>>4119694captured
>>4119650 on a 100mm 2.8 so similar type lens
it can sometimes come down to luck
getting a shot in focus isn't easy. that shot in particular i caught because i accidentally walked into a web while hiking and one end of the web was stuck to my shoulder. spider just happened to start crawling toward me on the web that was stuck on me so snapped a bunch of shots and maybe 3 were in focus, and this was by far the best composition
buy or build a diffuser for the flash for softer shadows. i use some thick paper and a piece of plastic myself. can never have enough light, and soft light is good light