Calm Photos

I never thought that the simple act of cleaning the garage would translate into another opportunity for nature photography.

That’s exactly what I was doing this past Saturday morning. Sorting out all the old toys to be donated and blowing-out all the spider webs, dead bugs and other detritus that tends to collect in the corners and behind the tools. And then something caught my eye. A rather plump-looking toad under the step ladder. Our garage had become his happy hunting grounds. Fortunately I found him before he decided to make a permanent residence out of our garage only to learn that such a location isn’t exactly conducive for a winter’s hibernation. Another of his little bumpy brethren was found during our spring garage cleaning. He was nice and dry as well as a bit brittle and dead.

I called my daughters over to take a look. Emma, our oldest at seven, advised “better be careful dad, he’ll pee on you.”

Ah, the mind of a child is a wonder to behold, especially when someone so young speaks from experience.
I keep my camera gear in the back of my Honda Pilot, with batteries always charged and sensors cleaned. I took out my Canon 1D Mark II and a 100mm macro lens. I set my ISO at 400, knowing that a flash would create too many hard shadows. I carefully placed my subject on the leafs of the hosta plants we have growing in our garden. I opened the lens all the way to f2.8. Not only because I didn’t want to break-out my tripod but also because I knew I wanted to blur my background, with the point of focus being on the most important area of the image - the toad’s eyes.

He hopped-off before I could get the shot I was looking for, so I gently picked him up and . . . sure enough, he let go with toad pee. With wet fingers, I managed to get the shot.