Let's Salute the Amphibians! My Green Tree Frog to start off!

[Ray Wilhite]

I hesitate to post this as the photos I have seen around here are absolutely amazing, but here is a shot I took several years ago with a Konica-Minolta Dimage A2 outside in my back yard. nothing fancy just the macro setting and flash.
Ray

Ray Wilhite: Green Tree Frog​

 

[Ray Wilhite]

Thanks, Asher!

 

[Don Cohen]

Good detail and color, Ray.

Was this taken at night? If not, what were your exposure settings? I have mixed feelings about the totally black background, and wonder if there some way to shoot this to get some light back there, to at least see what that might look like. Sometimes it's helpful to take a given shot in a variety of ways and then choose later on which you prefer.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Ray Wilhite]

Don,
Thanks for the compliment. While I can't remember if it was dark or not, the time stamp says it was taken at 6:26 AM on May 11, 2004. Settings were: Shutter Speed: 1/800 sec, F/11, ISO 100. I took it without the benefit of a tripod, so the flash was a necessity for me in this case. I agree that some variations with a lighter background would be nice.
Ray

 

[Tom Robbins]

Ray, sweet composition and color! The drops of water provide a clue to the very small size of your Tree Frog.

Bullfrog and Leaves​

Almost trashed this shot when viewing that day's efforts a couple years ago, but didn't. Eventually the thing began to appeal to me. Usually things work the other way around.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Good detail and color, Ray.

Was this taken at night? If not, what were your exposure settings? I have mixed feelings about the totally black background, and wonder if there some way to shoot this to get some light back there, to at least see what that might look like. Sometimes it's helpful to take a given shot in a variety of ways and then choose later on which you prefer.

Thanks for sharing.

Don,

My guess is that with todays highlight-shadow recovery tools, more could be done to prepare the image. There's likely just enough additional detail in the b.g. to make a nice print!

 

[Don Cohen]

Don,
Thanks for the compliment. While I can't remember if it was dark or not, the time stamp says it was taken at 6:26 AM on May 11, 2004. Settings were: Shutter Speed: 1/800 sec, F/11, ISO 100. I took it without the benefit of a tripod, so the flash was a necessity for me in this case. I agree that some variations with a lighter background would be nice.
Ray

Given those settings, you would need a lot of ambient light for the exposure, so this was most likely almost 100% from the flash, so the background would be pretty dark. If you wanted to play around, you could raise the ISO and drop the shutter speed a few stops each to given more background/ambient light, without sacrificing the depth of field and sharpness of the subject.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Tom,

Your picture shows the importance of the covering of the leafy floor of woodlands as the ecological home of most amphibians and this is destroyed and thus, a large number of species are threatened with extinction in the next 30 years! That and a fungus world wide!

 

[Don Cohen]

Don,

My guess is that with todays highlight-shadow recovery tools, more could be done to prepare the image. There's likely just enough additional detail in the b.g. to make a nice print!

For many/most shots I would agree, but I suspect that background is pitch black with little retained detail. ISO 100, f/11 and 1/800 second - that requires quite a lot of light, and I doubt that there was much at the time that shot was taken.

 

[Ray Wilhite]

Frog pics

Tom,
Nice shot! Thanks for sharing it.

Asher and Don,
I wasn't even thinking about composition back when that pic was taken. I was thinking "OOOh neat, a tree frog!" I appreciate the suggestions and I will try to incorporate those into future efforts. If I have learned one thing about photography, there is no such thing as too much good advice! So thanks for taking the time.
Ray

 

[Ray Wilhite]

Bronze frog

Here is a male Bronze Frog I shot around the same time as the tree frog. I like the reflection in the pond. Any input on how to have made this one better is also appreciated.
Thanks,
Ray

 

[Don Cohen]

I really like the pose on this shot, Ray, and agree that the reflection is pretty cool. Perhaps changing your angle slightly would show more of the reflection. Composition-wise, it's pretty 'tight' - consider showing a bit more of its environment (although sometimes that may bring in distracting or unwelcome elements).

Exposure-wise it looks pretty good, with the main detraction here being the flash. It really lights up the frog, with the background being pretty dark. For this shot, you might play with Shadows/Highlights tool to even out the exposure.

When you take a shot like this, you might try to diffuse the flash if possible (e.g. with the use of a Stofen Omnibounce), or even try an off-shoe cord, to get the flash off the camera, use a reflector, etc.

I've even seen some set-ups where 2 flashes are mounted off-camera on a bracket, creating a kind of portable studio, but that can get pretty cumbersome (and a bit expensive).

 

[Don Cohen]

Well, if we're posting amphibian shots, I'll join in with one of my favorites - the Red-eyed Tree Frog, shot in Costa Rica several years back. These are generally nocturnal, and our guide captured one during the evening, kept it safe and moist overnight, and then we posed it on some of the local vegetation.

Canon 1D Mark II, 100/f2.8 Macro Lens
ISO 200, f/16, 1/250 second (Manual Metering)
Canon 550EX Flash with Stofen Omnibounce at 0 FEC

​

 

[Asher Kelman]

Don,

These last two pictures are lit so differently. One is dark and moody and yours is clean and even. Now don't we need something a little n between so we get some oblique light too giving some texture and more shading.

Or am I influenced too much by portrait photography?

Asher

 

[Ray Wilhite]

Don,
That Red-Eyed Tree frog rocks! Unfortunately, I have never been out of North America, but shots like that make me want to go badly.
Thanks for the suggestions. Here's one, it's a Ground Skink, so not an amphibian but you can see that the background was king in this shot. It was taken with an old Kodak 3MP camera (I can't even remember the model) and was one of my first digital photographs. Anyway, I suspect this is too much background.
Ray

 

[Don Cohen]

Don,

These last two pictures are lit so differently. One is dark and moody and yours is clean and even. Now don't we need something a little n between so we get some oblique light too giving some texture and more shading.

Or am I influenced too much by portrait photography?

Asher

I think your observations are right on the money, Asher. Ray's were in fairly dark conditions, shot with a single, direct undiffused flash, mine in daylight, mid morning, but not early enough. Generally, shooting at the "magic" hours of dusk and dawn, where you have nice warm, directional light to provide even light and pleasing shadows, will give you appealing shots.

 

[Don Cohen]

Don,
That Red-Eyed Tree frog rocks! Unfortunately, I have never been out of North America, but shots like that make me want to go badly.
Thanks for the suggestions. Here's one, it's a Ground Skink, so not an amphibian but you can see that the background was king in this shot. It was taken with an old Kodak 3MP camera (I can't even remember the model) and was one of my first digital photographs. Anyway, I suspect this is too much background.
Ray

Thanks - you should join me in Costa Rica!! Awesome place to shoot. I've been leading workshops there for the last several years. See my signature below - the next trip is at the end of February.

I like this shot - the tones and textures I find very appealing. Regarding composition, I actually like having so much of the background, since it definitely adds to the appeal of the photo. I might crop a little from the left side, so that the skink is centered from left to right, but still leaving a little space on the bottom, in "front" of him.

Another option would be to rotate the crop so that the skink is on more of a diagonal, from upper right toward lower left, again leaving space in front, and including as much of the background as you could.

But here, the background definitely works, as it puts us in the skink's world, and you can appreciate its camouflage.


This thread got me thinking about a shot I took a long time ago - when I first started doing any kind of photography. This bullfrog was taken when I was in Graduate School, in Massachusetts, and probably around 1974. I found this bullfrog at the end of the water, and crept in closer and closer, taking shots as I went.

This was with a film camera - Canon FTb, with the Vivitar 70-210 zoom lens, using Kodachrome, and who knows what settings! I had very little idea of what I was doing back then, but did get lucky every once in a while.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Tom, Don and Ray,

You are helping build a superb picture of the delicate surface world of the amphibians. It's the insects on the water, those in the leaves and the predators looking for them as a juicy meal that forms a colorful level of life most people don't get to see. Even the tree frogs I consider surface as their hunting world of the is often limited by the length of their tongues. The mammals move fast and cover territory going after prey. The frogs just wait.

I'd commend the Costa Rica trip to anyone who can make it as it's a mature workshop that Don has been leading for some time and you can expect really great shooting opportunities. not only tree frogs, LOL. There's monkeys and all manner of colorful birds and more.

Don, you should have a thread with just pictures from Costa Rica!

Asher

 

[Mike Shimwell]

Ray

I'm glad you dared jump in! What a nice thread - and I've not got any pictures of amphibians to share, so I'll just sit back and enjoy!

Mike

 

[Ray Wilhite]

More Amphibians

Don,
Thanks for the compliment and the advice. I'd love to go to Costa Rica but, alas, I will be teaching the anatomy of horse limbs to first year veterinary students then. One day I will go to another continent though!

Asher and Mike,
Thanks. I was indeed hesitant to post pics, however, I like all kinds of photography, even many not-so-perfect shots like most I have taken have value to me. Case in point, this is a Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) that I found in my yard in Birmingham, Alabama. I called her Ruby and kept her for a few months before releasing her back to the wild. Photo was taken with an old Kodak DC290. I put her on the moss for contrast so I guess I was sorta trying to be a little artistic. Anyway, I kinda like the contrast of colors.
Ray

 

[Don Cohen]

Anyway, I kinda like the contrast of colors.
Ray

There's so much to like there! Excellent choice of complementary colors - very striking!

Amphibians are tough to photograph, in terms of composition, as they're somewhat "flattish" and close to the ground. Shooting at a lower angle, to get more into its 'world' might be interesting, if you could still maintain the green background for the color contrast.

You might also try rotating this one 180 degrees - sometimes simple things like that can make an image more appealing (in the same way that a bird flight shot seems to 'work' better if it's moving from left to right in the frame (perhaps because that's the way we read in this culture).

 

[Ray Wilhite]

There's so much to like there! Excellent choice of complementary colors - very striking!

Amphibians are tough to photograph, in terms of composition, as they're somewhat "flattish" and close to the ground. Shooting at a lower angle, to get more into its 'world' might be interesting, if you could still maintain the green background for the color contrast.

You might also try rotating this one 180 degrees - sometimes simple things like that can make an image more appealing (in the same way that a bird flight shot seems to 'work' better if it's moving from left to right in the frame (perhaps because that's the way we read in this culture).

Don,
Thanks. The rotation suggestion is a very easy one to try. Do you like this version better? Looking at it, I now see the focus is better at the top of the image and drops off to the lower right. I think this is a better view as I usually look at the top of the photo first. Anyway, at least you can compare them.

A photo at "Salamander eye level" is also another good suggestion. Here's my attempt at that, but I am not very happy with this photos as the salamander's tail is cut off. By the way, this is a Marbled Salamander (Ambistoma opacum).
Ray

 

[Don Cohen]

What do you think? Somehow the rotated version looks a little better to my eye.

Love the marbled salamander shot - definitely brings you in more than an 'aerial' shot!