Leafcutter Ants

 Leafcutter Ant Carrying Leaf. Soberanía National Park, Panama. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds  www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DsMKIII, Sigma 150mm F2.8 Macro, Wimberley F2 Macro Flash Bracket, Canon 580 EX II Flash with LumiQuest Softbox III Hand-held. ISO 250, F16 @ 1/200s Manual mode. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.

Leafcutter Ant Mediae Carrying Leaf and Minor. Soberanía National Park, Panama. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds  www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DsMKIII, Sigma 150mm F2.8 Macro, Wimberley F2 Macro Flash Bracket, Canon 580 EX II Flash with LumiQuest Softbox III Hand-held. ISO 250, F16 @ 1/200s Manual mode. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.

Leafcutter Ant Major Carrying Leaf Litter. Soberanía National Park, Panama. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds  www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DsMKIII, Sigma 150mm F2.8 Macro, Wimberley F2 Macro Flash Bracket, Canon 580 EX II Flash with LumiQuest Softbox III Hand-held. ISO 250, F16 @ 1/200s Manual mode. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.

While certainly a challenging  photographic subject, I managed a few decent images of these Leafcutter Ants (Leaf-cutter, Leaf-cutting). Their speed and the lack of depth-of field from my full-frame sensor camera made it quite a difficult task. I did manage to find an exposed tree root that a colony had made a trail over, and used it as a seat to save my back. All went well until I decided to get a low, intimate view and lay down on the ground - That is when I got attacked  by a couple of dozen Major, or soldier, ants…….something I don't want to do again.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Firmware Update 2.0.4

Canon has released firmware v2.0.4 for its 5D Mark II DSLR that corrects the bug found in the previous version. With v2.0.3, sound recording would not work if a manual record volume was used in the C1/C2/C3 custom settings modes. The revised firmware update addresses the issue and is now available for download from Canon's website HERE

Red-legged Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus)

Male Red-legged Honeycreeper   (Cyanerpes cyaneus) Gamboa Reserve, Panama. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds  www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, 500mm F4 IS, 2X II Tele-converter, Canon 580 EXII Flash (manual mode) with Better Beamer, Gitzo tripod and Wimberley Head II  ISO 650, F9 1/160s Manual Mode. Full Frame. The Red-legged Honeycreepers were the star performers at the hummingbird feeders during a recent photography trip to Panama. Click HERE to buy a print or license image for publication.

Book Review: Nature Photography Learning from a Master

Published in 2003, before the advent of professional digital cameras, this is still among my favorite go-to books for inspiration and creative techniques. Using this exceptional book as a guide, would-be nature photographers embark on a journey of learning and discovery as they master, step by step, the technical know-how they will need to achieve excellent results when venturing into the wild with camera in hand. Beginning with the basics of selecting equipment and moving on to the essential photographic techniques of exposure, focus, and lighting, the book then offers tips on how to compose a shot, how to get close-ups, and how to explore the possibilities of medium-format, large-format, and panoramic cameras.
The striking color photographs-of seals in Antarctica, zebras on the savanna, rhinoceroses in the tropical forest, and much more-are of a quality seldom found in how-to manuals. Fascinating and beautiful in their own right, they illustrate the challenges and joys that are the rewards of nature photography, and will inspire many to take to the sea, to the air, and to an array of different environments to capture their photographic prey. The book concludes with useful strategies for making the leap from talented amateur to professional photographer.
Gilles Martin has been a photographer for more than 30 years, capturing nature in all of its variety and richness. His subjects have ranged from the 12-foot baleen whale to minuscule insects. His work has appeared internationally in such publications as GEO, Paris Match, Life, and National Geographic. Denis Boyard, a journalist and photographer, is the chief technical editor of the magazine Chasseur d'Images.

         

Canon 1D Mark IV

Canon's latest professional digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera has now shipped. If you've been holding off to see how it's autofocus system works, then here's some reviews:

An analysis of EOS-1D Mark IV autofocus performance by Rob Galbraith

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Review by Richard Butler on dpreview.com

Canon EOS 1D Mark IV White Paper from Canon

 

Let's not forget Haiti!

Photographing Frogs: Endangered Species of Panama.

Harlequin Toad (Atelopus limosus). Provincia de Colón, Panama. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds  www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DsMKIII, Sigma 150mm F2.8 Macro, Wimberley F2 Macro Flash Bracket, Canon 580 EX II Flash with LumiQuest Softbox III Hand-held. ISO 400, F16 @ 1/160s Manual mode. Full Frame. CLICK HERE TO ORDER A PRINT OR TO LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.

Panama: Home safe

Just home from an incredible nature photography trip to Panama. By far, the most fun, rewarding  and adventurous part was spending days deep in the jungle photographing highly endangered relatives of the, now extinct in the wild, Panamanian Golden Frog (Atelopus zeteki). Crawling around jungle streams after hiking through the jungle had me facing some of the very toughest tropical conditions. I was constantly soaking wet from sweat, and I could feel my own body heat reflect back onto my face each time I brought the camera to my eye to take a picture; only to have the viewfinder  and my glasses constantly fog-up. There was simply no escape from the heat and humidity. I chose to bring my Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III as my primary camera body and my Canon EOS 5D Mark II as my back-up; both performed flawlessly in the very toughest of conditions. I was, however, disappointed to have my Canon 580 EX II Flash fail yet again.
I have only had conjunctivitis once before, but quickly realized it's symptoms appearing on the third morning. Facing a medical situation involving my eyes in a third world country was a somewhat worrisome task; I was afraid that the medicine would do more harm than good. Turns out that my worries were unfounded and I was able to get American made medicine over the counter at a large pharmacy chain. The infection started to clear within 24 hours and all is fine now.
Enduring mosquitoes, tick and chigger bites and an ant attack were all well worth it (yes, I did use precaution), and a visit to Dr. Rashed at the Tropical Disease Centre of the Montreal General Hospital upon my return to have the various bites, blisters, welts, marks and rashes checked-out seems to have given me a clean bill of health (though I'm still waiting for the results of the three ticks that I removed from myself after my return home). Oh, the glorious & romantic life of a nature photographer (smile).
Harlequin Toad (Atelopus limosus). Provincia de Colón, Panama. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds  www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DsMKIII, Sigma 150mm F2.8 Macro, Wimberley F2 Macro Flash Bracket, Canon 580 EX II Flash with LumiQuest Softbox III Hand-held. ISO 640, F16 @ 1/125s Manual mode. Full Frame. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT OR LICENSE AN IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.

“Ground Beef”

After arriving in Panama City and collecting luggage, rental car and picking-up granola bars and bottles of water, I stopped for a bite at the international fast food chain symbolized by the golden arches. While waiting an unusually long time for my meal, I watched the woman at the grill drop a hamburger patty on the floor, pick it up with her spatula and replace it on the grill; I guess she thought it would sterilize it by putting it back on the heat (smile). I have always heard the rumors that there was no beef in their burgers; but now know it is, in fact, GROUND BEEF! She took a quick look around while laughing with her colleagues in the kitchen until she made eye contact with me and realized that she had been seen - then she quickly looked away and resumed making burgers. I simply walked away and decided I could wait until breakfast to eat.
Harlequin Toads Amplectant Pair (Atelopus limosus). Provincia de Colón, Panama. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds  www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 5D mark II, Sigma 150mm F2.8 Macro, Wimberley F2 Macro Flash Bracket, Canon 580 EX II Flash with LumiQuest Softbox III Hand-held. ISO 800, F14 @ 1/160s Manual mode. Full Frame. CLICK HERE TO ORDER A PRINT OR LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.

Harlequin Toads (Atelopus limosus) & amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis)

amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) is a lethal fungus spreading across Central America and wiping out entire populations of frogs. The Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is so deadly that it kills about half of all amphibian species and reduces overall populations by about 80% after it’s arrival in any given place. One third of the known 5,743 amphibian species in the world are at risk of being wiped out! On a world scale, 122 species of amphibian species have gone extinct, compared with five bird species and no mammals in the same period.

Listed by the IUCN (Red List) as endangered, the Harlequin Toad (Atelopus limosus) is also known as the Mossy Stub-footed Toad and Limosa Stubfoot Toad. An endemic species of Panama, it’s population is limited to 5,000 square kilometer range of severely  fragmented forest and is at risk from Amphibian Chytrid Fungus and habitat loss.

Apple Announces Aperture 3 - FINALLY

Funny how critics blasted Apple for not announcing a new version of Aperture when Adobe released it's free beta version of Lightroom 3. I'm happy to report that Apple just released it's newest full version of Aperture. Unlike Adobe, Apple waited to release a full, working version available as an upgrade for only CAD$109.00. This new version has more than 200 new features, including the incorporation of Faces and Places from iPhoto. Apple included brushes, pre-sets and advanced slideshows with full multimedia support. If you're a Mac user, be sure to try the 30 day free trial here. If you're a PC user, then is is just another reason to make the switch to Apple (smile). I've only had limited time with Aperture 3, but kudos to Apple for waiting to offer a full version and skipping the "use your customer base as guinea-pigs" stage. Though, perhaps, early to offer a full review, my experience has been flawless so far.

Thanks for your concern

My last post was on January 22, 2010, so this is the longest I've gone without blogging. Many thanks to the many dozens of folks who emailed me to check-in and see if all was A-OK. As you can see, I was having a blast in Central America!