Well, we made it through the bulk of the holidays!  The Frog has been quiet for a while because everyone’s been doing their thing – and probably not worrying about what’s going on with the Frog.

Thanks to everyone for their questions, feedback, and comments.  They have been heard, and they will bear fruit in ’14.

The Frog has been busy behind the scenes, and thinking about what needs to be done to enhance The Frog in the new year. 

• Obviously, adding to the Galleries is a given. 
• There is a very mundane, but very important task that is underway, and that’s making sure every image has a unique caption so that if you have a question, it’s not about one of the five pictures of Yosemite Falls – it’s about Yosemite Falls #5. Once this is done, we’ll start adding to the site again.
• We’re still learning about the site software and Facebook, and how they behave.  This should be the first post without the “spinning circle”!  We learned how to avoid a post looking like code on Facebook (our December 19th post).  We’ll keep getting better as the old Frog learns new tricks.

We’ve been sample shopping – picking up different things to verify quality and see how images behave on different media.  Metal prints are a fascinating but frustrating medium, as are iPhone cases – see our notes on the Products page.  We can say that white mugs and (white) metal water bottles exceed our expectations, as do most metal prints.  Standout prints on Fuji Pearl paper are, well, outstanding (sorry, couldn’t resist that one!).  All that said, we’ve been challenged in how to share these great samples with you – it’s harder than you think to photograph a metal print, and it’s pretty easy to understand that it’s hard to photograph an image that wraps around a mug or water bottle.  We’ll file these frustrations under the “cons” of being a web-based business as we seek a way to share them with you.

There will be a new feature that will hit the blog from time-to-time called “Howdjya do that?”  (Howdjya being the verbalization of “how did you” back where I come from).  I’m a self-taught photographer, so I don’t have many secrets.  Sometimes, the biggest problem is remembering just what I did so that I can do it again, let alone sharing it.  Laughing Frog Images is intended to be fun and shared, and part of that is helping others make their own great images.  So, every now and again (or when I can’t think of a topic!), I’ll pick apart an image and share what went into it with everyone.

We’ll wrap up this post with a sincere THANK YOU to those that have liked us on Facebook, and shared us with your friends.  We think we’ve got something worth sharing here – whether you’re just visiting to view the galleries, shopping for a special and unique gift for someone, or accenting a room with an image made yours.  Your sharing and support is and will be a big part of our success. 

The Frog wishes you and yours a safe, healthy and happy 2014.