Portrait of a yellow rabbit snail (Tylomelania zemis)

Yellow rabbit snail (Tylomelania zemis) native to Lake Poso in Sulawesi, Indonesia

Isn’t this a gorgeous animal? It’s a yellow rabbit snail (Tylomelania zemis)—one of three that I added to my aquarium this past weekend. These snails are native to Lake Poso in Sulawesi, Indonesia, although this is a captive bred specimen. It’s approximately 7.5 cm (3 inches) long including the shell.

Most of the aquarium photos I have posted on this blog have been taken with an Olympus E-620 camera, Zuiko 35mm macro lens and the pop-up on-camera flash. The on-camera flash was well positioned to light a small subject without creating reflections on the glass that showed in the final photo. Using the on-camera flash made it easy to grab the camera and take photos of whenever I saw one of the aquarium inhabitants doing something interesting. But when I went to photograph this rabbit snail with my new camera¹ I discovered that the flash² that came with it sits too low on the hot shoe to work for macro work. I ended-up using my ring flash³ to take these pictures. They turned-out nice, but the ring flash is a bit of a pain to use for aquarium photography because the positioning of the flash tube so close to the lens makes it difficult to avoid reflections of the flash on the glass.

My other flash options are both vintage: either a Vivitar 283 which is a little too big, or an Olympus T20 which is a nice size, but not versatile enough because you can’t adjust the manual output. Both of these flashes are more than 20 years old…I think maybe it’s time to invest in a new modern flash!

Anyhow, here are two more photos of the rabbit snail poking around in the aquarium gravel looking for something to eat. They are very slow moving funny creatures. It will be easy to get more nice pictures in the future, once I sort-out the flash issue.

Yellow rabbit snail (Tylomelania zemis) searching for food in the gravel

Yellow rabbit snail (Tylomelania zemis) searching for food in the gravel

Cheers,
EC

¹Olympus OM-D E-M5
²Olympus FL-LM2
³Olympus RF-11 ring flash

The technical stuff:
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M5
Lens: Zuiko 35mm macro
Settings: manual exposure (F14 @ 1/125 sec)
Lighting: Olympus RF-11 ring flash (1/2 power)
ISO: 200

Introducing my other blogs for WWF-Canada

I started writing this blog last year purely for the fun of it, and as a way to both encourage my photography and give me an excuse to spend more time playing with creepy crawlers.

But I occasionally write a blog for my day job too. They don’t tend to be as much fun as what I post here because the topics are usually bad news stories for wildlife conservation (see for example: Field reports indicate slaughter of elephants, conservation staff evacuated). But it occurs to me that readers of this blog might also be interested in international wildlife conservation issues. So I have added the link “WWF-Canada blogs” in the “Other great nature blogs” box on the bottom right of this page. If you click on the link you will go to the list of my blogs on that site. If you are interested you can click to subscribe to my future posts on the site.

Cheers,
EC

White box photographs of a Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla): part II

Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla) on moss

My last post (see White box photographs of a Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla) part I) featured classic white box photographs of a Pacific tree frog. By classic, I mean they featured the animal against a featureless white background. Once I was satisfied with those pictures I decided to take another series with the same soft lighting but with a more natural background. So I went out to the garden and brought in a pot of soil in which I have been cultivating a miniature garden of moss. The pot is meant as a hanging basket so it is wide and low—perfect as a backdrop for macro photography. All I had to do was put the pot inside the white box and place the frog in the pot. The rest of the set-up stayed the same.

Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla) on moss

Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla) on moss

Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla) on moss

This second series was much easier to take as the frog appeared more relaxed and secure nestled amongst the moss. And as you can see, the photos turned-out really nice and have a very different “mood” from the photos in my previous post. The white background of the first series really emphasized the bright colours of the frog while these new pictures (which I was tempted to subtitle “Green on Green”) seem to give the frog more personality. I find these photos to be “cuter”. Or maybe it’s just me…

Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla) on moss

Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla) on moss

 In any case the combination of white box and pot of moss worked out really well. I’ll definitely use this combination more in the future.

Cheers,
EC

The technical stuff:
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M5
Lens: Zuiko 12-50mm ƒ/3.5-6.3 zoom
Settings: manual exposure (F11-16 @ 1/125 sec)
Lighting: Vivitar 283 flash and VP-1 Vari-power adapter (1/16 power)
ISO: 200

White box photographs of a Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla): part I

Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla)

There are a lot of reasons to love spring of course…but for a photographer of little critters a big reason is that suddenly there are lots of things to photograph!  During the winter it can be a real challenge to find subjects, but when the weather warms up all you have to do some days is walk outside and there is a good chance you’ll find something interesting…

Last weekend I went out to mow the lawn and happened upon this little Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla). I scooped it up to save it from the mower and of course to take the opportunity to take a few photos. I opted to take it into the house and photograph it in a white box. It would have been nice to have photographed it in its natural surroundings, but it wasn’t likely to pose for me after being picked-up—and understandably so. Besides, I thought that the soft lighting of the white box would make for some nice pictures while the box itself would help contain the critter during the shoot.

Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla)

 I set-up the white box in the usual way (see How to: white box photography of Macleay’s spectre stick insects) and used my new Olympus OM-D E-M5 Micro Four Thirds body.  For a lens I first chose my trusty Zuiko 35mm macro (using the MMF-3 Adapter to attach it to the body) but I found that not only was the auto focus very slow, I also found the viewfinder to be rather dark. I ended-up doing much of the shoot using the Zuiko 12-50mm kit lens instead. Hopefully the viewfinder issue with the 35mm macro won’t be a problem when I am shooting outdoors with brighter ambient light. 

Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla)

An addition to my usual white box set-up was a cup of clean rainwater. Amphibians have smooth, soft skin which is permeable to water. Therefore water evaporates rapidly from their skin and a small frog like this one could dry up and die in a relatively short time. The cup of water was there so that I could give it a little swim periodically to keep it hydrated and healthy. I also washed my hands with lots of fresh water to ensure I didn’t have any soap or other potentially dangerous chemicals on my hands that could be absorbed through the frog’s skin.

Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla)

The thing about shooting tree frogs in a studio is that they bounce around a lot…but not like a rubber ball—more like a piece of wet toilet paper. They leap and then stick in place wherever they land. Photographing a tree frog typically goes something like the following:

• Put the frog in place for the photo.
• “Sproing—splat” as it immediately leaps away and lands on the wall.
• Put the frog in place for the photo.
• “Sproing—splat.” Frog is on the wall again.
• Put the frog in place for the photo.
• “Sproing—splat.” Frog is on your face.
• Put the frog in place for the photo.
• “Sproing—splat.” Frog is on the wall again.
• Put the frog in place for the photo.
• “Sproing—splat.” Frog is on the lens.
• Put the frog in the cup of water to rehydrate, and clean the lens.
• Start again and repeat.

In-studio (white box) photograph of a Pacific tree frog as it peers into the camera lens

Eventually if you are persistent and patient the frog will sit in place long enough to get a photo…maybe two…before it jumps again. And that is pretty much how this shoot went. As you can see I did get some nice photos of this little critter. As I expected, the white box did a nice job of lighting the critter, and its colours show up nice and bright against the pure white background.

Once I was satisfied that I had a good series of pictures I decided to try and take another series with a more natural background. Those photos will be the subject of my next post (White box photographs of a Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla): part II).

Stay tuned…
EC

The technical stuff:
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M5
Lens: Zuiko 12-50mm ƒ/3.5-6.3 zoom and Zuiko 35mm macro
Settings: manual exposure (F11-16 @ 1/125 sec)
Lighting: Vivitar 283 flash and VP-1 Vari-power adapter (1/16 power)
ISO: 200

My first attempt at video: western thatching ants in action!

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that in late February I bought a new camera: an Olympus OM-D E-M5 (see I’m baaaack! (Part II)). I had a number of reasons for buying the camera, and one of them was that I really wanted to try my hand at video. My Olympus e-volt 620—the camera I have used to take most of the photos on this blog—is an absolutely great camera and I have been very happy with it. But it doesn’t record video.

A couple of weeks ago I was in Deas Island park (one of my favourite places to photograph insects) and took the opportunity to take some video of western thatching ants. I really didn’t have a plan, and to be honest, I wasn’t all that sure of what I was doing! But I shot a few minutes of video, came home and edited the footage using MS Movie Maker. Amazingly the whole process only took a couple of hours! Mind you, it’s amateurish and probably a bit silly—David Attenborough certainly has nothing to worry about—but it was fun to do. This little project really has me thinking about the possibilities…

Please check it out and don’t hesitate to comment. Any suggestions for improvement would be gratefully received.

Cheers,
EC

The technical stuff:
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M5
Lens: Zuiko 12-50mm ƒ/3.5-6.3 zoom
Settings: auto exposure (wide view: F8 @ 1/320 sec; close-up: F6.3 @ 1/100 sec)
Lighting: Ambient light
ISO: 200

I’m baaaack….Part III: fried bugs as a nutritious and tasty snack!

A very friendly Thai gentleman selling stir-fried insects outside the Chatuchak (weekend) market in Bangkok, Thailand

Hey! What’s this…another post so soon? It’s only been two days instead of a month! 

All self-sarcasm aside, I hope this foreshadows a return to regular postings for me. Hard to believe that once upon a time I was posting every day! These days I hardly ever get the time to take photos or play with bugs and worms and other wiggly things that most people consider icky—never mind actually writing about it. Between the arrival of spring (bringing the opportunity to go out and play with said icky things) and work (hopefully) quieting down, hopefully that will all change… 

I wrote in my last blog (see I’m baaaack….!Part II) that while I was in Bangkok I only had the time to take 28 photos (28 to be exact)—but I also wrote that those photos included a few images of insects. Well, here they are! 

As you can see from the accompanying photos, I saw a lot of insects in Bangkok. But they were almost all dead. Not just dead, they were fried! 

Here’s the story: on the one free afternoon I had while in Bangkok I took the skytrain out to the Chatuchak (weekend) market: the biggest weekend market in the world. This market is incredible: it is HUGE (according to Wikipedia it covers over 35 acres and contains more than 5,000 stalls); it’s CROWDED. It’s a vast labyrinth of stalls, tiny shops and carts selling absolutely everything. It’s chaotic, confusing and utterly fascinating. I spent a couple of hours going through the live animals and tropical fish area. Most of the animals I saw were the same species you might find in a pet shop in North America. There were some exceptions, however, such as the numerous pet squirrels (which appeared to be captive born). Happily most of the critters appeared to be legal and well taken care of—which perhaps wasn’t too surprising considering the largest global wildlife conservation meeting was taking place in the city at that time. I can’t help but wonder if things would be different if I visited now. Even with CITES CoP 16 happening I still saw a few examples of illegal wildlife trade, such as the one vendor who was selling wild caught fledgling hawks and owls. His set-up was clearly temporary and included a big sign saying that no photos were allowed… 

The most interesting vendor was a tiny store that sold only beetles, beetle larvae and the media and equipment to care for them. It was really cool (in more than one way as it was thankfully air conditioned). I know that beetle husbandry is a popular hobby in some countries, but not in Canada. Unfortunately the owner spoke no English—and I certainly don’t speak Thai—so I wasn’t able to ask any questions. 

Anyhow, the afternoon I was at the market the temperature was 35°C (95°F) and 100% humidity (or so it felt) and in the market there wasn’t a breath of air. After a couple hours I was absolutely dying—I desperately needed air conditioning, a shower and a gallon of water to drink. When I exited the market I came across this cheerful vendor who was selling a variety of fried insects. I wasn’t looking for a tasty snack, but I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to take a few photos. 

Fried caterpillars

Fried silk worm pupae (Bombyx mori)

 

Fried crickets

Another photo of fried giant water bugs–the idea of eating these critters was pretty intimidating as they were 7-10 cm (3-4 inches) long!

For those that don’t like to eat bugs, deep-fried fledgling birds were also available!

There isn’t much to say about my photo technique for these photos. I was too hot to want to think about it; I just set my camera to auto everything, took these snapshots and headed back to the hotel. 

I’m afraid that I can’t tell you how they tasted…maybe next time! 

Cheers,
EC 

The technical stuff:
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M5
Lens: Zuiko 12-50mm ƒ/3.5-6.3 zoom
Settings: auto exposure (wide view: F8 @ 1/320 sec; close-up: F6.3 @ 1/100 sec)
Lighting: Ambient light
ISO: 200

I’m baaaack….Part II (at last!)

My “travelling light” camera gear: (1): Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera with Zuiko 12-50mm ƒ/3.5-6.3 zoom lens; (2): FL-LM2 accessory flash; (3): USB Cable; (4): hot shoe flash cable; (5): High Voltage protection Hot Shoe PC Adapter; (6): Pentax pocket/table tripod; (7): vintage Olympus T-20 flash

As I noted in my last blog, in late February I travelled to Bangkok to attend CITES CoP 16 (see I’m baaaack….!). While I was there I had every intention of working on my photography in my spare time. Sadly, I greatly underestimated how little free time I would have. More on that in a bit…

When it came to packing my camera equipment, I needed to travel very light. A CoP is a suit and tie kind of event and I needed to have enough clothes to see me through over two weeks of meetings. In the heat and humidity of Bangkok you go through at least one dress shirt per day. And of course you need casual clothes for the evenings—I’m not the kind of guy that wears a suit and tie any more than necessary! In addition to a lot of clothes I needed my laptop and power cord, Blackberry, toiletries, battery chargers…It was ridiculous; I packed less stuff for eight weeks on Safari in East Africa! Mind you, for some inexplicable reason, when I packed for Africa I only included three pairs of socks! But that’s another (and rather stinky) story…

Anyhow, as I was saying, I needed to organise some light and compact yet versatile camera gear for my trip. I knew I would have very little free time (rather an understatement as it turns out) so I left out any serious macro equipment. I figured that as long as I could get a decent photo of a medium sized insect, I’d be happy. I also wanted the option of using an off-camera flash so that if the opportunity arose I could improvise a simple white box like I did in Mexico last fall (see Improvised white box photography of a scarab beetle using photocopier paper). That meant a small flash and hot-shoe extension cable rather than my bulky ring flash or one of my Vivitar 283 flashes.

Above is a picture of the gear I finally put together. For a body I took a brand new Olympus OM-D E-M5 mirrorless Micro Four Thirds camera that I bought just before leaving for Bangkok. It’s a sweet piece of equipment but I had absolutely no time to play with it before I left—so I made sure to pack the instruction manual! For a lens I just went with the Zuiko 12-50mm kit lens that came with the camera. In 35mm terms (on the OM-D) it is the equivalent of a 24-100mm lens, and it has a macro feature that allows you to focus almost to 1:2 magnification. This camera and lens together make an amazingly versatile but SMALL package.

The OM-D comes with a FL-LM2 accessory flash that clips onto the camera hot shoe. That’s good enough for general snap-shots. For the off-camera flash I dug out a vintage Olympus T-20 flash I bought back in the 1980s. I only used this flash  a few times and it was still packed in its original box. I bought a suitable hot shoe flash cable to connect the T-20 to the camera and of course a high voltage protection hot shoe adapter to protect the camera from damage when using the older generation flash. I also added a small folding Pentax table tripod that I have had kicking around for decades (I honestly don’t remember where I got it). Last but not least I needed a USB cable to download photos to my laptop. This whole assemblage fit in two small bags which fit in turn into my carry-on backpack along with my laptop, book, glasses, etc. Theoretically this set-up was all I needed to do some nice close-up photography both in the field and in the “studio” (my hotel room).

Sadly, the key word is “theoretically”. In the 16 days I was in Bangkok, I only had the time to take fewer than 30 photos (28 to be exact), and none of them were “studio” shots. It’s really too bad that I wasn’t able to really test this collection of equipment. It’s not a bad compact set-up, so I’m going to organise some photo shoots this spring where I’ll limit myself to this gear to just to see if it works as well as I hoped. After all, I’ll definitely be travelling more for work in the future. Stay tuned for an update in the future.

As for those 28 photos I took in Bangkok…they did include a few images of insects—but they are a little bit different than my usual work. They’ll be the subject of my next post…

Cheers,
EC

The technical stuff:
Camera: Olympus E-620 digital SLR
Lens: Zuiko 35mm macro
Settings: manual exposure (F14 @ 1/125 sec)
Lighting: Olympus RF-11 ring flash (manual; 1/2 power)
ISO: 100