I love the way these little glass frogs always look like they’re doing push ups. It’s hard to distinguish between all the different species of glass frog in Panama and other parts of Central and South America, but I believe this guy is the Fleischmann’s glass frog.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 250, f/16 at 1/250th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
Here’s another one from the American west. This time South Dakota’s Badlands. The sun had long since set, but there was still just a bit of light in the sky when I came upon this bison on the horizon. There wasn’t enough light, however, for a silhouette, so I used flash to illuminate the bison and the foreground grass, while exposing for the night time sky. I used a very high ISO and slow shutter. If I hadn’t, the background would have been black.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 6400, f/2.8 at 1/13th of a second.
I like slowing the shutter speed down every now and again and panning to get more of an abstract look — especially when trying to convey motion. For this shot, I went even slower than usual at only 1/10th of a second. As I’ve mentioned before, pronghorn are second only to the cheetah as the fastest land mammal in the world. This herd of them was photographed last fall in Yellowstone National Park.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/10th of a second
This Nazca booby chick looked like a pile of cotton with a beak. The Nazca is one of three different species of booby that I photographed while in the Galapagos Islands. The other two being the blue footed and the red footed boobies.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/2500th of a second
A mother reticulated giraffe and her calf pose for the camera in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/4.5 at 1/2000th of a second
These two photos are from Maria Island in Tasmania, Australia. The patters in the rock were caused by groundwater which seeped down through the sandstone thousands of years ago and left behind iron oxides which stained the rock.
Top photo — Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 100, f/18 at 1/4th, 1/15th, 1/8th, 1/2 and 1 seconds
Bottom photo — Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 100, f/18 at 1.6, .4, 1/10th, 1/5th and .8 seconds
It’s been awhile since I posted an insect of any kind, let alone a spider. This rather large specimen is a tropical orb weaver spider (her abdomen seemed to be about an inch or more in diameter). She appears to be floating in air, but that’s just because the shallow depth of field from my lens has thrown the strands of spider silk out of focus. This was actually shot at night with a dual flash set up, although the greenish background (out of focus foliage) gives it a bit of a daytime appearance. I was on a spotlighting hike through Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/8 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
Here’s another one from Botswana. This time from the dry savanna of the northeast at a place called Makgadikgadi Pan, one of the largest salt flats in the world. Among the zebras, and other typical African desert plains wildlife, lives quite a few meerkats. This youngster was waiting for the rest of the clan to get back home after a day of foraging.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second
A baby baboon rides on its mother’s back during a rain shower in the Ol Pajeta Conservancy, Laikipia, Kenya.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
After feasting on an oryx kill with the rest of her pride — including six cubs — this lioness was enjoying a much needed stop at the water hole. Like the ostrich I posted last week, this one was from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/320th of a second