OK - I alluded to posting this twice now (once during the "Shrimp Platter" post and again in the Gaudy Clown Crab post), so it is high time I shared this shot of a Two Claw Shrimp (Brachycarpus biunguiculatus) that I took on our last dive. This little guy was inside the same sponge that the second Gaudy Clown Crab was, and initially he was hiding all the way at the bottom, but with some patience, I was able to get him to come into a better spot for a photo.

Original	Simple Crop	Tighter Crop and Rotate

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/200th sec at f/25. Image Stabilization on. ISO 400. Ikelite Housing and Port and Ikelite 161 Strobe in TTL Mode. Raw conversion and cropped in Photoshop CS5.

- Bill

And now for something completely different... </Monty Python>

Well, to be entirely accurate, we'll look at six rather similar things that are still pretty different in their own respect. We'll take a little break from the underwater photography and look at some photos taken just this past weekend in Presque Isle State Park. Anya and I went to the park to do some birding, and while we didn't see much in the way of birds, we did see some cool driftwood on the beach at Gull Point. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to do some black and white photography of it.

What I didn't realize was that picking which B&W conversion I liked the best would be a very big challenge.

Original Color	Preset 001 Underexposed (EV -1)	Preset 005 High Structure (harsh)
Preset 010 Low Key 2	Preset 020 Fine Art (high key)	Preset 024 Full Contrast and Structure

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM at 26mm, 1/80th second at f/8. ISO 800. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw, B&W conversion in Adobe Photoshop CS5 with Nik Silver Efex Pro.

As you can see from the original color version, it was a heavily overcast day, and even the horizon between the sky and the surface of the lake blended into each other and vanished. I wanted to either eliminate the sky or somehow draw some detail out of it. I think each of these conversions were at least partially successful in that goal, but I was amazed at how each conversion produces almost a completely new feel to the scene.

Mouseover each thumbnail to display the larger version, then cast your vote below for your favorite.

- Bill

Another poll from a couple shots taken at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This one was taking on the Ledges Trail - Anya spotted this lone mushroom nestled among the roots of a large tree. I quickly picked my angle and took a first shot, then decided that I wanted to clean up some of the leaf litter to try and declutter the shot. Finally, back home when processing the photos, I decided to declutter further by processing the photo to black & white. Mouseover the thumbnails for the larger view, then pick your favorite below.

Original	Decluttered	Black & White

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM at 55mm, 2.5 sec at f/22. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw, B&W processing in Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Nik Silver Efex Pro.

- Bill

Alright! I have finally made it through all the photos from my (at this point, not so) recent dive trip. I really should have finished them a long while ago, since the last dive certainly had a couple gems in them - in particular in the form of an encounter with a Spotted Cleaner Shrimp (Periclimenes yucatanicus). It was definitely a challenging subject due to the continually undulating anemone that it was hiding in, but I did manage several really sharp photos, and this particular one worked pretty well in several different crops... take a look and then cast your vote for which one you like best.

Original	2:3 Crop	Square Crop

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/200th sec at f/8. Image Stabilization on. ISO 400. Ikelite Housing and Port and Ikelite 161 Strobe in TTL Mode. Raw conversion and cropped in Photoshop CS5.

Honestly, I didn't even notice the crab also hiding in the anemone at the time - I was so focused on capturing a species of shrimp that I'd never seen before.

There are still a handful more good shots from the trip, so hopefully I'll post a little more frequently to get them shared here. Stay tuned.

- Bill

A nice shot of some Atlantic Spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber) in both color and black & white... take a look, then cast your vote for which version you like better!

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II at 38mm. 1/200 sec at f/8. ISO 400. Ikelite Housing and Port with Ikelite 161 Strobe in eTTL mode. Raw conversion in Adobe Camera Raw.

Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for voting!

- Bill

So here's a couple more shots of one of our hummingbirds (actually, it might be two different ones, but I'm not sure) taken with two different methods. Each one seems to have its own benefits and drawbacks, so I figured I'd put it to a vote... do you like this type of shot better with flash or without? Mouseover the thumbnails for the larger version, then cast your vote below.

Flash	No Flash

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM (borrowed) at 400 with Kenko DG Auto Extension Tube (32mm), Flash: 1/1000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800. No Flash: 1/250 sec at f5.6, ISO 1600. IS On. Canon Speedlight 580EX II flash in eTTL mode RAW conversion in Adobe Camera Raw.

I wish I could have had more similar images to compare, but I never managed to get a good shot of the hummingbird in flight without the flash (actually the flash would startle the hummingbird into flight and so most of those were of it in flight or just taking off). When using the flash, I am able to use high-speed-sync to get a high shutterspeed to freeze motion a bit more and also use a reduced ISO for less digital noise, but I feel it gives the image a bit more harsh look (that could potentially be mitigated with a diffuser that I might have to try next time). Without the flash, the image is given a much more natural look, but exposure becomes trickier. I do get more natural and calmer behavior from the bird without the flash, but with it does give that metallic reflection from the feathers...

So it is all about trade-offs, but which one do you prefer?

Thanks for stopping by!

- Bill

Ok - I know you arachnophobes out there are going to hate this post as I put something super cute right next to something you probably think is disgusting, but I'm just so amazed by this that I have to share.

So spiders are obviously nothing new for me here, and to be honest if I was able to see them with more frequency, neither would frogs. I've always loved frogs, they fascinate me - when we owned the pet store, I had a field day buying and selling so many exotic species of frogs! I've seen some tiny frogs (breed poison dart frogs and you'll see TINY!), but I wasn't expecting what I found the other day when Anya and I took the dogs to the park for a walk.

Hopping across the path were these absolutely tiny frogs - so small that at first glance, I thought they were just crickets. However, upon further inspection I realized my error and was floored by how cute they were. We returned the next day with a couple collection containers so we could catch a few to bring home to photograph in a more controlled environment (and to not be in the way of other folks trying to use the path).

So where does the spider come in? Well, earlier in the day, Anya caught a jumping spider (a Phidippus audax... yeah, I know, I've gotten to the point where I actually know some of them by their scientific names by heart now) in our kitchen and trapped it in another one of the collection container.

Here are some photos of both the spider and the frogs at equal magnification...

1x magnification	1x magnification	2x magnification	2x magnification

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro, 1/250 sec at f/16. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw. (for all shots)

I know - your first reaction is going to be that these photos are just on different scales and it just appears to be that they are so close in size (honestly, I think the spider is actually a tiny bit bigger), but trust me - these are accurate depictions. In fact, the lens I was using will only focus at specific magnifications, it doesn't work any other day... so if I set it to 1:1 magnification, I can only take photos at 1:1 magnification.

So I have to ask... what is your reaction to this? Answer the poll below and let me know what you think!

- Bill

Ok - it has been quite a while since I've done a poll, so here goes...

Quick and easy one here - Which version is better? With the goose centered vertically or offset towards the bottom?

Centered
Offset

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM at 500mm, 1/1250 sec at f/6.3. OS Mode 1. ISO 800. RAW conversion and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

Cast your vote below!

- Bill

Ok - as promised, we're going to take a break from the spiders today... though we are going to stick with something with eight legs (or are they arms?)

I use a version of this image as the wallpaper on my home computer. When I go to turn the computer off, it fades the image to B&W. Truthfully, I'd never noticed how good of a B&W image it made until just a few days ago. After seeing it, I decided it was time for another go at making underwater black and whites.

I first tried one edit of this image, and then decided I wanted to make a few more modifications to it. I'll share all of those edits, their B&W conversions, and the original (sorry, no B&W of it), and then you can vote on which is your favorite.

Original	Edit #1, Color	Edit #1, B&W	Edit #2, Color	Edit #2, B&W

Place your vote and let me know which version you like best...

- Bill

Ok - just a quick easy poll here... do you like the original vertical orientation or the horizontal cropped orientation of this spider?

Original Vertical

Cropped Horizontal

Cast your vote and leave me a comment why you chose what you chose.

- Bill