Ostecephalus - Peru

[Andrew McLachlan]

177613

In September 2017 I took part in a night time excursion at the base of the Ahuashiyacu Falls in the foothills of the Andes Mountains in the Amazon Rainforest near Tarapoto, Peru. This Osteoceohalus species of treefrog was very abundant around the pool at the base of the falls. I was able to photograph adults as well as tadpoles emerging from the pools. In October 2019 I will be hosting my first photo tour in this area and night time excursions to this location are on the list of locations to visit. Here's a link for more info: http://www.birdsasart-blog.com/2018/08/11/photographing-perus-amazonian-rainforest-with-andrew-mclachlan/

Nikon D500
Nikon 105 Micro Lens
ISO 100
f22 at 1/60 sec
Nikon SB400 Speelight on a Wimberley F-2 Macro Bracket

Looking forward to comments and suggestions.

[Basil Dardagan]

Truly unbelievable - a mesmerizing image

[Gabriela Plesea]

Dear Andrew,
This is a stunning capture and IQ is superb. Subject stands out beautifully against that dark BG. Beautiful colours and nice framing too, love the inclusion of the little ant in the corner! Wonderful work - congratulations:cheers:

Warmest regards,

[John Mack]

Very nice. Love those eyes. This must be a small frog or that is a big ant. The composition and everything else looks great.

[Andrew McLachlan]

Thanks for the kind comments folks, they are much appreciated!

John...this tree frog is about 2 inches long...I never saw the ant until I got back home to the computer. I did however photograph Bullet Ants in Peru and they are absolutely huge. I will post an image of one in a day or two.

[David Cowling]

Wonderful close up photography. Exposure and lighting spot on. I like the ant in L/H corner as it adds another dimension and is also a good indication of the size of the frog.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Andrew this is a belter if ever I saw one! I love the light and the ant is a real enhancer to what was already a very good image.
I have just been googling the flash bracket you use, I am guessing the flash in this case was head on above and about 3- 40 degrees to subject????

[Andrew McLachlan]

Thanks David and Jonathan for the additional comments.

Jonathan...you are absolutely correct on the flash positioning. I use that lighting technique for all my flash macro work on frogs and insects. I have recently played around with creating home made flash diffusers with polystyrene foam sheeting which works amazingly well. I have used it extensively for captive bred dart frogs which I will share once my workshop schedule settles down. I am home for one day then gone again for another week.