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Handsome Prince


Handsome Prince
Photo Information
Copyright: Pam Russell (coasties) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3749 W: 483 N: 8155] (28054)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-08-04
Categories: Amphibians
Camera: Canon EOS 20D, Canon EF 100-400mm L IS USM, Digital RAW 200, Hoya UV 77mm
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): jmp *2, F r o g s [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2007-09-02 2:22
Viewed: 8133
Favorites: 5 [view]
Points: 80
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Southern Bell Frog (Litoria raniformis)
Synonymy: Green frog

The southern bell frog which grows to a length of 105mm was introduced from Australia in 1870. It is one of three common Australian imports seen around New Zealand, the other two

species being the golden bell frog and the whistling tree frog. New Zealand has three species of native frog but these are very rare and secretive so any frog you may come across will almost definitely be introduced.

New Zealand’s native frogs (Leoipelma spp.) are unusual in that their eggs are laid in moist muddy areas under stones and logs. The tadpole stage takes place within the egg and a young froglet hatches, unlike other species where there is a freeswimming tadpole.

FROG FACTS: When frogs are inactive they breathe almost exclusively through their skin and mouth lining, however they need more oxygen when they are hunting etc so they need to ‘gulp’ air. This forces air down into their lungs (compared to humans where our muscular diaphragm results in sucking air into the lungs).

Frogs shed their skin (and then eat it!) to get rid of unwanted external parasites. Replacing it with new moist skin also maintains the ease with which they breathe.

Frogs do not have eyelids but instead have a see-through nictitating membrane that moistens, cleans and protects the eye. The eyes protrude upwards so the rest of the body can remain submerged when looking for potential predators such as the heron. When feeding on a particularly large animal, the eyes can actually be retracted into the head, applying pressure on the back of the throat. This helps force the food down into the stomach!

Frogs that live on land will generally have straight, narrow toes and those that live mostly in water will have webbed feet. The green and whistling frogs are both tree frogs, and as such have suction pads at the end of their toes to assist with climbing.

Females can make noises (very rarely), but not the croak associated with frogs. It is the male that calls frequently and loudly. New Zealand’s native frogs cannot vocalise loudly at all and have no eardrums with which to pick up on such communication.

Frogs are carnivores and will only eat live food. New Zealand’s frogs (native and introduced) seize their prey by ‘lining it up’ and then pouncing. They do not use their tongues to capture prey like many other frogs.

IMAGE INFORMATION

Camera: Canon 20D
Time of day: 16:29 p.m.
Date: 4th August 2007
Location: Indoors enclosure Auckland Zoo
Conditions: Through dirty glass with back lighting from inside Frog enclosure
Lens: Canon 100-400mm L IS
Filter: Hoya 77mm UV
Shutter Speed: 1/250
F-Stop: F/9
Focal Length: 400mm
ISO: 200
Support: Hand Held
Flash: Canon 580EX Speedlite
Original file type: Digital Raw
anel, LuDivine, haraprasan, vanderschelden, fartash, ellis49, uleko, juanit, Silke, jrobertop, earthtraveler, captainsgirl, parthasarathi, sway, rcrick, marhowie, TAZ, jmp, horia, VanessaRB has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To ellis49: Now the summer is overcoasties 1 09-02 11:24
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Pam, splendid portrait with wonderful details, great composition, very well done, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • anel Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 3053 W: 3 N: 8715] (40574)
  • [2007-09-02 2:32]

Hi Pam,
This pictures comes straight out of Fairy Tales. Excellent. I love the expression of the frog.
Thanks and best regards
Anne

  • Great 
  • Zeno Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 483 W: 0 N: 1345] (10867)
  • [2007-09-02 2:34]

Hi Pam,

This frog looks handsome. No doubt. It looks like this frog has got an orange crown. King frog! Wonderful capture and great composition.

regards,
Zeno.

Hi Pam,
good picture, he def looks like a prince! well done.
Interesting note too. Cheers. LuDivine

Hi Pam,
great photo :) The expression of the frog is so nice.
Great composition, colors and sharpness

TFS
Tatjana

Hi Pam,

Beautiful lovely image well composed and so sharp, I like it
TFS
Jean-Michel

hello pam,
this frog really looks very cute, the pov is excellnt, nicely composed shot, lovely colours,
well composed,
very well done,
tfs & regards
pankaj

Hi Pam,
that's the shot of the day - I loooove it!
What a cute prince - he made me smile, thanks you made my day ...
Sabine - wishnugaruda

Hello Pam,
Beautiful compo.
I like the square concerning your presentation. It adds to the composition. Your model is very beautiful and has a nice pose.
Well done
TFS
Annick

Hello Pam
Excellent shot of this Bell Frog,
Perfect focusing,lighting and BG,
Superb shot,Welldone.

Good Luck
Fartash

Hi Pam.
a beautiful shot of the prince with great pose and POV.
Well composed wery good sharpness and fine details.
Nice colours and lighting.
Well done, my friend.

Now the summer is over, the autumn is here with cold mornings
but with sunny days.

  • Great 
  • ddg Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 867 W: 24 N: 1008] (5507)
  • [2007-09-02 6:12]

Bonjour Pam, c'est une réussite cette Green Frog, très belle lumière et composition parfaite, I like a lot the colors and sharpness under the frog, very well done, regards, Didier.

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3396 W: 172 N: 3310] (10940)
  • [2007-09-02 6:39]

Hello Pam,
What a charming portrait of this little prince! A really brilliant composition, both designwise and colourwise! I like the sharp focus on the frog showing very sharp details and his pose is perfect! Well done!
Many thanks and regards, Ulla

Hi Pam
What a great capture,the title is befitting of the shot.Great composition and exposure,really vibrant colours of the frog and nice sharp details
Regards
Anita

  • Great 
  • Silke Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 729 W: 98 N: 1707] (5458)
  • [2007-09-02 8:41]

Your PoV is simply perfect, turning this little green delight into the perfect prince!
Outstanding colours and details -- and a wonderful image all around
TFs
silke

Well that is just tooooo cute. It is a wonderful capture. I love the iridescence. Nice work. It is a great crop.

TFS
Evelynn : )

Hi Pam,
Beautiful smile!
Wonderful frog with magnicifent colors!
Excellent POV, sharpness and contrast.
Register rich in details.
Thanks for sharing!
Congratulations!
José Roberto

  • Great 
  • rdfoto Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 372 W: 0 N: 719] (3295)
  • [2007-09-02 13:03]

Bonjour Pam
Magnifique composition, excellente mise en scène,
et gestion de l'exposition.
? j'éspère que tu l'a embrassé ;-)
Amicalement Robi

Just Beautiful!!!

Hi Pam,
Fine image of this frog creatively composed.
Great focus,pov, and color.
TFS
Richard

Hi Pam,
A beautiful frog this southern bell frog is. So cute looking. You have captured it very well with excellent details and composition. Thanks a lot for sharing.

.

Hi Pam, your photos title so fitting as it seems as the flower behind this cute front is making a crown for him! Beautiful color and love the close up shot! TFS
Donna:o)

Nice shot. Your model's gesture also shows that he is HAPPY.

Hi Pam,
Its a long time since I've seen any kind of frog,but I've heard them when I've been near wetlands.
This is a beautiful shot.
Perfect exposure colour and details.
Very nicely done.
Cheers,Steve

  • Great 
  • sway Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 305 W: 85 N: 319] (1276)
  • [2007-09-03 21:29]

ROF LOL...

Very good. Love his crown!
Nice crisp shot. Well composed.
DOF perfect.
Love the leaf roll in the foreground.
Great work!! A+
:-)

Hi Pam, Just stunning, what a capture, the detail and the colours are spot-on, excellent shot tfs Cheers Rick :)

You are so fortunate to find this shot. The lighting is excellent, and the background is just amazing. That crown looking plant is the feature to go with your title. Really good Pam!!

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3277 W: 148 N: 6163] (18832)
  • [2007-09-04 2:06]

Oh Pam, I love his crown! Well positioned. Did you kiss him?
No, you can't have, I would have been told by Thelma!
Cheers
Janice

Hi Pam,
And a hansome prince he is, almost looks as though the plant in the background is a crown on top of his head. A well thought of shot and nicely executed. :)

Hello Pam,
marvelous pose and a good composition and an effective idea to fit a prince successfully in the scheme of things.
TFS
CoolNik

this is absolutely perfect!

Bonjour Pam,
Belle composition et beau cadrage
Excellente photo ,tres belles couleurs,netteté et qualité d'image.

bravo et au revoir....JP!

Hi Pam,
The handsome prince, and nicely crowned as well!
This one really came together for you, it has that something special..very special indeed :)
Very well done.
Howard

Hi Pam,
What a wonderful and lovely capture of this very handsome prince. I like his metalic look, created by the fill flash, a lot. It really helps to bring out its details and colors from the plant. That plant does make for a wonderful BG. Love the details on the frog and the soft catchlight in its eyes.
TFS,
Niek

:) follows

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2241 W: 47 N: 3167] (10926)
  • [2007-09-11 23:23]

Bonjour Pam,
Superb portrait for this nice Prince. I like its face and its orange crown ;-)
The "+++++" : composition, nice subject, pose on leaf, POV, sharpness, DOF, colors, exposure, useful complementary note...
The "-" : nothing as usual...
Congratulations my talented friend and thanks for sharing,
Christian

  • Great 
  • jmp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1659 W: 95 N: 2273] (8415)
  • [2007-09-23 7:39]

Hi Pam,
You really have succeeded in doing a king of this frog!
I like everything here: pose, light, "gesture" and of course "crown"
TFS, José M.

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2158 W: 224 N: 4749] (16656)
  • [2007-10-30 13:50]

Hi Pam

Sorry i didn't go directly to your last post, but you know me...i can't rezist such a terrific frog shot :)
And this one's a beauty! I really love the composition you managed to create here - with this cute fellow gently position on leaf of the beautiful flower nicely blurred but still visible in the back.
The flash work is excellent and brings that extra light needed here for your subject. Due to is and your great exposure, your frog here benefits from all this superb colors, but the BG is also nicely illuminated.
The vertical format definitely was the way to go here and the presentation and note are cool, too.
Wonderful work!

Bravo and TFS
Horia

PS: for one of your frog-fact: yes, most amphibians eat their skin; some scientists consider that that is a way they recycle some of their proteins. :)

Hi Pam,
this is really a great shot. He looks really like a prince with the flower in the background.The expression and the beauty of the frog is amazing.
Superb colors and sharpness!!! And awesome POV!
Well done and TFS
Vanessa

Beautiful lovely image well composed and so sharp,

  • Great 
  • deud Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 438 W: 11 N: 534] (2540)
  • [2008-09-17 1:02]

great one! the pov is great! the focus and colors are very good.

Dear Pam
He is truly beautiful , but do I really have to kiss him?

I like your artistic crown! is the sparkle around his eyes also of your doing?

I do not think, we have such beauties here, but then the all blacks are also better than the Springboks...
Do you think I 'll be deported for this heresy?

iLife your photo very much and add it to my theme "F r o g s"

Greetings from the Tzaneen Dam, Limpopo, South Africa
Ingrid

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