Ribbit

My nine-year-old had a special photographic project to do for an upcoming event. This afforded us the opportunity to spend quality time together with the cameras. Since her project had a water theme, we sought out local ponds and streams.

She was using the Minolta A1 and I had the Tokina AT-X 100-300 F4 mounted on the Olympus E-1. The scene around the pond was pretty good and she was taking some excellent photos. It is an incredible feeling to see your child excel and take an interest in something that means so much to yourself. We had a wonderful time. As we were walking along the edge of the water we heard a splash and looking down saw this frog. For the next ten minutes we photographed it getting closer and closer. Some of her shots were getting me a little embarrassed as she was doing such an excellent job.

I figured out what was going on--she was using the live-view displayof the A1 and was able to get right down to the water level. This was my clue--I was shooting from too high up.

Extending the Tokina all the way out to 300mm, I focused it as close as it would go. This picture resulted. (as usual, clicking on the image opens up a larger version). This is a good justification for the Olympus E-330. Live view with an articulating viewfinder would make these low-level shots much easier than sticking your ear in the mud.