Common toad
Every year I follow the common toads in mating time. The male sometimes mistake the camera for a female and come very close!...
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Every year I follow the common toads in mating time. The male sometimes mistake the camera for a female and come very close!
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Mar, 2016Views
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Awards
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Top Shot Award 21
Member Selection Award
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
Genius
All Star
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken in a nature area near my hometown of Bergen, the Netherlands.Time
This was around midday as I needed full light from behind to get an even exposure for both the underwater and the above water part. Therefore the weather I needed was clear and sunny.Lighting
Like I said I needed clear and sunny weather to get an evening lighting. With cloudy weather the results were mostly too dark for the underwater part.Equipment
This was made with an Canon G12 compact camera in an underwater casing (from canon as well)Inspiration
I started with underwater photography in locations such as the reef in the red sea (Egypt). In my home country we don't have exotic fish, crystal clear water or spectacular reef. But I thought that it would be cool to photograph the underwater wildlife we do have, as it hasn't been photographed that much. There is this big nature area close to my house that I have been going to ever since I was young and know like the back of my hand. I knew several little pools that filled each spring with a high amount of toads. Always an interesting event to witness and I decided to photograph them underwater. When I started I had this picture half underwater half above water in mind, to show the two worlds the toads reside in.Editing
Luckily this picture didn't require much post processing. I had to fill in the light a little bit and some small waterdrops that stayed on the underwater casing were visible that I removed.In my camera bag
Nearly always the canon 300mm f4 (with or without 1.4 extender). Quite a versatile lens and very portable! Besides that I almost always take my wide angle, the 10-22mm, which is my favorite lens for landscapes and can also produce quite interesting for animals. But I try to take all my stuff, because it just always happens that whenever I leave some equipment at home I encounter a situation which requires that specific piece of equipment!Feedback
Take the time and get to know your subject. I went to this spot several times as week to be present for the peak in the amount of toads present and the mating activity, which last only a few days. In this period the toads are absolutely not shy and the males often come very close to the camera because they mistake it for a female! If you do this kind of half/half underwater photography, make sure the waterdrops dissapear on your casing. Similar to dive masks, rubbing spit on it helps (for plastic cases, glass is better material and doesn't require this)
