Taking pictures

[oneshotveth]

Probably a stupid question, but do you guys use a flash when you take pictures of your frogs, and if so, is it bad for their eyes?

[spooky]

I tend to stand fairly far back, then zoom right in on the frog (using flash, but so that flash didn't go off right in their faces) . Works well for me. I do this as I too wasn't sure if the flash would harm them.

[Tripe46]

I was actually just about to start a thread about this, good thing I looked first. What kind of cameras/settings are people using? I have a Kodak 7mp thats a few years old that is horrible at taking close up pics especially of the frogs. Most times my iPhone works better but compared to a lot of other pics I have seen here mine are pretty bad.

[spooky]

I use a fairly old Kodak digital camera. My pics aren'tprofessional quality but I think they look ok

[hyla]

I wondered that too about the flash bothering them. Maybe since my tree frog was wild caught, she just thinks its lightning! I have an Olympus FE-340 but I dont particularly care for the quality of the photos. I take a lot of pictures of birds and havent been impressed with the outcome. I would like to get a Canon powershot after seeing some of the pictures on here using that camera.

[McLaura]

I try not to use flash, but mostly just because I think the pictures turn out better that way, especially if you take the picture inside the terrarium. A strong overhead light is better, I think. I have a Nikon D40 SLR, but I used to have a Canon SD750, and I think it took just as good, if not better, close-up shots when I used the digital macro setting. That camera stopped working shortly after I got my SLR, so I didn't replace it, but I'm thinking I might get another, just because it was so good.

[Kurt]

John is the one to answer this question. I have never seen better frog pictures than his. He is a master of his craft.

[John]

Thanks for the flattery, Kurt :P. I use flash 9 times out of 10. All in all, I would imagine it's not a wonderful experience for the frog, but it can't be too bad - I've photographed lots of calling frogs and toads over the last few years, and most usually go right back to calling after being flashed at (look towards the bottom of this gallery for examples). Same goes for eating - the African Bullfrog in my avatar got flashed about 50 times in a few minutes but kept on eating and performing.

[Kurt]

You're welcome.

[1beataway]

Thanks for the flattery, Kurt :P. I use flash 9 times out of 10. All in all, I would imagine it's not a wonderful experience for the frog, but it can't be too bad - I've photographed lots of calling frogs and toads over the last few years, and most usually go right back to calling after being flashed at (look towards the bottom of this gallery for examples). Same goes for eating - the African Bullfrog in my avatar got flashed about 50 times in a few minutes but kept on eating and performing.

You seem to enjoy flashing!

I've got to say that I love your pictures.

[UncleChester]

I don't know about causing eye damage, but my standard guidlines for using flash on animals:

-test with low power to see if they are afraid, or otherwise have an adverse reaction before moving up to 'game' power.
-don't use flash on an animal in the dark with dilated pupils. I make exceptions for skunks/raccoons raiding my bird feeder and they don't seem to care.
-when possible use diffused light. I find it easier on my eyes even when giving the same overall light levels (and it generally looks nicer too).
-I typically flash myself under the same conditions as I plan to put the animals through. Twice. If I'm not willing to do it again, it would be rude to do to anything else. I'll often use a higher power setting on myself as well, just to be sure I'm not too mean.
-always, animals come before pictures. Any sign of distress and I stop (flash or no).

That said, my gray treefrogs don't seem to give a toss when they are flashed. They don't seem to even register it. The flash durations are much shorter than anything animals encounter in nature, typically 1/10,000 of a second to 1/30,000 for my main flash, that I don't know they even notice (maybe lightning can compare?). This holds true for every bird I've ever flashed (mostly the ones at my feeder), chipmunks, skunks, 'coons, insects, frogs, snakes, etc., I've never met anything yet that's scared of the flash.


For pictures through glass with a flash, easiest way for acceptable results is to have the flash off the camera and positioned so as to not give reflections off the glass. This generally gives nicer light in any case, at least it gives you more control and flexibility over your lighting setup. A dslr with a hotshoe flash can work fine through glass if you are close enough to the glass (it will be far enough away from the lens axis to not give a reflection) or have a rubber lens hood that can be pressed right up against the glass to block reflections on the part the lens looks through.