Northern Leopard Frog, (Rana pipiens). Los Lunas, Valencia co., New Mexico. Nikon N-90, 20 mm f4, SB-25 off camera

-- Billy Gorum (Herphoto@aol.com), November 03, 1999

Answers

Wow, it actually worked this time! My appologies to everyone, especially Andrei Frolov, for all the problems with my first post to this forum.

There is a story that goes with this picture and its title. When I was growing up in Los Lunas leopard frogs were common. As a boy I often caught them in the irrigation ditches near my home. However, by the time I left for collage they had become very rare. This picture, taken in 1996 in an irrigation ditch behind my parents house, is the first one I had seen in 12 years. Two years later while photographing calling chorus frogs and woodhouse toads near Bernardo, some 20 miles south of Los Lunas I heard the unmistakable chuckle of two calling leopard frogs. I hope each of those males found the biggest most fecund females imaginable. At any rate this picture is an everyday scene from my youth that is now all but gone.

-- Billy Gorum (Herphoto@aol.com), November 03, 1999.

This is a great capture...nice story behind the image too. I only wish this image didn't require a flash...makes the image a little unnatural. Are these frogs really as big as they appear to be?

-- Bhaskar Thiagarajan (bhaskart@hotmail.com), November 03, 1999.

I generally hate obvious flash shots, but the flash in this works well for me. The illumination accents the image. The only nit-pick I have is that I'd like to see the frog's rear leg separated from the frame a little...

Well done. -Scott http://users.ntr.net/~msperry

-- Scott (bliorg@yahoo.com), November 03, 1999.

This is indeed a very interesting shot. How did U calculate the flash settings ?

-- Santanu Nag (santanu_nag@hotmail.com), November 04, 1999.

"Wow, it actually worked" is correct and I'm not talking about the loading. This is great! The perspective, the background, the creativity, the subject. Just wonderful!

-- Chris Varner (Johnny_Pinto @msn.com), November 04, 1999.

I like the shot, agree with the remark about the foot at the edge of the paper, since we get to play with your photo, I would crop 3/4 inch to the frogs right and just above the flashlight flowers on your right, what little background left would be enough to show enviroment. Pat

-- pat j. krentz (krentz@cci-29palms.com), November 04, 1999.

I really like this shot. I had some problem with the flash at first, but the longer I look at it, the more I like it. It really highlights the frog, making it stand out as a piece of life in an otherwise sterile-looking environment.

-- Rich Ruh (pathfinder@poboxes.com), November 05, 1999.

Thanks everybody for your comments. To answere some questions that have been raised: 1. These are medium sized as frogs go. This individual is probobly about 3.5 " from snout to vent. 2. I agree that the leg needs to be seperated from the frame a bit. Unfortunately I dont have a good excuse for that mistake, other than simple inattentivness. I am sure I composed the picture with the leg in the frame, but when I took the picture I was probobly not looking through the finder. Instead i was probobly looking over the cameras finder to make sure I was aiming the flash correctly. When I did that I probobly inadvertantly shifted the camera up slightly. 3. As for how I calculated the flash settings, I didn't. I became a big fan of TTL flash long ago and no longer use manual flash. There are two potential problems when using TTL flash for a shot like this. One is that the flash does not take into account non middle toned subjects. That does not apply here since this subject is pretty close to middle tone. The other problem is when the subject does not occupy most of the metering area in the picture. That does apply here. Since I was using an older manual focus lens I only had center weighted or spot metering available on my N-90. With center weighted metering the flash meter will be reading mostly background and the tendency is to over expose the closer subject. In a situation like this I bracket, using the exposure compensation dial on the flash or the camera, towards the underexposure side. With a subject that is this large in the frame a series going from zero compensation to -2 should contain the correct exposure on one frame. If I could only take one shot of this and had to guess I'd probobly go about -1.3. Using an auto-focus lens for this shot would require no compensation at all. I don't know how it does it, but the N-90's matrix meter nails these sort of flash shots everytime, (so long as the subject is close to middle tone).

-- Billy Gorum (Herphoto@aol.com), November 06, 1999.

Billy, the photo itself tells a great story, but along with your description it is really a wonderful, albeit sad, essay on the plight of frogs and other creatures. As a child I too spent many hours chasing frogs, turtles and small fish at a creek where the water was so clear you could drink from it. Sadly, the last time I visited that creek there were no more frogs and the water was muddy and smelly. It made me very sad. It is perhaps one of the most compelling reasons that I practice and support nature conservation and awareness today. Your story and photo would make a good essay for one of the wildlife conservation magazines. Thank you for sharing it with us. Donna

-- Donna P. Bollenbach (cassidy@icubed.net), November 06, 1999.