So you might have asked yourself how I managed to get a "studio" session with a snake, and the answer is that in this case it was really easy...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/250th sec at f/16. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

When you subject is the size of a quarter, it is really easy to take him into the studio for a photo shoot. The hardest thing about dealing with this snake was being concerned with his welfare - with how small it was, I really didn't want to inadvertently injure it.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/250th sec at f/16. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

Luckily, this little guy was full of character and was very cooperative, giving me a number of different poses and holding them while I repositioned to take the photos. I was able to use both the Canon 100mm and Canon MP-E 65mm macro lenses and get right up close to him without any issues.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/160th sec at f/22. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

After the studio session, I did take him out in the grass to hopefully get some more "natural" photos, but as soon as I set him in the grass, he quickly vanished into the grass and other than some fleeting flashes of him slithering through the grass I couldn't keep track of him. I was still happy to have gotten the chance to have the nice photo session with this little guy.

- Bill

I don't often get the opportunity to get "studio" photo shoots with snakes, but this guy was pretty cooperative. What he lacked in any kind of fancy pattern he made up for with expressive posing.

I experimented a bit with shooting without the flash and I really liked the results, but it was very difficult to get a clean crisp shot due to the slow shutter speed needed. I didn't want to push the ISO too far and start introducing too much digital noise, but I did manage to get one that I liked. The warm tones and the dramatic shadows really look cool. I still like the clean look of the subject against that nice clean white background, but the natural shot is nice too. I also with I could have got a few more shots with him sticking his tongue out, but alas...

I have a couple more to share from this session, but you'll have to wait till tomorrow for them.

- Bill

I almost forgot about this little guy... I only got a couple shots off before he darted back down into the wood pile.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/100 sec at f/8. Image Stabilization on. ISO 800. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw

I have more uploading now, so stay tuned.

- Bill

We found this guy while out cutting the grass tonight...

Technical Data:Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/200 sec at f/7.1. Canon Speedlight 580EX II flash in eTTL mode (either did not fire or underpowered). Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

I need to get some rest, so I'll have to process the rest of the photos later.

- Bill

In a week from now, I will be hitting the two year anniversary since I started this blog. If I get the posts done in time, I will also be hitting my 400th post to celebrate the occasion. As such (and partially because I've been a tad lazy with getting the camera out as much as I should), I'm going to dig through the archives and see what gems I might have missed, or how I can give a new look to some photos I've already shared.

With that in mind, I present a couple photos that I shared here in the past (here and here). After seeing someone else share a photo of a snake that they converted to black and white, I decided to give it a shot with some of mine... here are the results...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro1:2 at 238mm, 1/32 at f/11.3. ISO. No post production. Beechwood Farms, Fox Chapel, PA.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro1:2 at 238mm, 1/130 at f/5. ISO. No post production. Beechwood Farms, Fox Chapel, PA.

Mouseover the images for the original color version.

- Bill

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/20 sec at f/5. Image Stabilization on. ISO 800. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw. Toronto Zoo, Toronto, ON.

- Bill

Ok - I'll skip all the blabbering today. Instead I'll just give a nice little assortment of some of the absolutely incredible stuff we got to see just stepping off the beach and diving on Wakatobi's house reef.

Banded Sea Snake (Laticauda colubrina)

Blue-Spotted Ribbontail Ray (Taeniura lymma)

Crocodile Flathead (Cymbacephalus beauforti)

Lightning Flatworm (Pseudobiceros fulgor)

Spiny Porcelain Crab (Neopetrolisthes spinatus)

Twinspot (sometimes also Fu Manchu in the pet trade) Lionfish (Dendrochirus biocellatus)

I wish we had had another week that we could have spent just diving the house reef over and over. Perhaps next time!

- Bill

In case you were wondering - the frog from the other day managed to get away. So did this one...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro1:2 at 238mm, 1/130 at f/5. ISO. No post production. Beechwood Farms, Fox Chapel, PA.

It has been a while since I've left the critique up to you, so have at it. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of this photo.

- Bill

Sorry - I've been lazy about posting recently. I've found that that tends to happen frequently when I have a batch of photos that I like but that all have a flaw of some sort.

This current batch was taken about a month ago at Beechwood Farms. This year, Anya has taken a shining to bird watching - we have about a hundred bird feeders in the back yard, we have several bird identification books and CDs, and we took a trip to Beechwood Farms as it is the local headquarters for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania.

On the grounds was a small pond. It was covered in duckweed, and absolutely swarming with frogs.

And then, through the duckweed, I spotted this guy...

Now, before I get into details, let me explain a few things. First, I decided to travel light this day. I only took my Canon EOS 7D with the Tamron 70-300mm lens attached. While that lens is a nice (and inexpensive) lens, it doesn't have any kind of image stabilization, so working at the 300mm range is tough without a tripod.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro1:2 at 238mm, 1/32 at f/11.3. ISO. No post production. Beechwood Farms, Fox Chapel, PA.

Why This Photo: I had been snapping shots of the frogs for some time when I noticed this pair. The tension in the situation was palpable. You knew both were watching the other and waiting to see what would happen. I tried to capture that tension as well as the stealth of the snake's approach.

What Works: The composition is ok, but I was working with what I had at hand. I couldn't really reposition or remove any distracting elements. At first, if you're not sure what you're looking at, the snake is almost invisible. The focus is pretty sharp on the frog, despite being handheld at a fairly long focal distance.

What Doesn't Work: Though the composition was ok, it is also somewhat lacking. The frog facing out of the frame is somewhat distracting, and there are a great number of distracting elements. Also, the depth of field prevented sharp focus on both the frog and the snake at the same time - this shot was the compromise.

Like I said, I really like this set of photos, but there seems to always be at least one thing wrong with each shot.

I may continue to be a bit of a slacker with the posts for a little bit here. Tomorrow I start a photography class at CCAC. I signed up with a friend mainly as a way to start getting some real training. Since I've self-taught all the way up to now, I figured some real training to confirm some of the stuff I've picked up would be a good idea. After this class, I think I'll probably try to find another, and then another, and ... well, you get the picture (yeah - pun intended again!).

- Bill

This photo recently received honorable mention in one of the Photographic Section's digital competition and qualified for year-end judging.

Technical Data: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, Tamron 180mm f/3.5 Di SP LD 1:1 Macro, 1/2 sec at f/3.5. ISO 400. Sharpened in Photoshop Elements 8.0. Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Columbus, OH.

Why This Photo: I've always liked emerald boas and other arboreal snakes. The posture of these snakes as they bask on their coils on three branches is always interesting to me. Finally, I intentially focused on the heat sensory pits instead of on the eyes for a different look at things.

What Works: The sharp focus on the heat pits gives a new look at things, and the softened eyes still keep your attention. The catch-lights on the eyes and scales are a nice touch too.

What Doesn't Work: The section of the body in the bottom right that is out of focus is somewhat distracting, but the framing of the shot prevents it from being cropped out. Also, there appears to be a tiny bit of a double image on the eye - probably from the long exposure.

What do you think? Leave me a comment and let me know...

- Bill

PS: I continue to slowly make progress on those site improvements I talked about. Hopefully I'll have something to demo soon.