07/5/10

FROGS ARE GREEN 2010 Photo Contest!

We’re excited to announce the 2nd Annual FROGS ARE GREEN Photo contest!

Here are the rules:

This year we will be accepting submissions in two categories: Frogs in the Wild and Backyard Frogs. Backyard Frog photos would include such photos as a frog perched on your picnic table or other unusual place. Last year, for example, we received a photo of a frog sitting on a pool hose. Frogs in the Wild photos, on the other hand, should feature frogs, toads, or other amphibians in their natural habitat: frog ponds, marshes, in the woods, and so on.

PLEASE—no photo manipulation and no photos of pet frogs. Please do not move the frog to get a better photo. Photos of amphibians of all kinds, including salamanders, will be accepted. E-mail all photos to us at Frogs Are Green. All photos should be in jpeg format and no larger than 3 MB. Please name your photo a short but distinctive name, (with no spaces, such as, “susan-frog-NJ.jpg”) and include a caption detailing your name, email and the location of the photo. All entries must be received by September 15, 2010. Winners will be announced October 4, 2010.

PRIZES

Winner:

The winner will receive a Frogs Are Green t-shirt or poster of his/her choice or we can design a special t-shirt and/or poster with your winning photo. The photo will be featured in a separate post and the photo will also appear on the front page of the blog all year.

Honorable mentions:

Honorable mention photos will appear in a gallery on our blog and the photographers will receive our small Red-Eyed Tree Frog poster.

SOME TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING AMPHIBIANS

For those of you who have never photographed an amphibian, here are some tips from the book Frogs: A Chorus of Colors by John and Deborah Behler, which has a chapter on photographing these elusive and well-camouflaged creatures:

• Try to learn about the animal first. What is its habitat? When are they active?
• Walk slowly and stop frequently (it helps to have someone with you who is less than 3 feet tall and has sharp eyes). Frogs and toads blend in so well that they are hard to find. Be alert for subtle movements.
• In summer, you might find the sit-and-wait frog predators hanging out on the edges of ponds and lakes.
• Be aware of the position of the sun. Avoid taking pictures at midday on bright sunny days. In the morning, face east and it will keep sunlight from coming into your lens and washing out your photos.
• Don’t necessarily put the subject in the middle of the photo. Keep the whole animal in the photo, but compose the picture so the background tells a story.
• Bracket your photos, i.e., take the same shot with different settings. Also, try taking a flash photo. Without a flash, animals in photos may look lifeless and poorly lighted.
• Try to be on the same level as your subject.
• State parks, bird sanctuaries, and wildlife refuges are good places to find amphibians.

You don’t need fancy equipment. I took this photo of a bullfrog in low light with a Kodak EasyShare camera on the Flower Setting (close up).

Bullfrog, photo by Mary Jo Rhodes

On your travels this summer, keep your eye peeled for our froggy friends and send in your photos!

06/14/10

Northern Leopard Frog: Hidden in the Grass

Over Memorial Day, my family and I explored Frotenac Provincial Park in southeastern Ontario, Canada. We called this park Frog Heaven because it was full of swamps, marshes, and  frogs ponds.

I saw a few bullfrogs, but my son spotted what I’m pretty sure is a Northern Leopard Frog (any herpetologists out there who would like to confirm this for me?) Below are a few photos: the leopard frog perfectly camouflaged and the same frog close up. The frog did not jump away when it sensed us nearby, but sat frozen in place—the better to hide from a predator. But that gave us the opportunity to take lots of pictures of it.

Frotenac Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Photo by Mary Jo Rhodes

Northern Leopard Frog, camouflaged. Photo by Mary Jo Rhodes

Northern Leopard Frog close up. Photo by Mary Jo Rhodes

Leopard frogs, sometimes called meadow frogs, are found from southern Canada to northern Mexico. They are usually green or brown with dark spots. Northern Leopard frogs live in permanent ponds, swamps, marshes, and slow-moving streams throughout forest. Because they are especially sensitive to chemical pollutants, their numbers have declined since the 1970s due to acid rain and deforestation. You can read more about them and hear their distinctive snore-like call on eNature.

Please keep your eye out for frogs or other amphibians in your travels this summer. You might want to take pictures of them and submit them to the second annual Frogs Are Green photo contest (details to come later this week)!
09/15/09

Announcing the Winner of the FROGS ARE GREEN Photo Contest

First off, Susan and I would like to thank all the photographers who entered the FROGS ARE GREEN photo contest. We were thrilled to receive your entries and it was incredibly difficult to pick a winner. We received entries from all over the world.

This is how we chose our winner:

Because we had asked for a frog picture in a natural setting, we felt we had to stick to our own rules. That said, we got some wonderful photos of frogs in unusual places. Next year, we will have a category for this. We would like to do a separate post in the coming weeks highlighting these photos (with the photographers’ permission, of course).

Of the remaining photos, Susan and I each separately picked five favorites. From the photos we had chosen in common, we then picked one winner and one honorable mention.

So without further ado, the WINNER of our first photo contest is:

Joceyln Hyers

Jocelyn-Hyers-frog

Green Tree Frog (Hyla cinerea), Pierce County, Georgia, USA. Photo by Jocelyn Hyers

Camera Info:
Fuji Finepix s700
Shutter: 1/64
Aperture: F/3.5
Focal Length: 13 mm
ISO: 100

Both Susan and I were struck by the unusual composition and peacefulness of the photo below of frogs resting on leaves so we are giving an Honorable Mention to June Dufour.

Frogs on leaves. Photo by June Dufour

Frogs on leaves. Photo by June Dufour

To all the photographers: With your permission, we would love to insert your photos in future posts on FROGS ARE GREEN. We would, however, contact you before using the photo to get your permission. Your name and a link (if desired) would be included. We think your beautiful photos deserve to be seen!

Thanks again for participating in our contest!

08/10/09

Photo Contest Update

Susan and I are thrilled by the many entries we’ve received for the Frogs Are Green photo contest! If you haven’t sent in a photo, you still have time: the deadline for sending in entries is September 1st. So as you go off on vacation to the lake, woods, or mountains, keep your eye out for photogenic amphibians. Or if you are having a staycation, consider spending a day checking out your local area for frogs. I hope you will also take a little time to browse through the wonderful photos we’ve received. The thumbnails of the photos are along the right side of the blog. If you click on the photo you will see the photographers’ names as well as additional photos they have submitted.

Wood Frog, White Mountains, NH

Wood Frog, White Mountains, NH

07/17/09

Frogs of Summer: Wood Frog

Sometimes it seems that the charismatic frogs get all the attention (like our mascot, the red-eyed tree frog). But the more ordinary frogs with muted colors have a beauty all their own.

Recently, my husband John and younger son Tim took a trip to New Hampshire where it rained every day. But all this rain brought out—you guessed it—lots of frogs and toads. My husband took this picture of a Wood Frog near Lookout Ledge in Randolph, New Hampshire (in the White Mountains). Unfortunately because he’s my husband, he’s disqualified from entering the Frogs Are Green photo contest!

Wood Frog, photo copyright John Rounds

Wood Frog, photo copyright John Rounds

Despite the rainy vacation, I’m glad my husband was able to get this beautiful photo. He took the picture on a hike on the one slightly sunny afternoon they had, using an ordinary point-and-shoot digital camera and a flash.

Here’s information about Wood Frogs:

Wood Frogs live in Northeastern US and most of Canada. In the winter they hibernate in places where it goes well below freezing—the water in their bodies freezes solid. This ability allows the Wood Frog to live further north than any other reptile or amphibian in North America. It is easily recognized by the dark mask around its eyes and the prominent ridges along its back.

07/12/09

Announcing the FROGS ARE GREEN photo contest

We are happy to announce the FROGS ARE GREEN photo contest. The winner will receive a free “Prince of Amphibians” t-shirt and we’ll feature the photo in the gallery on our blog. See the information on the left side of the blog. (Note: your photo can be of any amphibian, including salamanders).

For those of you who have never photographed an amphibian, here are some tips from the book Frogs: A Chorus of Colors by John and Deborah Behler, which has a chapter on photographing these elusive and well-camouflaged creatures:

  • Try to learn about the animal first. What is its habitat? When are they active?
  • Walk slowly and stop frequently (it helps to have someone with you who is less than 3 feet tall and has sharp eyes). Frogs and toads blend in so well that they are hard to find. Be alert for subtle movements.
  • In summer, you might find the sit-and-wait frog predators hanging out on the edges of ponds and lakes.
  • Be aware of the position of the sun. Avoid taking pictures at midday on bright sunny days. In the morning, face east and it will keep sunlight from coming into your lens and washing out your photos.
  • Don’t necessarily put the subject in the middle of the photo. Keep the whole animal in the photo, but compose the picture so the background tells a story.
  • Bracket your photos, i.e., take the same shot with different settings. Also, try taking a flash photo. Without a flash, animals in photos may look lifeless and poorly lighted.
  • Try to be on the same level as your subject.

Have fun!

My husband John and son Jeremy looking at a toad

My husband John and son Jeremy looking at a toad