The Nothing

Continuing to worry over focus issues, I spent some time at work taking some photographs of animals that I hadn’t taken pictures of already. Some things occurred early in the week that prohibited me from taking as many photos as I had hoped, but I did find myself with a bit of time on Thursday to fire off a few rounds.

My target - the Waxy Monkey Tree Frog (Phyllomedusa sauvagii)

I’ve liked this frog since we got them in. They’re incredible animals. The like higher heat (basking spot hits 90F) and like things dry (we spray only every few days). They have a waxy secretion that is their namesake which helps hold in moisture. They’re fairly slow frogs, not prone to jumping, and seem fairly comfortable being handled. I’d have to say they’re ideal for some photography…

I ran out and grabbed a piece of black granite that I keep in my car at all times, and went to work. Since I seem to be having the most trouble with the Sigma 28-105mm, I used that lens. This time nearly every shot was a winner. I used a variety of F-stops, center focus, AI Servo, and more. I stuck with on-camera flash this time as well. I didn’t want to worry about additional lighting while I was learning more about this lens. All shots were taken hand-held - no tripod.

Some light post-production was done in CS3. Namely some sharpening, healing, and level adjustments. Nothing major and I only spent a few minutes on each image.

I was very pleased with the outcome. It would seem that I might have been working too fast for the lens while at the strobist meet a few weeks ago. I was likely doing a number of other things wrong as well. Only time will tell.