I came across this rather handsome treefrog—known as Elena’s treefrog or Boophis elenae—on a night hike in the town of Perinet, Madagascar. Back then I was using a close-up filter on the end of my 80-200mm lens for macro work, as well as a two flash bracket. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 145mm with Canon 500D close-up filter) ISO 100, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units.

Another one from the archives. This is a black and white ruffed lemur that I got up close and personal with in Madagascar back in 2007. The photo was taken at an island for rescued lemurs, thus they were quite habituated to humans. Still, I was caught off guard by the close approach but luckily had my little back-up camera with kit lens and pop up flash handy and was able to get a few shots.Nikon D40x with 18-55mm lens (at 18mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/60th of a second, on camera flash.

Here’s another old one (and a repost) from my trip to Madagascar in 2007. One of my favorite of many chameleon shots from that trip. This one being a panther chameleon I found on the grounds of the lodge I was staying at. I was supposed to move on to my next location but due to a major tropical storm, I was stranded in the town of Maroantsetra for a few days. Thanks to the local wildlife, I certainly made the best of it. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 35mm) ISO 100, f/14 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-600 flash.

This one goes back to my trip to Madagascar in 2007, shooting with my just-in-case emergency camera, the Nikon D40x. This is a Verreaux’s sifaka lemur who was hanging around our lodge at Berenty reserve in the extreme south of Madagascar. Nikon D40x with Nikkor 18-55mm lens (at 26mm) ISO 100, f/9 at 1/40th of a second.

Southern Madagascar is known for its spiny forests that grow in the dry soils of the region. The tree branches look like giant pipe cleaners and pretty much everything, including the tree trunks seem to have prickers and thorns. Living in this challenging environment is the Verreaux’s sifaka lemur, fully adapted to thrive amongst the spines. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/3.2 at 1/250th of a second.

A couple of habituated common brown lemurs allowed me to make a close approach on my trip to Madagascar back in 2007. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 35mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-600 flash.

This photo was taken back in 2007 on my first and only trip to Madagascar. It remains the place I want to return to more than anywhere else. I can best describe it as the only place in the world that doesn’t feel like anywhere else in the world. Especially with creatures like this — a leaf-tailed gecko. Usually these guys are quite camouflaged, but this one must have felt threatened and began to display that ferocious-looking, but harmless mouth. Here’s hoping I get back for a visit sometime soon. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/4.5 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units.

I’ve never posted this before (mainly because I find it to be just an average shot of a lemur — I should have gotten all the way onto the ground and positioned myself for a cleaner background). That said, it’s the shot that would later become the silhouetted ring-tailed lemur icon in my logo. I was scrolling through my old files and came across it and thought I’d share it now. I think it was about eight years ago when I first started using it in my logo, but it was taken back in 2007 in southern Madagascar. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 100, f/3.5 at 1/1250th of a second.

I met this Parson’s chameleon at what was billed as a “reptile farm” while traveling through central Madagascar. It allowed me to get some macro shots of these colorful creatures I’d been seeing on night walks in the forest. Back then I was using a close-up filter screwed to the end of my 80-200mm lens. It worked well in a pinch when not carrying a dedicated macro lens. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm with Canon 500D close up filter attached) ISO 100, f/6.3 at 1/8th of a second.

These lemurs exhibit behavior that has one of the great names in nature — cathemerality. It means they have no regular pattern of sleep, or daily activity. They are randomly active during every 24 hour cycle. I only saw a few white-fronted brown lemurs in my trip to Madagascar back in 2007, all on the island of Nosy Mangabe. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/200th of a second.