Herp-a-day (pt II)

Photography knowledge exchange.

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spiltbeerpirate
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by spiltbeerpirate »

Desert Banded Gecko, Coleonyx variegatus variegatus, Imperial County, CA

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f/5.6
1/125 sec
ISO-800
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azatrox
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by azatrox »

Texas Horned lizard (Phyrnosoma cornutum)

Image

Canon XSi (450D)
300mm USM IS f/4 prime lens
100 ISO
f/18
1/100 sec.
hand held
no flash

-Kris
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Soopaman
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Soopaman »

Image
Storeria dekayi limnetes (Marsh Brown Snake) by Kyle L.E., on Flickr

Canon Rebel XSI
Shutter SpeedZ: 1/200
ƒ/13
ISO 200
100mm Macro Lens
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azatrox
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by azatrox »

Western Diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)

Image

Canon XSi (450D)
24-105mm USM IS L series lens
.3 sec
f/18
400 ISO
rocks used as tripod
no flash

-Kris
Matt Buckingham
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Matt Buckingham »

A very large Florida Cottonmouth from the Apalachicola. Taken about this time last year.

Image
Florida Cottonmouth by Matt Buckingham, on Flickr

ISO 1600
f/8
1/250
Canon 100-400mm @ 100mm
AsydaBass
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by AsydaBass »

Sorry I haven't been around much, been "stuck" in the field a lot lately.

Fleischmann's Glassfrog (Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni)

Image

-Don
http://www.RainforestDon.com
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Soopaman
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Soopaman »

Here's a little newt:

Image
Notophthalmus viridescens louisianensis (Central Newt) by Kyle L.E., on Flickr

Canon Rebel XSI
Shutter SpeedZ: 1/13
ƒ/9
ISO 800
100mm Macro Lens
AsydaBass
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by AsydaBass »

Hey everyone! Things down here have been super busy lately, which is a good thing, but I'm happy to have some time to post again!

Pigeon Mountain Salamander (Plethodon petraeus)- endemic to one mountain (can you guess which :lol: ) in the northwest of Georgia

Image

f/25
1/250 sec
ISO-200
Exposure mode- manual
Nikon D7000
Nikon 105mm micro
SB-700 and R1C1 flash system

-Don
http://www.RainforestDon.com
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Dalton Lund
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Dalton Lund »

Don,

How is the salamander's tail not in focus at f/25? :shock:
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Kevin Price »

Image

Red Diamond Rattlesnake, Crotalus ruber

Canon 40D
100mm Macro (I stood back aways)
1/125 sec at f5.6
ISO 100
Hand held in manual mode
Off camera flash, shot just after midnight
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Soopaman
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Soopaman »

From 01-12-13

Image
Nerodia fasciata confluens "Coastal" by Kyle L.E., on Flickr

Canon 5dMII
Shutter Speed: 0.3
ƒ/16
ISO 100
100mm Macro Lens
AsydaBass
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by AsydaBass »

Dalton Lund wrote:Don,

How is the salamander's tail not in focus at f/25? :shock:
Dalton,

Remember that the area in focus (DoF) at a given aperture is in direct relation to the distance of the subject to the lens. Basically, take your camera, set it to f/11, take a photo of a subject at the lens' closest possible focusing distance. Now, doing nothing more than move your camera back, say, triple the distance away from the subject as the previous photo and take the same shot. Comparing the two photos you will see that the second picture which was taken further away from the subject, has more of the subject in focus. Make sense?

If we're not talking about macro photography it's not quite as an important of a factor, but this is herp photography, where we're almost always talking about macro ;) This salamander was around five inches long, while I wasn't at 1:1 magnification in this photo, I was still pretty close to the specimen.

-Don
http://www.RainforestDon.com
AsydaBass
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by AsydaBass »

Here's a preview of a new article that I'm writing, working title: "How Big is it Really?
The idea of the article is to show exactly how small most of the subjects I photograph really are. Now, most of the people reading this post are in the biology/ photography community, but most everyone else who sees my macro photography imagines the frogs as large as the ones they are used to seeing at home (bullfrogs, leopards, Bufo, etc...). I think it will be insightful for many readers, a way to help them understand and appreciate the smaller majority.

Hatchling Pygmy Rainfrog (Pristimantis ridens)

Image

f/29
1/250
ISO200
Nikon D7000
Nikon 105mm micro
Nikon SB-700 and R1C1 flash kit

-Don
http://www.RainforestDon.com
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Dalton Lund
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Dalton Lund »

Dalton,

Remember that the area in focus (DoF) at a given aperture is in direct relation to the distance of the subject to the lens. Basically, take your camera, set it to f/11, take a photo of a subject at the lens' closest possible focusing distance. Now, doing nothing more than move your camera back, say, triple the distance away from the subject as the previous photo and take the same shot. Comparing the two photos you will see that the second picture which was taken further away from the subject, has more of the subject in focus. Make sense?

If we're not talking about macro photography it's not quite as an important of a factor, but this is herp photography, where we're almost always talking about macro ;) This salamander was around five inches long, while I wasn't at 1:1 magnification in this photo, I was still pretty close to the specimen.

-Don
http://www.RainforestDon.com
Well, I suppose that makes sense then, lol. Thanks for the info.
AsydaBass
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by AsydaBass »

American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) Cleanest teeth in town!

I'm lucky enough to see this big ~14ft croc almost everyday.

Image

Nikon D7000
Nikon 28-300mm

-Don
http://www.RainforestDon.com
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Soopaman
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Soopaman »

Another snake from 01-12-13

Image
Regina grahamii (Graham's Crayfish Snake) by Kyle L.E., on Flickr

Canon 5dMII
Shutter Speed: 0.5
ƒ/13
ISO 50
100mm Macro Lens
speedy
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by speedy »

Thought i better get herp a day going again.

1/250
f/8
ISO 100
90mm

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Black-headed Python by R. Francis, on Flickr
RobertH
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by RobertH »

Eastern Collard Lizard in breeding colors from Southeast Arizona, taken this spring by my son Nicholas, 11.

Image

Exposure 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture f/22.0
Focal Length (35mm format) 84 mm
ISO Speed 100
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Soopaman »

Image

Canon 5dMII
Shutter Speed: 1/500
ƒ/14
ISO 200
100mm prime
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beanie
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by beanie »

Hyla chrysoscelis

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Soopaman
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Soopaman »

I like curious pose of the frog in your photo, beanie!

Prairie King from this past Friday:

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Canon 5dMII
Shutter Speed: 1/80
ƒ/16
ISO 1000
50mm prime
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Kevin Price
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Kevin Price »

Image

Juvenile California Lyresnake Trimorphodon lyrophanes

Canon 7D
1/200 second at f10
ISO 100
Manual mode
Canon 100mm macro lens
Off camera flash. The flash was high and to the left. I cloned out the second larger flash reflection in the eye.
AsydaBass
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by AsydaBass »

Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus)
2.5 meters, April 2013, Florida Everglades

Image

Nikon D7000
Nikon 10-24mm
1/100 sec
f/8
ISO-250
exposure mode- Aperture Priority
meter mode- pattern

-Don
http://www.rainforestdon.com
AsydaBass
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by AsydaBass »

Brown water snake (Nerodia taxispilota)
in-situ in a cypress dome in Everglades National Park, Florida
April 2013

Image

Nikon D7000
Nikon 28-300mm
1/50 sec
f/5
ISO- 640

-Don
http://www.rainforestdon.com
Erik Williams
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Erik Williams »

Dof Is determined by magnification and F/stop, not proximity. that's an important consideration when you're using lenses of different focal lengths and magnifications.
AsydaBass wrote:
Dalton Lund wrote:Don,

How is the salamander's tail not in focus at f/25? :shock:
Dalton,

Remember that the area in focus (DoF) at a given aperture is in direct relation to the distance of the subject to the lens. Basically, take your camera, set it to f/11, take a photo of a subject at the lens' closest possible focusing distance. Now, doing nothing more than move your camera back, say, triple the distance away from the subject as the previous photo and take the same shot. Comparing the two photos you will see that the second picture which was taken further away from the subject, has more of the subject in focus. Make sense?

If we're not talking about macro photography it's not quite as an important of a factor, but this is herp photography, where we're almost always talking about macro ;) This salamander was around five inches long, while I wasn't at 1:1 magnification in this photo, I was still pretty close to the specimen.

-Don
http://www.RainforestDon.com
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Antonsrkn
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Antonsrkn »

Dof Is determined by magnification and F/stop, not proximity.
Distance from the subject plays a role as well. I started typing up an explanation but Don said it well the first time.
Basically, take your camera, set it to f/11, take a photo of a subject at the lens' closest possible focusing distance. Now, doing nothing more than move your camera back, say, triple the distance away from the subject as the previous photo and take the same shot. Comparing the two photos you will see that the second picture which was taken further away from the subject, has more of the subject in focus. Make sense?
Check out this article if you want: http://www.dpreview.com/articles/306490 ... hotography
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Kevin Price
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Kevin Price »

Image
Desert Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus variegatus) by socalrattler, on Flickr

Desert Banded Gecko Coleonyx variegatus variegatus

Canon 40D
Canon 100mm Macro
1/160 second at f8
Manual mode
ISO 100
Off camera flash
AsydaBass
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by AsydaBass »

Erik, with a fixed focal length lens such as the 105mm micro, are not proximity and magnification directly correlated? 1:1 magnification with this lens is only achieved at a distance of twelve inches, while adjusting the proximity (i.e. moving the camera further away) will result in a lower magnification ratio.

You made mention of this being
an important consideration when you're using lenses of different focal lengths and magnifications
. If you reread Dalton's original question, it asked why the subject's posterior half wasn't in focus at such a high f stop; my answer to that question was correct. It was stated in the information under the photo that a Nikon 105mm lens was used.

-Don
http://www.rainforestdon.com
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Soopaman »

Image
Coluber flagellum testaceus (Western Coachwhip) by Kyle L.E., on Flickr


Canon 5dMII
Shutter Speed: 1/100
ƒ/14
ISO 400
17-40mm Wide Angle at 17mm.
Erik Williams
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Erik Williams »

Yes, that is true. the high magnification causes f/25 (or whatever) to be smaller than the subject. Reducing magnification or increasing f/number are the only (applicable) ways to increase the DoF in that situation. There was nothing incorrect about that statement at all!

distance to subject is probably the single biggest misunderstanding in DoF, next to 35mm "equivalency." I chime in every time I see it come up, and usually, like now, I haven't explained myself enough. It's just one of those things like hearing "dethaw" or "irregardless."

F/11 is F/11, with any lens. The difference in DoF is negligable between lenses of different focal length, assuming equal magnification. There is SOME difference but it really isn't enough to worry about to a casual or professional photographer unless your field is extremely technical. in other words, 1:1 magnification @ f/11 will always give you the (nearly) same depth of field regardless of the lens or distance to subject. The longer the lens is, the faster things fall out of focus once they've left the focal plane but that is because of a more compressed field of view, not because of less depth of field. It's honestly splitting hairs, but it makes more sense when you shoot something at f/8 with something like a 100mm-400mm lens and you can't figure out why the photo came out the same at 200 as it did at 400; once you frame the photo the same way (same magnification) the DoF will be the same (for all intents and purposes).

The reason that this is misunderstood by many photographers is because the theory isn't necessary for practical shooting. In most cases, increasing the distance to subject will increase the DoF. With a fixed focal length, it will always increase the DoF. But the reason why isn't proximity, it's magnification. Usually the primer to photography teaches that longer focal lengths give you a smaller DoF, but it just isn't true. I dunno, sorry to derail a cool thread.
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by ZantiMissKnit »

Image
DSC_0153 by ZantiMissKnit, on Flickr

Coluber constrictor constrictor, Norfolk County, MA

I got a new camera (Nikon D3200) and it's my first time using a non-P&S in about 20 years.
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by justinm »

I've had a long cold spring here and last week finally flipped my first snake of the year. I took my POS, not my DSLR so no cool exif details for you guys. Just a gonzo shot with no setup, but I can tell you I danced around letting his guy bite me before setting him down for a quick shot.

Image
Pantherophis vulpina by Justin.Michels, on Flickr
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Matt Buckingham »

AsydaBass
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by AsydaBass »

Norops pachypus
5 km from the Panamanian border, Costa Rica, 1530 m asl
June 2013

Image

Nikon D7000
Nikon 105mm micro
f/8
1/50 sec
ISO-250

-Don
www.RainforestDon.com
AsydaBass
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by AsydaBass »

Craugastor sp
Panama, May 2013

This huge female specimen of an undescribed species of Craugastor was the size of my fist! This Panamanian member of the C. rugulosus group is very similar to C. punctariolus. She and the male (only have bad photos of him) were amazing!

Image

-Don
http://www.RainforestDon.com
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Kevin Price
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by Kevin Price »

This has been stagnant for too long. Hopefully we'll get this going again. I'll start...

Image
Regal Ring-neck Snake Diadophis punctatus regalis

Canon 7D
Canon 100mm macro
Canon MT-24 Twin flash
Shutter speed: 1/160
f-stop: f3.2
ISO: 100
Manual mode
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gopher
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by gopher »

^Nice ringneck shot, have yet to see one corkscrew its' tail yet, probably because all the ones I find are dead :cry:
Cool for reviving this thread, didn't notice it at first.

Southern Rubber Boa (Charina umbratica)
fujifilm finepix s8200
Image
AsydaBass
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by AsydaBass »

Frosted Flatwoods Salamander (Ambystoma cingulatum)

Image

Nikon D7000
Nikon 105mm micro
Nikon SB-700 and R1C1 macro flash system

1/100 sec
f/9
ISO-400
Flashes set manually
AsydaBass
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by AsydaBass »

Brown blunt-headed vine snake (Imantodes cenchoa)
Finca La Escondida, Costa Rica
March 2013

Image

Nikon D7000
Nikon 105mm micro
1/250 sec
f/22
ISO-250
Diffused Nikon SB-700

-Don
http://www.rainforestdon.com
AsydaBass
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by AsydaBass »

Golden-groined rain frog (Pristimantis cruentus)
Talamanca Mountains, Costa Rica (Pacific versant)

Image

Nikon D7000
Nikon 105mm micro
Nikon SB-700 and R1C1 macro flashes

1/250 sec
f/16
ISO- 250

-Don
http://www.rainforestdon.com
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kit fox
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by kit fox »

Crotalus Scutulatus

ImageCrotalus Scutulatus by sgbofav, on Flickr


Nikon D90, Cactus V5s, Lumopro LP160, Tokina 100mm Macro lens
RobertH
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by RobertH »

Great Basin Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus bicinctores) in the Mojave Desert

Image

Taken by my 12-year old son Nicholas with a Olympus EM-1 and a Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO 100-300/F4.0-5.6 zoom lens.
AsydaBass
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Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Post by AsydaBass »

Three-lined salamander (Eurycea guttolineata)
Torreya State Park, Florida
October 2014

Nikon D7000
Nikon 105mm micro

Image

-Don
http://www.RainforestDon.com
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