This image was taken with an N70, handheld, with flash. Vivitar 100mm macro. Fuji Sensia II 200. All comments are welcome. Thanks!

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

Answers

The more I look at it the more it grows on me.

I think the foreground space is important. I would like to see a bit of the front foot in focus, but more depth of field might destroy the effect...

That ribbon of sharp leaf is wonderful. How the fsck did you handhold that?

-- Christopher Biggs (chris@stallion.oz.au), October 27, 1998.

I like your recent frog in Dan Smith's forum the best, your older frog post in this forum next, and this one the least. I'm not sure why, maybe the DOF is just to small in this shot.

-- Larry Korhnak (lvk@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu), October 27, 1998.

I would think that that frog is say 1-2 inches in length. At the focal length of a 100mm Macro and 200 ISO film, your flash would only have to have a GN of about 40 to get a reasonable DOF. I think you totally missed on this one, where was your aperture ? 2.8-4? . If you stopped down to say f16, you would've likely have a keeper.

IMO; As is, it is neither a good illustration of a treefrog nor is it art.

BTW; Christopher, with a TTL flash, handheld shots like this one are really simple. If it was available light and this was the result, now that's a different story.

-- Paul E. Turley (turl@usinternet.com), October 28, 1998.

The band of sharp focus doesn't look natural at all. Transitions from out of focus to in focus are gradual, and not step functions. I suspect a bit of image manipulation.

-- Bruce Rubenstein (brubenstein@lucent.com), October 28, 1998.

Come on, guys. Just because it doesn't look "natural" doesn't mean it's not what's on the film. Every time anything looks mildly different people scream digital manipulation. Suspect all you want, but I didn't do it. I *never* digitally manipulate and I resent the implication. Your comments here are appreciated, but let me speak now for everyone else who has ever had their integrity called into question: Assume people follow the rules here. Sorry for the diatribe, but please don't accuse people of stuff you can't prove and is certainly false.

--Joe

-- Joe Cheatwood (cheatwoo@ufl.edu), October 28, 1998.

As a portrait...it's beautiful! Sometimes a lot of people just don't see things your way and you've got to let that pass. But I love it...it is certainly different but I guess that's why I like it.

-- Bhaskar Thiagarajan (bhaskart@hotmail.com), October 28, 1998.

I think this is a GREAT shot. The frog looks like it is disappearing into darkness... or like it is barely keeping its "head above water"...perfect symbolism of what is happening to frogs these days. It makes me sad.

Sorry to attach depressing thoughts to your image. I wish it didn't.

-- Jim Harrison (Jim_HarrisonJr@hotmail.com), October 28, 1998.