Widow Spider

I would definitely say Male Brown Widow. That being said from what I've read up on it's just Brown Widow there isn't a Southern/Northern tag onto it like traditional widows. Keep in mind that they will cohabitate with regular Black Widows in the same web so keep an eye out in your home.

I agree with Sharon that it's a male black widow spider. I don't know which, though - northern or southern. As for being exotic, it is not. Black widows are very much natives and are found in a lot of different states. Also, this one was being defensive and not aggressive, and it was because you got into his space. While you knew you were harmless and just taking a photo, this little dude saw a giant moving toward him and got scared. I would generally expect a spider to run in this case but perhaps he felt he had nowhere to go. Last thing - he's totally harmless. Male widow spiders are of no concern to humans or pets, as it's only the female's bite that is medically significant.

Pretty spider. I am, in no way, a spider expert, so I would get a second opinion, but it does look remarkably like a male Northern Black Widow.