Fearless

Gallery: WildlifePosted January 22, 2015168 views8 comments

I just got back to the states a few days ago from a 2 week assignment for the Amazon Conservation Association up the Madre De Dios River in southeastern Peru. Although I was there to document the expedition and the wildlife along the way, the nature of the trip was such that I spent most of the time with machete in hand, helping bushwhack trail through remote areas that haven't yet been explored (by outsiders). The goal was to find old growth forest that could possibly be turned into an ecotourism concession, but no matter how deep we went through trail less forest, we encountered either the remnants of old logging and mining, or palm swamp that seemed to never end.

I'll write up the story soon on my blog, but will have to use the story the trip leader and I told everyone along the way because a few of them asked for my website; that we were two college friends that liked going on crazy adventures to remote places. Everyone we met was either an illegal logger or miner, so even though we could've explained to them that even if the ACA wanted the land for ecotourism, the locals could still refuse to sell, we chose dishonesty and caution, prudently I think.

The somewhat nearby Tambopata River has many Ecolodges and gringos are a common sight there, but in the small jungle village of Lagarto where we stayed several nights, many had never seen a gringo that far up the river. One wonderful thing I discovered was that no matter how far or remote you get in the Amazon, at least in that area of Peru, the little stores that sell a few processed snacks and some fruit always sell beer as well.

This shot was from the couple days we spent at the Ecotourism Lodge called Cicra at the end of our trip, when we were finally on friendly ground again and could relax. This was the biggest Cane Toad i'd ever seen, about 8 inches long, and when I noticed how tall he was standing I decided for a ground level portrait that conveyed their bold, territory-conquering behavior.

Canon 5d Mark iii, 100mm Macro Lens, 1/60 sec at f/2.8, ISO 1250

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on January 22, 2015 at 3:51 PM

A most fearsome toad indeed! I could wish for more DOF, ideally to include the mouth and forelegs, but I am sure from the ISO chosen that the light was none the best. Scary rascal!

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Thomas Haney on January 22, 2015 at 4:39 PM

Yeah Phillip, I definitely would have preferred a deeper depth of field by the understory light was too low. I wanted to try bracketing shots at different planes of focus but the toad wasn't holding still very well at all and one or two shots was all I could manage. Thanks for the feedback.

Registered on April 7, 2013, 138 Posts, 537 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on January 22, 2015 at 8:31 PM

This a nice pose with the eyes in sharp focus. A little extra DoF would have been great, but I know what it is like shooting amphibians in low light. I also like the marbled pattern below the mouth...........................Jim

Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments

Comment posted by Barb Pflaum on January 22, 2015 at 8:35 PM

Very cool image! I love the pose! More DOF would have been nice, but the eyes are nice and sharp, which I think is the most important thing. Also you got a very nice soft bg.

Registered on January 14, 2009, 316 Posts, 2724 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on January 23, 2015 at 2:23 PM

Perfect low angle and I like the stance. The image feels a little tight on the sides though. DOF doesn't bother me

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Jagdeep Rajput on January 24, 2015 at 8:24 AM

Great subject, low POV, piercing eyes....wonderful pic under difficult conditions!
Jagdeep Rajput

Registered on April 29, 2008, 686 Posts, 2857 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on January 26, 2015 at 9:27 AM

Hi Thomas,

Interesting story about your adventure in the Amazon - sounds like a heckuva experience.

Your shot certainly shows apparent defiance and boldness on the part of the toad - it even appears to have a stern frown on its face (though I doubt it could ever show anything else given how its upper and lower jaws are shaped - not that that matters at all)!

I like the overall darkness of the shot and the colour is great. The low angle is excellent and adds so much to that feeling of fearlessness. Like the others I would have liked to see a little more DoF here, but I don't think this technical issue takes away from the image conveying the message or feeling of fearlessness. And, looking at your techs, I don't think you could have stopped down any more with the gear you had on hand (perhaps if you had a heavier and bulkier 1D-x or - on the Nikon side - a D4s along you'd have had more ISO and aperture room, but then you have all the issues associated traveling with heavier/bulkier gear...plus the added expense of it). I think - on balance and given the conditions - the shot is great!

Cheers...

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on January 28, 2015 at 1:48 AM

Sounds like my kind of adventure, and a lot of fun. I think this is a beautiful specimen. I've never seen a cane toad with this type of pattern and coloration before. I like that you opted for natural light, and while I think the DoF is fine, you could have squeezed a bit more at a higher ISO and still maintained some nice image quality with the 5DIII if you'd wanted. My only real wish is for more breathing room on the sides of the toad.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments