When You Smile for the Camera

[john crookes]

Went out last night as it was the first really warm rain of the spring to look for Salamanders.

We found both Jefferson's and Spotted along with numerous wood froogs and spring peepers crossing a country road to reach a vernal pool where the activity was really high

This is a Yellow Spotted Salamander photographed under a translucent tent with four flashes

Nikon D3
105 micro vr
ISO 400
f16
1/125th

[Horacio Scotti]

wow... what can i say? simply amazing! :eek:

I would want to know more about the translucent tent and the flashes set...

[Jim Poor]

Really awesome, and it does look like he's smiling! Another vote for info on the tent flash set up. Maybe a picture of the whole shebang?

[Robert O'Toole]

Very nice John, I really like the image. The expression, details and sharpness are great.

To me the lighting looks strongly side lit from the right, maybe the "tent" wasnt centered?

You are very lucky, We used to see Salamanders in So Cal (and frogs) all the time. I havent seen any in years! I really think they are all gone since there is almost no areas left unpaved except for a few natural areas. We never had spotted in so Cal though, what a great species!!!!

Robert

[Mary Stamper]

Love this shot!

[Mike Moats]

Hey John, very cool image, love this little guy. I like the DOF.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hi John,
I like the look all around. Very well done,
Roman

[Gus Cobos]

Very nice John,
Love the composition, colors, and your happy little friend...:cool:

[Robert Amoruso]

Very cool looking image. I like the DOF and the composition.

[john crookes]

Thanks for all of the comments.

We are planning another trip to the vernal pool for Saturday

and I will try and Remember to take a couple of photos of the setup that i use and will post them.

Basically it is a table top light tent that is sold for product shots that we modify for outside photography by removing the background and floor so it can sit on top of whatever elements you have outside

I then use two sb-800's as my main lights and two sb-r200's as fill

they are all controlled with the su-800 comander on my d3 and the sb-800's are on group a with the fills on group b

you try and get you ratios before you start photographing your subjets and it helps if you have a friend with you to wrangle the critters as one photographs and then you switch positions and wrangle for the other person

this allows the photographer to concentrate on the task

more later

[Robert Smith]

Yep, a frog wrangler definitely helps! Sounds like a neat setup and looks like good results. A really striking image of a neat salamander! Thanks for sharing.

[Harold Davis]

Well done, john!!! love the compostion here. that pose is priceless!

[john crookes]

Continuing from where i left off here is a picture from Saturday night which turned out to be a dry night even though the forecast was for rain " Murphy's Law "

anyways the picture shows the tent set up over some natural material with the two SB-800's on the side with additional difusion material to soften the light and two SB-R200's set up on bars to direct a small amount of light downwards

Two diffusion reflectors set up in front of the tent to bounce a bit of light back into the subjet and under

[Jim Poor]

Hey, thanks. Totally different from what I had imagined in my head :D