Summer Froggy

This is one of my all-time favorite photos, and I’m excited to announce it will be published in the upcoming summer 2010 issue of Kansas! Magazine, which should be hitting subscriber mailboxes and newstands sometime next month.  Look for my froggy in the Gallery section, which is usually located near the end of the magazine.  He will be a 1/2 page photo.  This is the 4th consecutive issue of Kansas! in which I’ve been published.

I took this photo in 2007 on a day on which I had planned to travel to the Concordia area to look for and photograph sunflower fields. However, the weather didn’t cooperate as it was pouring down rain out that direction, so I had to change my plans.  (You know, when life hands you lemons, make lemonade…)  I instead headed to Ensley Gardens at Lake Shawnee in Topeka and hung out near the big pond with lots of lilly pads.  The frogs were very active on this afternoon, perhaps because of the incoming weather.  I was amazed that this little guy sat perfectly motionless for at least a half hour while I shot him from various angles.  I used my 70-300 mm lens and cropped this pretty severely to achieve this close view. I also darkened up the water and cloned out some debris floating on the water to pretty it up.  I think what makes this shot unique is the upturned lilly pad leaves which add a really nice punch of color, and the frog’s pose.  And does he look like he’s grinning to you?!

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