Hello Again

It has been a hectic week. With the warmer than normal weather we have been having the American Toads have emerged and began calling about a month earlier than normal, and I have been out in the ponds every night getting lots of fresh frog images. Tonight it is a little cooler so things sound relatively quiet out in the ponds tonight...a good night to get caught up on things I suppose.

Every spring when I go out to the ponds to photograph the frogs and toads during the spring chorus, I look forward to seeing a huge Snapping Turtle that over-winters in these ponds. I have seen this turtle every year for 15 years and I presume that it feeds on crayfish, frogs and frog eggs before heading off to a more permanent body of water. Last night I found it again among a batch of Wood Frog eggs. The turtle was under the water's surface for this image, but it would lift its head slightly from time-to-time to check me out. Last year I posted a Fractalius of the turtle, so this year I am posting a Topaz B&W Effects treatment to the latest image of this old friend.

Look forward to comments.

Attachment 110670

A face only a Mother could love! :w3 Wonderfully processed pattern and detail of this close-up capture, Andrew. Glad you two were able to rendezvous again in the Spring.

Interesting image and application, Andrew.

Nice patterns on it.

This is cool! I was trying to figure out what kind of frog this was till I read your description :S3: The details are awesome as is the pattern. Surely the water added a bit of blur but it has still come out very nice. TFS.

Andrew, I like the abstarct look of it and the details. This might also look nice as just a head shot.

Thanks folks, much appreciated

I'm late to the party! I really like the filter work. Makes it look better than they normally look, at least the ones around here are pretty scary!

Looks a little like Steven Harper...Nice image and effects, I'd probably never want one of my expensive lenses this near a Snapper...