Weekly photo, 12 July 2014
Plants were covered with dew this morning and added something to the photos of Gray Tree Frogs i took. But there is one that i prefer because of the colors of the leaves this Frog was perched on.
Taken with my Canon 7D and Tamron 90mm Macro VC, Tripod.
Gray Tree Frogs are out of the pond.
I was waiting for that moment with excitement, it’s the first time of the year that i went to the pond where there is a lot of Gray Tree Frogs, they are my favorite Frog that live here in my corner of the country (Canada). At this time of the year i’m looking for the young ones that just got out of the water, some still have a small tail. I have a favorite pond where i go every summer, it’s a Beaver’s pond, many species turns from tadpoles to juvenile Frogs at the same time (American Toad, Gray Tree Frog, Spring Peeper Frog and Leopard Frog).
Those little fellows are quite small, about the size of my thumbnail, so a Macro lens is the best way to go and i would add that a lens with IS, VC, VR or a camera with IBIS is a bonus that help a lot since i often handheld my gear. They are often hiding on plants where it’s difficult to get a good view and a tripod is not always practical.
The King of the pond ! You can see the remaining of it’s tail.
Just to give you an idea of how many Gray tree Frogs there is on the shore of that pond, i was standing among the vegetation and i was counting at least 30 Frogs around me hiding on the plants, i even saw 13 of them on a single plant. Sure i have a lot of subjects to choose from but often the background is busy so i have to find a Frog where the background is more interesting or less busy. With the combination of early morning, handholding the camera, wind and the need to blur the background i often end-up shooting from f/4.5 to f/5.6.
I found this one hiding in a Pine, i was able to use my tripod and close my lens to a smaller aperture to have more DOF.
The Spring Peeper Frogs juveniles are even smaller, some are the size of a fingernail. This one was walking on a leaf, i only got 4 frames before he jumped on another leaf.
All the photos i posted here were taken on the same morning, when i arrived at the pond it was raining, a perfect situation for photographing Frogs. I used my Canon 7D and Tamron 90mm Macro VC either handheld or on a tripod. Hope you like them 🙂
Bring a camera with you as often as possible
It’s probably not the first time that you hear that tip, but now the photographers have more and more choices of high quality compact camera systems that are easy to bring everywhere without having a 25 pounds camera bag to lug around !
Great shots can happen everywhere and at anytime, having a camera with you even if you don’t have the “right lens” for the photo, it forces you to compose with the equipment you have. The light might not look good right now but you never know when it can change into something spectacular.
Family activities: In september 2010 i went with my family (my wife and my 2 girls) at our local “base de plein-air” (summer camp), it’s a forested area where the kids can play, walk in the trails, skate…
I brought my DSLR with just 2 or 3 lenses but i always have my Macro lens with me since even in bad light i can manage to take a shot of a small subject. While my kids were playing i was looking around in the forest and suddenly saw a Gray Tree frog at the base of a big tree. The frog was very well camouflaged on the moss covered trunk and made a great shot.
Pentax K20D, Pentax DFA100mm Macro WR, tripod.
Before going to work: Nearly everyday that i’m going to work i bring a camera with me, sometimes it’s my full Pentax DSLR kit and sometimes it’s my NEX-3 with some lenses depending on what i expect to photograph. I don’t always come home with a good shot or not necessarily always take photos. Luck will be on your side one day and you will have beautiful light on a great subject or you will encounter an animal that will let you take unexpected photos ! By having my camera with me i was able to take some very good photos over the years and at the same time enjoying the natural world.
Here are shots i took on my way to work this year:
Pentax K20D, Pentax DA*50-135mm, ISO 100 at f/11, tripod, MLU
Pentax K20D, Pentax DA*50-135mm, MLU, tripod.
Pentax K20D, Pentax DFA 100mm Macro WR, handheld, SR activated.
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