Garden Amphibians!

Been home now for a couple of days and decided to get a shoot or two underway! I've always had a intrest in reptiles and amphibians and this is partly why i made two wildlife ponds at the bottom of my garden many years ago that now boast a collection of frogs, toads and newts all ideal subjects for me to photograph!

Having booked a macro flash kit out i was able to get close to the subject (60mm macro) and light it. the rain had helped quite a bit as this made them come out a bit more. By far common frogs are the most numerous species around with a few pairs of toads and for the first time some smooth newts were also present.

 Common Toads

 Common Frogs

Smooth Newt

I used a tank (i'd recommend glass but i used plastic) for the underwater shots though im hoping to use the underwater housing to actually get them in there environment.

 Hints - 

- Wet your hands before handling amphibians and make sure there not great crested newts or natterjack toads as its illegal to handle these without a licence! 

- Flash really helps bring the subject out in the tank and with experimentation can work effectively

- Conditions are important in very dry weather they are more likely to be near water whereas today with the rain they were quite spread out around the garden. 

If you enjoyed this blog id recommend Neil Philips work who specialises in Tank photography

http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/uk-wildlife-blog/

also a video from a earlier blog featuring palmate newts in Cornwall

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UK Herptiles