photographing frogs

[mim]

ok so im wondering. a lot of people on here have amazing (and i mean truely amazing) photos of thier frogs. iv not got a massively great camera but its not bad. does the job and under the right conditions i can get some quality images. i wanted to know wots the best way to get a decent pic of ur frog. any tips would b great. iv tried takin pics with their light on but they still come out quite dark. so iv turned the light our and put the flash on but im worried this will stress out the frogs (even with the light on and flash on im worried the sudden burst of light will scare them). my frogs are still pretty small and dont come out often (iv seen a lot of pics of frogs head-on on tables etc-i darent do this i have 9 cats and would b worried if the frog jumped id never find it again, willow is very active lol). so im looking really to take pics inside their terraium face forward (on branches etc). please any advice is very welcome as i really want some decent pics of my lil froggies but i really dont want to stress them out. thankee

oh btw they are whites!

[UncleChester]

I've flashed my frogs hundreds of times. I've flashed hundreds of wild frogs as well. I've never had any react in anyway whatsoever, so I've concluded that they just don't care or even notice it as something scary. It's not something they run into in nature (most birds don't give a toss about flash either). On camera flash isn't very compatible with shooting through glass though and on camera flash is generally icky looking in any case (there are exceptions).

Here's a good post with lots of info by Jason, http://www.frogforum.net/general-dis...html#post53674. Note that a tripod is strongly recommended when shooting without flash, and so is patience. Read the thread and any specific questions that come up, ask away

Safely shooting outside the viv is possible. Have everything set up before hand to minimize any handling and stress of the frogs, preferably time it with vivarium maintenance. Do it in a closed off room without cats (bathroom if necessary), or with an assistant cat wrangler (I have 5 cats so I feel your pain). You can also get another tank and set it up to have more picturesque locations than their permanent home and keep your frog(s) in it for a few hours if escape is a major concern. I have an empty viv that I'll put a potted plant or two in for this purpose (it's also front opening so I don't have to shoot through glass when the time comes). I usually combine this kind of photoshoot with feeding. Tossing in a prey item is a great stress-free way to get a frog to move if it has settled in an un-picture friendly spot. Potted plants also have the bonus that they can be rotated if the frog has settled on them but is facing the wrong way.

[mim]

great im defo gonna have a look at that link. yeh i have an exo terra so its front opening which is how iv been doin it up til now. willow (the bigger of my two) will happily sit for ages whilst i take photos of her but like i say i was havin trouble with the lighting. i felt ever so bad for bein so close to her and puttin the flash on the camera but if u say its ok ill give it a go next time shes posin!
wen im cleanin out the terrarium i put the frogs into a tub and the cats go insane. its hilarious! willow escaped once (luckily no cats around) and she was jumpin around like mad so i really didnt want to take them out too much yet as they are small (just under 2 inches) and if i lost sight of her id never find her again. i think that once they are bigger that ill b more adventureous. i definately like the idea of the potted plants in a different tank so i can turn them around. im hopin to upgrade my tank at some point to a big 3 foot one (and get another 2 whites) so i could use that before i fill it up and see how that goes.
iv took so many pics of my frogs but only managed to get a few decent ones. i think iv been lucky gettin the ones i did lol. hopefully soon i can post up some more once iv givin ur ideas a go and read thru the tips and tricks link. thank u so much

[UncleChester]

Front opening is great for photos.

You might want to try putting a diffuser on your flash, something like Do It Yourself Flash diffuser for point-and-shoot digital camera, or something similar. This makes a larger light source and is generally more pleasing. For up close distances like you'll be using it can make a noticeable difference.

The problem with an on camera flash is the lighting is very 'flat' (meaning there are little or no shadows that give your subject shape) and the background will end up very dark (typical 'snapshot' look). The best results will be from lights you can position yourself, like a couple of desk lamps. This does need a tripod though or you'll probably suffer from camera shake issues. You can work with the typical overhead vivarium lights as well, diffusing the light and using reflectors are touched on in the link I gave (tripod still needed here).

You can also try practicing on something the same size as your frog. That way you can take as much time as you like playing with different lighting options without worrying about disturbing your frogs.

[mim]

yeh i think ill have to invest in a tripod. like u say its so difficult to keep ur hand still (even wen u think its still, its not!) iv just had a mess about and tryin to figure out a good distance, think its gonna b a lot of trial and error. i want a close up pic but if i zoom too much its blurred and if im too close its blurred so i need to find the middle ground. like u say tho willow wasnt too fussed for a while. didnt even notice that the flash was goin off. she did jump off after a while and went to oki behind a plant but overall she coped quite well 9even if the cats all did come a running wen i opened the terrarium doors lol). gonna add the couple i got to my album anyways

[UncleChester]

For the largest closeup on most cameras you want to zoom in as much as possible (though check your manual). It won't be able to focus as closely as if you are zoomed out, but the longer focal length usually makes up for it. If your camera has a 'macro' setting use it so it knows you're after something close (even better if it has a 'manual focus' mode). When you half press the shutter it should give some indication when it thinks it has a focus lock. Keep the shutter button half pressed and move the camera forward and back until the frog is in focus, then fully press it to take the picture.

For instance, in this picture Picture 3 of 14 from whites you can see the corner of the vivarium behind the frog is in focus. After it achieved focus, if you backed up an inch or so before firing, the frog would have been sharper.

Willow has a lovely colour by the way.

[mim]

yeh the camera has macro but i think id need a tripod as everytime i use it it just says im too shakey lol. i think i might rearrange the terrarium so that the top of that branch isnt behind a hanging plant as thats where willow is usually sittin. i may put the branch in front of the plant so i can make life a bit easier for myself hehe. im always tryin to get the camera around the back corner of the tank
wen i had both the frogs they started off the same colour but willow has gone brighter and oki is darker-slightly bluey (not that i can ever get a pic of him), i think they r both beautiful. im so glad my lil boy decided he wanted us to have frogs lol