While hiking a local preserve on March 7, I was surprised to hear a chorus of wood frogs in the distance. As I approached a small vernal pool, circles appeared on the surface where most of the frogs had dived, but one brave soul decided to hang around and pose for me, about 25 feet away.
Type of Critique Requested
Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
Conceptual: Feedback on the message and story conveyed by the image.
Emotional: Feedback on the emotional impact and artistic value of the image.
Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
I don’t get to see much wildlife, so happy to grab what I can, and I don’t see many frogs in this category. For this image I was attracted to the surface tension of the water supporting the frog and the interesting outline it made, plus the highlights on the frog.
Technical Details
Fujifilm X-H2, 1/120s, f/4, ISO 500, Fujinon XF 16-80 (120 35mm), AWB, handheld.
Post processing include a large crop to make him bigger in the frame, and I lowered the overall exposure and added some contrast.
What a fun image, Jim. A reminder that spring is coming. I love the falls leaves beneath the water and the expression on the frogs face. I think he’s feeling like all of us are now . Thanks for sharing.
What a find. The frog with the leaves below the surface provides plenty of interest, but the surface tension outline around the frog takes it to another level.
I agree with all the comments so far. Very fun and playful. The frog’s eyes are in shap focus which draws my eye to the subject. The colors are great.
I think the image might be just a bit more compelling if the frog were facing more to the side of the frame, rather than down. The image would have more sense of movement I think. That would draw your eye further along the beautiful light in the water. You might play around with that in post and see if you like it or not. You said you cropped heavily, so you might have more real estate to experiment with.
I agree with @Janis_Connell about playing around with the crop, to include the frog’s left foot, if you caught it. The surface tension reflections are really special, and I like how the frog’s colours blend with its surroundings. Lovely shot, Jim!
I’m with the rest on the effectiveness of the outline. It provides such great contrast and emphasized the shape so well (even in a smallish thumbnail). Very cool.
. Thanks for sharing.
