for creating such colorful works of art!

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6 comments:

  1. John W. WallJuly 10, 2017 at 9:34 AM

    Excellent.

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  2. HollisJuly 10, 2017 at 10:04 AM

    Delightful and captivating! Saw a documentary (Attenborough's The Hunt) featuring a tiny spider which throws its silk across a river and was struck by how sections of the strands looked like a slender rainbow reaching across. Now know that it wasn't simply a trick of the light but something inherent in the silk itself. Thanks for this wonderful observation!

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  3. Jackie SonesJuly 10, 2017 at 12:10 PM

    Hi, John and Hollis!

    Thanks so much. This weekend we noticed a strand of spider silk shining in the sun across our kitchen window. Leaning in, we could see some of the wonderful colors. I'm somewhat embarrassed that I haven't looked more closely before this, but I'm so glad to have found out. And now I'm curious about what other combinations are out there and if we can learn anything about what causes these colors by looking at and capturing more examples.

    It's also fun to play an association game with the images -- what do the different color combinations make you think of?

    :) J.

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  4. John W. WallJuly 10, 2017 at 1:54 PM

    They make me think of Pippi Longstocking's socks. :)

    Just came across this today. Why spiders don't spin around when they drop through the air on a silk strand: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170707133813.htm

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  5. Jackie SonesJuly 10, 2017 at 2:58 PM

    I've had a few interesting things come up when looking at the color combinations.

    One time I started thinking about sounds. What if the colors were sounds -- what would the strands of silk sound like?

    Another time they made me think of food, and I thought about how delicious they looked. Like how much I love summer peaches, or berry pies!

    I've also been prone to thinking about seasons or habitats, e.g., what time of year does this combination of colors remind me of? This morning I photographed some that seemed just like summer.

    :) Jackie

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  6. Annaliese HettingerJuly 18, 2017 at 10:17 AM

    I love this: what would the strands of silk sound like?! What a beautiful thought. Have you seen this: http://djspooky.com/heart-of-a-forest/? Wonderful!!

    This too: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/09/this-is-the-sound-of-a-forest-changing/499802/

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