This image was taken on Sensia 100 with an N6006, SB27 Speedlight, Vivitar 105mm macro, at night (~11 P.M).

-- Alex Aycrigg (grigg80@hotmail.com), July 27, 1998

Answers

Nice shot, Alex! The green leaf is the obvious problem here, but I know from personal experience that an attempt to move it probably would have cost you the shot. DOF is just right, I think. The frogs are both well in focus while some of the moss at the top of the frame is becoming soft. That's a really nice touch. The exposure is nice too. Keep up the great work.

--Joe

-- Joe Cheatwood (cheatwoo@ufl.edu), July 27, 1998.

Where's the subject?

-- Adam Liedloff (a.liedloff@qut.edu.au), July 28, 1998.

Eliminating distracting elements would work, but I find that the biggest problem with photographing frogs and toads with a strobe is that the bumpy-wet skin creates a million tiny highlights. Using a soft box (mine's made of a pizza box and a grocery bag) softens the light, smoothes out the tiny highlights, reduces contrast, and just makes the shot look less like a snapshot. I still like this one, though.

-- Rob S. (oeanda@hotmail.com), July 28, 1998.

Oh, lovely! This could be a NG photo ("Fooling the Predators"). Do you have more such pictures?

-- Jana Mullerova (jam@terma.com), July 28, 1998.

Hey Big Al, welcome to the site. Nice first submission. I didn't even see the second (first?) frog until I looked a second time. As Joe correctly pointed out, the leaf is a little distracting, but what you gonna do? I really like the way the yellow shows on the foot and thigh of the frogs. An unexpectedly brownish coloration for these guys, too. Sharpness and DOF are very good. You Gainesville boys are starting to make me feel like a rank amateur (which of course I am).

-- One-pig Pete (peter.may@stetson.edu), July 28, 1998.